INSIDEUSW@WORK We have been told for a long time that there was only one solution, austerity, and there was no alternative. It is our task to say “there is an alternative to attacking our communities. It is investing in our communities. Canadian National Director Ken Neumann 2013 Workers Uniting conference, ”Toronto

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

Leo W. Gerard International President

Stan Johnson Int’l. Secretary-Treasurer 12 14 Thomas M. Conway PUBLIC EMPLOYEES EXXONMOBIL Int’l. Vice President When fighting privatization and job outsourcing, A strike or lockout was averted when USW (Administration) state and local government employees find support members ratified agreements covering 850 Fred Redmond from members of the communities that they serve. workers at the ExxonMobil refinery and Int’l. Vice President chemical plant in Baytown, Texas. (Human Affairs)

Ken Neumann Nat’l. Dir. for Canada

Jon Geenen Int’l. Vice President

Gary Beevers 18 30 Int’l. Vice President LANDSLIDE PAPER CONTRACT Carol Landry USW members work to secure jobs jeopardized USW members ratify a four-year agreement Vice President at Large by a massive landslide at the Rio Tinto Kennecott with Packaging Corp. of America that covers Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah. more than 1,000 workers at 25 box plants.

DIRECTORS FEATURES ON THE COVER David R. McCall, District 1 Speaking Out 03 USW members at the Martin/F. Weber factory in Philadelphia create paints News Bytes 32 Michael Bolton, District 2 that have been used by generations of American artists. See page 4. USW Photo by Steve Dietz Stephen Hunt, District 3 John Shinn, District 4 Daniel Roy, District 5 Marty Warren, District 6 Jim Robinson, District 7 Ernest R. “Billy” Thompson, District 8 Volume 08/No.3 Summer 2013 Daniel Flippo, District 9 COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Official publication of the United Steelworkers Jim McKay, Editor Direct inquiries and articles for USW@Work to: John DeFazio, District 10 Wayne Ranick, Director of Communications United Steelworkers Communications Department Robert Bratulich, District 11 Gary Hubbard, Director of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. Five Gateway Center Aaron Hudson and Kenny Carlisle, Designers Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Robert LaVenture, District 12 Deb Davidek, Chelsey Engel, Lynne Hancock, R.J. Hufnagel, phone 412-562-2400 J.M. “Mickey” Breaux, District 13 Jess Kamm, Tony Montana, Barbara White Stack fax 412-562-2445 online: www.usw.org

USW@Work (ISSN 1931-6658) is published four times a year by the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO•CLC Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Subscriptions to non-members: $12 for one year; $20 for two years. Periodicals postage paid at Pittsburgh, PA and additional mailing offices.

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Copyright 2013 by United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO•CLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the United Steelworkers. 2 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Save a Job, Buy American n international network of union mem- bers who work for Alcoa is supporting Five years ago, I started my career at Millennium the USW in its efforts to organize more Forge Inc., in Louisville, Ky., as a steelworker and workers in North America. Here is joined Local 1693. I have worked my way up the Awhat some of them have to say to potential new ladder to my current position of crew leader. members: I am at top pay and I owe it all to hard work and the confidence that being a USW member gives. Things have been rough over the years but my union Better Wages and Conditions brothers have always had my back and I will always I’ve been a union member for 25 years work- have theirs. I truly love forging steel. ing for Alcoa. For better wages, conditions, safe- I thank God for every breath and every day. I ty and a good pension, you need to be a member thank the USW for a successful career! I am made in of the union. Union employees make a better the USA, and so are the forgings I produce and that’s income and have better benefits than nonunion the way it should be. I tell everyone to save a job and employees. In a company, you also have more buy American! support and get more done as a group than as an Ronald Pollard Jr., Local 1693 individual trying to fight for your rights. Louisville, Ky. Brett Noonan, local union president Australian Workers Union Help Us, We’ll Help You Point Henry, Australia I am a proud member and current president of Join the Union! USW SOAR Chapter 9 UR-9. Before retirement, I I would encourage union membership. was an active member of Local 1055 serving as a Through bargaining and negotiation you will union steward, elected executive board member and get better working conditions, pay and benefits. recording secretary. Many nonunion workers think it’s a given that We worked hard to be recognized in 1979 and the company will take care of them, but they receive a United Rubber Workers (URW) union card. don’t realize that it’s the bargaining and negotia- When we merged with the USW, we became stronger tion that the union has done with the company with more members and more bargaining power. that has gotten them better working conditions We are in negotiations with BSFS (Bridgestone and pay and benefits that all employees, non- Firestone) right now and they are attacking retirees union as well as union members, enjoy. again. We can’t take any more cuts. The produc- Remember, these things are NOT given to tion people have taken concessions to keep the plant you by your company – they are NOT a right – open. these things were bargained and negotiated for by I ask all locals to help us when we have rallies to your union members. I encourage you to join the fight this company and regain what we have lost. We union! will be there for you when you need help. We have Andy Murray, Unite the Union member and showed that in the past. Chairman of the Alcoa European Works Council Tommy Reeder, president Soar Chapter 9 UR-9 Social Justice Lebanon, Tenn. I would recommend union participation; with- out the union, it becomes worse for the employee Voting Rights Act in the long run. The union defends the social The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to remove justice of the individual. The company is going to defend its profits and production efforts. So key protections against state-sponsored voter sup- USW active and retired pression from the Voting Rights Act impacts work- by joining the union, we have the opportunity to members and their ing families, but too many news reports fail to cover solve the problems created by management. families are invited to working class issues as such. America’s richest 20 Jose Maria Araújo, president “speak out” on these percent already control 85 percent of the money and Metalworker’s Union pages. Letters should be most of Congress, so wealthy people aren’t worried São Luis, Maranhão, Brazil short and to the point. about voter I.D. laws. We reserve the right to With too few eligible voters exercising that right, Voice at Work edit for length. the problem isn’t that too many people are voting, I’ve been a Steelworkers union member for 33 years working for Alcoa. The union has given legally or illegally. The problem is that we workers Mail to: and our families are being cut out of the democratic us a voice in our plant, and through the union, safety and respect for the employees have been USW@Work process and stand to lose even more. Five Gateway Center, Keep fighting! the outcome. Jason Roach, president Local 3-10A Pittsburgh PA 15222 Mike Mignogna, Local 2155 East Wenatchee, Wash. or e-mail: Niles, Ohio [email protected]

