Honeywell Workers Reject Offer, Walk Out

Minneapolis More than 2,500 maintenance and production employees at Honeywell Inc.’s Twin Cities plants went on strike Monday.

Members of Teamsters Local 1145 rejected a contract offer Sunday and walked off the job at midnight despite a union negotiating committee’s recommendation to accept the deal. Fifty-eight percent of the workers voted against the offer.

Hundreds of the striking workers showed up at Twin Cities plants Monday carrying picket signs and wearing heavy coats and boots to face temperatures in the 20s.

Honeywell manufactures thermostats, control systems and automation devices. It employs 57,500 people in 95 countries and had 1997 sales of $8 billion.

Company spokeswoman Melissa Young said the strike primarily would affect production and operations at seven plants and offices in the Twin Cities area, including company headquarters.