United Steelworker News

Federal Judge Makes Correct Call on Arizona Immigration Law

Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW), released the following statement on today’s injunction to block key provisions of Arizona’s anti-immigration law.

“U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton made the correct call in blocking the most controversial sections of Arizona’s new immigration law from taking effect tomorrow ... more

USW Cites Congressional Effort Asking Obama Administration to Address Chinese Subsidies of Paper Industry Threatening US Jobs

The United Steelworkers (USW) joins Appleton Coated LLC, NewPage Corporation, and Sappi Fine Paper North America in applauding the efforts of more than 100 Members of Congress who wrote to President Obama today, asking for action on Chinese subsidies to that nation’s paper producers.

The letter to the U.S. President urges he “carefully examine the practices employed by the Chinese government to provide its paper industry an artificial and unfair advantage in the U.S. market, and determine the extent to which these practices cause or threaten to cause harm to American producers.” The letter was spurred by the devastating impact that Chinese unfairly-priced paper exports are having on the industry all across the country.

USW President Leo W.Gerard said: "We commend the action taken by this bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Congressional members demanding that China obey international trade laws.  Too many jobs and too many companies are being destroyed because of how China subsidizes production and violates free trade principles in paper manufacturing as well as in other industries." ... for more

USW Congratulates Rubber Workers at Firestone in Liberia on New Contract

Heavy Loads Lifted from Tappers’ Backs

The United Steelworkers (USW) today congratulated the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) on achieving a new collective bargaining agreement at the Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia.  The agreement contains a landmark provision to change the method of transporting latex to weigh stations.

“Since 1926, rubber tappers have carried a heavy load across their backs for miles,” said Fred Redmond, USW International Vice President for Human Affairs “FAWUL has achieved an historic change by negotiating a new motorized transport system.  It’s a milestone for its members and a major victory for human rights.  We need now to make sure that the agreement is enforced and extended to every corner of the plantation.”

In the new agreement, the union has negotiated a commitment to “change the current mode of transportation.”  For more than 80 years, rubber tappers were forced to carry two metal buckets, weighing up to 150 pounds, suspended from a stick across their shoulders.  Tappers carried these heavy loads to weigh stations which in some areas were miles away.  According to rubber tappers and human rights observers, this out-dated method of transportation took a severe toll on workers’ health, leading to a variety of debilitating injuries ... more

USW expresses condolences to Horsehead victims, Local sets up memorial fund

The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8183 and the entire Steelworkers family today expressed its deepest condolences to the loved ones of those injured and killed in last night's explosion at Horeshead Corp.'s zinc processing facility in Monaca, Pa. The union also announced today that it has established a memorial fund to help the victims' families. Click here for more. 

United Steelworkers Send 100,000 Letters Urging Action on Clean Energy Jobs Legislation, Creating and Maintaining Manufacturing Jobs

As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up clean energy legislation, members of the United Steelworkers, along with USW International Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson and BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster, today highlighted the more than 100,000 letters sent from USW members urging action on strong clean energy jobs legislation with critical policies aimed at creating and maintaining good manufacturing jobs across the United States. 

“Union members sent more than 100,000 letters urging action on clean energy jobs legislation that includes the investments that we need to create and maintain good, middle class manufacturing jobs in this country,” said Dennis Barker, a member of the United Steelworkers from Granite City, Illinois. “Now it is time for the Senate to get moving on clean energy jobs legislation ... more

USW Hails Mexican Superior Court Decision Vindicating Los Mineros Leader Napoleon Gomez

Leo W.Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW), hails a decision, by the Superior Court of Justice of the Federal District of Mexico, dismissing an arrest warrant issued against Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, Secretary-General of the National Union of Mining, Metallurgical, Steel and Allied Workers of Mexico (Los MIneros).
 
The judgment (No. 736/2010) issued last Friday (Jul. 9), spurred the Attorney General of Mexico to remove Gomez’s photo and related information from the A-G’s Federal District internet page, vindicating Gomez and four Los Mineros union leaders: Juan Linares Montufar, Hector Felix Estrella, Gregorio Perez-Romo and Jose Angel Rocha-Perez. Each was charged with allegations claiming illegal conduct in relation to the administration of a trust fund first established in 1988 but not realized until 2004 in a settlement with Grupo Mexico ... more

Labeling China's Currency Undervalued Correct; USW Calls for More Action

The U.S. Treasury report issued yesterday designating the Chinese currency as undervalued is a small step in the right direction. 

The undervalued yuan, also called renminbi, artificially depresses the cost of Chinese products and falsely increases the price of American goods. The resulting lopsided trade has closed American factories and cost American jobs. 

“The administration is correct in calling the renminbi undervalued,” said Leo W. Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers (USW) union. “The next crucial step is to do something about it,” he added. The USW supports legislation that would punish China for currency manipulation sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others and in the House by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan D-Ohio and others.

