Unfair Labor Practices

Lehigh Portland Cement Co. employees have received back pay they were owed by the company as part of a settlement of an unfair labor practices charge.The average amount received by each employee was $3,902, the National Labor Relations Board in Washington reported. The maximum was $5,284.99; 651 employees received the maximum, the NLRB said.Employees at nine of Lehigh's plants are sharing a $5 million settlement negotiated by the NLRB after the board ruled in 1987 that Lehigh violated labor law in 1984 by putting contract proposals into effect without first bargaining to an impasse with the union.

The International Union of Operating Engineers gave up yesterday a four-year effort to organize food-service workers on the Lady Baltimore and Bay Lady dinner cruise ships in the Inner Harbor.The union's Local 31 withdrew its bid for recognition by canceling an election scheduled for yesterday that would have given more than 30 Harbor Cruises Ltd. workers the chance to vote for or against union membership.An initial bid by the union to organize the waiters, waitresses, bartenders and galley staff failed in March 1994 by a vote of 20-16.

As a life long registered Republican, a home-owning, taxpaying resident of Anne Arundel County since 1985 and a public safety employee for Anne Arundel County since 1992, I observed the proceedings of the Anne Arundel County Council meeting held on Feb. 22 with a deep sense of regret, dismay and embarrassment for being a Republican! ( "Council delays vote on bill to end binding arbitration," Feb. 22) The existence of binding arbitration since 2003 has not been a factor in county taxes since, as was stated several times during the meeting.

The city has no legal basis for withholding a school cleaning contract from a Baltimore company accused of unjustly firing two employees, an independent hearing officer has concluded.Attorney Claude Edward Hitchcock informed the city's Board of Estimates that he could not substantiate the claims of the two custodians because they did not testify at a hearing he conducted. The women say Broadway Services Inc. dismissed them for trying to help co-workers unionize.Virginia Johnson and Valerie Bell, who have been given new jobs by Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board instead of testifying at the hearing.

Ronald Edward Hollie, the retired president of a hospital workers union and a stationary engineer, died of cancer Sunday at Sinai Hospital. The Cheswolde resident was 71. Born in Baltimore and raised on Pine Street, he attended St. Pius V Parochial School and attended Carver Vocational Technical High School. He later earned a General Education degree and took courses at Dundalk Community College. He served in the Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960. He then worked as a licensed stationary engineer at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where his beginning salary was $35 a week, his family said.

After spending three decades at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Kevin Hux eagerly joined efforts this past year to unionize his workplace. "I joined this union to have some kind of voice and be protected," said Hux, 55, who started in housekeeping shortly after the Inner Harbor hotel opened and now sets up tables for conventions and receptions. Because of staffing cuts, Hux said, he now shoulders tasks that three workers would have handled several years back. Hux and other employees have been working with organizers from Unite Here, which represents hospitality workers and has embarked on a national campaign aimed at unionized and nonunionized Hyatt hotels.

Tuesday, 1 p.m. Senate Finance, Presidential Wing, James Senate Office Building176 Health Insurance -- Summary Explanation of Benefits; SB 562 Health Care Cost Containment -- Uniform Claims FormsHouse Economic Matters, Room 150 Lowe House Office BuildingHB 858 Construction Contracts -- Payment by Contractor to Subcontractor; HB 1000 Real Property Sale -- Disclosure of Proximity to a LandfillWednesday, 1 p.m. Senate Finance, Presidential Wing, James SOB593...

In Prince George's 2 killed, 3 injured in Parkway crash near Laurel LAUREL -- U.S. Park Police shut down a section of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway for several hours Friday night after a multiple-vehicle crash near Laurel killed two people and injured three others. The collision occurred at about 8 p.m. when a vehicle traveling north near Route 197 attempted to pass another vehicle, police said. The driver of the passing vehicle lost control; the car crossed the median and struck two oncoming vehicles, Park Police Sgt. Scott Fear said yesterday.

In the midst of an impasse in teacher contract negotiations, Baltimore schools chief Robert Booker infuriated the teachers union by mailing 7,000 letters to teachers last week detailing the school board's position.The letter says that Booker wants to add 75 minutes to the workweek for professional training and competitively bid health care benefits.The Baltimore Teachers Union accused Booker of trying to negotiate directly with its membership as both sides await a report from an impartial arbitrator.

The Annapolis police union unanimously rejected a contract last night calling for a 2 percent raise, head shop steward Sgt. John Mellon said.More than 50 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 showed up at the Loews Annapolis Hotel to vote on the two hottest issues.They rejected the proposed 2 percent salary increase and demanded a better disability pension plan for officers.Police officers are forbidden by law from striking. Union official said last night that they were planning a media blitz to pressure city officials for a better contract.