A transportation union called a metro negotiator racist Wednesday after he shared the recipe for Oreo cookies during a closed door meeting, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.
The baking tips were interpreted as an attempt to compare the popular snack with the racial composition of the metro system’s workforce.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has called the incident, which happened back in July, “race baiting at the bargaining table” because the majority of mechanics are white and the majority of drivers are black.
ATU President Larry Hanley also accuses the Metro President John Nations of trying to convince mechanics to leave the union, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
Nations however denies the accusations and explains that most of the people present at the meeting had known each other for many years. He claims the recipe sharing was about cookies, not race.
“Union leadership has refused to allow their employees to vote on proposals, including half a dozen in the last year,” Nations told the St. Louis Business Journal. “They also don’t propose any financially feasible alternative of their own.”
This latest incident comes after very rough contract negotiations, which started back in August of 2010 when the previous contract expired and show no signs of ending soon. The two sides have disagreed on nearly everything from finances, pension plans and health insurance coverage.
Additionally, the union has also expressed anger over Nations’ contract being recently extended through 2020, including a $75,000 raise to $325,000, but Nations argues that it is the union’s own fault the employees are not receiving a raise. The metro authority cannot provide raises until a new deal is reached.
The Daily Caller News Foundation was unable to reach Nabisco, the makers of Oreo cookies, for comment.
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