China undervalues its currency by using renminbi to buy dollars. China now holds $2.4 trillion in U.S. currency. Even conservative economists agree that the renminbi is undervalued as a result by between 25 and 40 percent against the dollar ... more

Steelworkers Ratify Five-Year Collective Agreement With Vale

Workers Approve New Contract by 74% Margin, Ending Year-Long Strike

United Steelworkers (USW) members in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ont., voted today to end their year-long strike against mining giant Vale, approving a new collective agreement.

USW Local 6500 members in Sudbury voted 75% in favour of the new contract, while Local 6200 members in Port Colborne ratified the deal by a 74% margin.

“Our members have spoken and I believe everyone respects the decisions they have made in extremely difficult circumstances,” said Wayne Fraser, the USW’s District Director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada ... more

USW Pursues Safety Negotiations with Oil Industry

United Steelworkers (USW) Vice President Gary Beevers, who heads the union’s oil sector, sent a request to the oil industry to re-open the National Oil Bargaining pattern agreement and negotiate health and safety provisions.

“I’ve asked the industry to sit down and have an honest discussion about handling safety effectively,” said Beevers. “Let’s conduct a thorough analysis, then negotiate a signed agreement that addresses the alarming deterioration in safety throughout the oil industry.”

This spring was tragic in the oil sector. During the months of April and May there were 13 fires, 19 deaths and 25 injuries. This year refineries have averaged one fire per week. These figures reflect only reported incidents. There could be more because refineries have no legal obligation to report every incident ... more

Ratification Votes Set, Agreement on Terms of Bad Faith Complaint

The USW is pleased to announce that it has come to an agreement with Vale on the terms of a bad faith bargaining complaint that will be heard by the OLRB. This removes the remaining obstacle in the long struggle with Vale and enables the Union to conduct membership meetings along with ratification votes now scheduled for July 7 and 8, 2010 in Sudbury and July 8, 2010 in Port Colborne.

By the Letter of Agreement signed today and to be approved by the Vice Chair of OLRB panel hearing this matter, the issue of the procedure for the reinstatement to employment of the nine discharged striking employees will be heard by the OLRB commencing on July 9, 2010.

The Union is confident that the OLRB will agree that leaving the issue of the possible reinstatement of employees discharged during the strike at an impasse and refusing to agree to arbitrate that issue amounts to a violation of the duty to bargain under the Labour Relations Act and is not lawful. The Union says that any other result fundamentally undermines freedom of association and the right to strike and destabilizes the sensitive balance required to make labour relations and collective bargaining effective in Ontario ... more

New Study Reinforces USW Position that Improper Chinese Subsidies Destroy Jobs in American Paper Industry

A study released today documenting illegal subsidies to Chinese paper producers strengthens the argument of the United Steelworkers (USW) union that U.S., policymakers must intervene now to preserve the domestic paper industry and hundreds of thousands of good-paying  jobs.

The report, No Paper Tiger: Subsidies to China’s Paper Industry from 2002-2009, released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) documents $33 billion in government subsidies to the Chinese paper industry for pulp, coal, electricity and recycled paper, enabling the Chinese paper industry to sell its products at artificially low prices.

That falsely low-priced paper dumped on the U.S. market makes American-manufactured paper appear uncompetitive, forcing plant closings, killing jobs and damaging communities ... more

Steelworkers Mourn Loss of Senator Byrd

United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard issued the following statement today concerning the death of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.)

“Members of our union and workers across the country are grieving the loss of Senator Robert Byrd, a giant among his fellow legislators and one of the greatest friends that working families have ever had." Click Here for more ...

New Report Provides Blueprint for Building Domestic Wind Energy Component Supply Chain

BlueGreen Alliance, American Wind Energy Association, and USW Provide “Manufacturing Blueprint” to Build Out Domestic Wind Energy Supply Chain and Create U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

According to a report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), BlueGreen Alliance and the United Steelworkers, the U.S. wind industry can create tens of thousands of additional jobs manufacturing wind turbines and components if the U.S. passes long-term policies that create a stable market for the domestic wind energy supply chain.

“Wind energy provides one of the most promising sources of new manufacturing jobs for American workers,” said Rob Gramlich, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for AWEA. “This report shows how the right policies such as a Renewable Electricity Standard will build the supply chain and create those jobs.”

“This report represents a major alignment between our goals for energy independence and creating the clean energy jobs of the future,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). “This ‘manufacturing blueprint’ is a critical step toward ensuring that we don’t replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on Chinese-made wind turbines. With the right policies, clean energy will help revitalize American manufacturing. We must ensure that American manufacturers have the resources they need to build clean wind energy components and by doing so, help establish America as a global leader of clean energy technologies.” Click here for more ...

