UWUA & FWW vs. United Water
Case overview
| Date filed | 8 June 2011 |
|---|---|
| Current status | Presentado |
| Issue | Labor and environmental violations at United Water’s US acti |
| Summary of the case | United Water is a US American water utility and a wholly-owned subsidiary of French multinational Suez Environment. The complaint focuses on three issues: On 31 May 2010, the United States National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint charging that United Water Pennsylvania illegally refused to provide information necessary for the UWUA to negotiate over the companys demands for concessions in retirement benefits for workers. The NLRB has authorized a similar complaint against United Water in New Jersey. Furthermore, in December 2010, a federal grand jury issued a criminal indictment charging that United Water intentionally manipulated E. coli bacteria monitoring tests at a wastewater treatment plant in Gary, Indiana, between 2003 and 2008. The company has pleaded not guilty in the case. Finally, the complaint alleges that United Water manipulated the monitoring results as part of a scheme to reduce its costs for purchasing chlorine, which is used as a disinfectant before the plant discharges treated sewage into a public waterway near Chicago. United Waters president has publicly dismissed the seriousness of the charges, claiming the indictment involves disagreement about operating and monitoring methods.” The complainants are awaiting the results of the NCPs initial assessment. |
| Developments/Outcome | |
| Relevant OECD Guidelines | |
| Case keywords | Salud y seguridad, Los derechos laborales, Publicación de informaciones |
NCP Information
| NCP name | National Contact Point United States of America |
|---|---|
| NCP address | 2201 C St. NW 20520 Washington, DC, United States |
| NCP website | http://www.state.gov/e/eeb/ifd/oia/usncp/index.htm |
| Other NCPs involved |
Complainants
| NGO |
|---|
Company Information
| Company responsible | United Water |
|---|---|
| Company address | |
| Company website | |
| Company in violation | United Water |
| Country of operations | United States |
| Other companies involved |
|
Timeline of developments
Some developments are only visible to logged in users.
| Date | Actor | Action | Description | Document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2011 | Utility Workers Union of America | presentar | UWUA & FWW file complaint against United Water. | download pdf (9.9 MB) |
| 8 June 2011 | Utility Workers Union of America | presentar | Annex to the complaint | download pdf (242.6 kB) |
