PLANT SUED FOR TAPING EMPLOYEE CONVERSATIONS - Ravenswood Workers Seek Damages

(07/25/2003)
Officials at the Pechiney Rolled Products, a Ravenswood aluminum plant, are being accused in several lawsuits of illegally monitoring employee conversations.

The company has numerous employees from the region.

The suits were filed yesterday in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of four current and former employees.

Pechiney is accused of installing electronic audio surveillance equipment in parts of the plant.

The suit allege plant managers secretly monitored employee conversations for the past three years.

Each of the plaintiffs are seeking at least 100 dollars in damages for every day their conversations were monitored, and five million dollars in punitive damages.

Taping conversations of employees without consent violates the West Virginia Wiretapping and Surveillance Act.