Steelworkers Ratify 4-year Contract with Alcoa

A new 4-year labor agreement between the United Steelworkers (USW) union and Alcoa covering some 6,000 workers at 11 U.S. locations has been ratified in a secret ballot vote by the membership.   

The agreement provides for lump sum bonuses of $2,250 this year, $1,750 next year; general wage increases of 2.5% in each of the following two years; and a $2 per month per year of service increase in the pension multiplier.

During negotiations, Alcoa proposed a series of changes in health care benefits which would have dramatically shifted costs to employees through reduced coverage and higher employee premium amounts. Although the proposal was designed to appear to offer greater individual choice, in reality each of the options offered only poorer coverage and higher costs ... more

NEW VIDEO: President Gerard Talks Labor, Obama, Health Care and More

USW Represents at U.S. Social Forum in Detroit

This week, tens of thousands of activists from around the country and around the world have descended on Detroit for the second-ever United States Social Forum.  

This year's Social Forum brings together activists from hundreds of organizations and dozens of different movements under the single banner "Another World is Possible, Another U.S. is Necessary."  

The Forum opened with a massive march down Detroit's Woodward Avenue ending at Cobo Hall. A delegation of about two dozen Steelworkers joined the march including USW District 2 Director Michael Bolton and members of USW Local 6500 who have been on strike against mining giant Vale-Inco for more than 11 months.  

Over the next three days, the Steelworkers will be hosting two workshops: "Manufacturing Builds Communities" and "Fighting Sweatshops in the Global Economy," as well as holding a fundraiser party to benefit the USW members on strike at Vale.  

If you couldn't make it to Detroit, follow the action online with streaming audio and video at www.ussf2010.org.  For live updates of the forum follow "ussf" and #ussf2010 on Twitter.  

USW: Need stronger safety standards in oil industry, more

United Steelworkers Vice President Gary Beevers spoke with Workers Independent News today about the need for improved safety standards in the oil industry and more. Click here to listen to the report. Click here for more on the USW's Health, Safety and Environment efforts and here for more on our oil workers.

Correspondent Doug Cunningham filed this report for WIN:

United Steelworkers Vice President Gary Beevers says whether it’s at the bargaining table or in the halls of Congress, the union is determined to work hard to improve oil refinery safety. Beevers says stronger safety practices need to be enforced through collective bargaining contracts and OSHA regulations need to have more teeth with higher fines for safety violations while protecting whistle-blowing workers.

[Beevers]: “We intend to push for all of the above. In addition to that, I think we need to have an independent oversight or regulatory commission kind of like the nuclear industry to overview refining safety. We need to push to get a bigger budget for OSHA so that OSHA can do the kind of inspections it needs to be doing. There needs to be a change in the system for levying fines and enforcement. Right now you can kill somebody and have a willful violation and the only thing that OSHA can fine ‘em is seven thousand dollars.”

USW, Los Mineros Announce Cross-border Unification Commission

The United Steelworkers (USW) and the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers of the Mexican Republic (SNTMMSSRM) - known as Los Mineros - announced a joint declaration to create a cross-border commission to explore unification of  a potential union representing one-million industrial workers in Mexico, Canada, U.S. and the Caribbean.

In signing the declaration over the weekend, USW President Leo W. Gerard and Napoleon Gomez, general secretary for Los Mineros, jointly renewed the two unions "common commitment to democracy, equality, and solidarity for working men and women throughout North America and throughout the world." Click here for more.

Embattled Striking Miners in Mexico Are Led from BC

The lip of an enormous copper mine pit looms behind the dusty streets of Cananea in Sonora, Mexico. Walk those streets, and you encounter outsized memorials and tributes to the mine and its workers, the kinds of markers you might find in the British Columbian communities of Kimberley, Logan's Lake, Trail, or any other mining towns that dot the rural landscape across North America.

Cananea is the largest mine in Mexico, at one time responsible for some 40 per cent of the country's copper output. At a high point on the main road leading to the mine stands what used to be a movie house. Now it is the union office and hall of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalurgicos y Similares de la Republica Mexicana (Los Mineros) mineworkers union ... more

Courtesy of The Tyee

Steelworkers Reject Century Aluminum's offer at Hawesville; Continue Bargaining

Hawesville, Ky. - Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9423 rejected a final contract offer from Century Aluminum yesterday by a secret ballot vote of 443 to 2, sending a strong message to management that terms of the offer fell short of expectations and that the union membership will not be intimidated into accepting a bad deal.

The union also protests unfair labor practices, such as the threats used by Century during contract talks.  USW Local 9423 President John Beaver said, "This overwhelming vote shows that the workers will not be intimidated by management's threats, including threats of shutting down the plant.

"The membership has given the union authorization to call a strike," Beaver said.  "But we are going to continue bargaining and make every effort to reach a satisfactory agreement." Click here for more.