USW@Work • Summer 2013 3 hey may be little- known Toutside the art commu- nity, but the colorful paints that Steelworkers create at the Martin/F. Weber factory in Philadelphia have earned a place in American history. Over the years, iconic artists such as Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth and Andy Warhol have used Weber paints, helping to make them the top choice in the United States for high-end artists. Weber is “the paint most artists prefer” be- cause it is a high-quality product that professional artists know will stand the test of time, said Ted Walton, a master paint miller and member of Local 286 who has worked at Weber for 15 years. For Walton, that status makes quality control one of the most important jobs for him and his fellow union members. “We have to make sure we always do quality work,” he said. History in the making That high quality has given USW members’ handiwork a perma- nent home in the White House. Last May, Weber celebrated when renowned portrait artist John Howard Sanden unveiled his official paintings of President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. Sanden, a longtime Weber customer, used the company’s USW-made paints to create the portraits. Diane Oliver and her union sisters and brothers were delighted when they learned that their products would have a permanent home in one of the most famous buildings in the world. “It’s wonderful,” Oliver said. The presidential portrait is just one of several links to fame for the company and its USW work force. In 1983, three years after it was purchased by the Kapp family, Weber began a business partnership with a soft-spoken art teacher, Bob Ross, who had just launched his own how-to TV program.

4 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Ted Walton USW photo by Steve Dietz

USW@Work • Summer 2013 5 Clarinda MacCorkle

Elmo Pena

USW photos by Steve Dietz

part of OCAW and PACE before join- for 38 years, has never held another ing the USW in 2005. Though it has job. While she and co-worker Beverly Ross starred in more than about 50 units and 2,300 members, the Izzard, a 32-year employee, assembled 400 half-hour episodes of “The amalgamated local still counts the small brush sets, Oliver said she hopes to Joy of Painting,” which led to a 20-member unit at Weber as an impor- work at the factory for a few more years series of DVDs, books and even tant part of the whole. until she is able to retire. an iPhone App. Though Ross Walton, who started out packing boxes, said he has done almost every ‘New kid on the block’ died in 1995, his program remains on Mike Dailey, a 12-year employee the air, and USW members continue to job there is to do at the factory and, as the unit’s “safety czar,” he has seen in the shipping and receiving depart- produce a line of art supplies that fea- ment, calls himself “the new kid on the ture his famous curly-haired likeness. first-hand how the union helps to make Weber a better place to work. block.” “Bob reached everybody, and he “A good employer helps keep still reaches everybody,” said company Besides gaining better wages and benefits, Local 286 has pushed hard to people around,” Dailey said, citing the President Michael Gorak, who has been influence of the USW in maintaining with Weber since 1980. secure more paid time off for workers as well as health and safety improvements. Weber’s worker-friendly environment. Weber, which produces oils, acryl- Dailey’s mother Anne worked at Weber ics, watercolors and a host of other “With the USW behind us, when we negotiate contracts, we get things for 44 years before she retired two years painting supplies, maintains a solid ago. customer base 160 years after the com- done,” said Walton, who also serves on the USW unit’s wage committee. She was one of four workers who pany’s founding largely because of retired as a group with a total of nearly relationships like the one with Ross and The union’s efforts have made the jobs at Weber good enough that workers 200 years of service. Together, they saw other professional artists and teachers. the plant through decades of changes, The presence of the USW at the rarely leave: With 15 years of service, Walton has less seniority than many of including a growing lineup of products factory has ensured a better life for the and the introduction of modern technol- company’s workers. his co-workers. Oliver, who has been with Weber ogy into the paint-making process. Founded in 1937, Local 286 was “I’m glad I was here to experience

6 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Kamala Baria

Darleane Smedley

all of that,” said Tracy Clements, a jivandas Baria and his assistant and wife, Carolyn Baum, another assembly 28-year employee who generally works Kamala Baria, a 19-year USW member, line worker who has been with Weber on the assembly line, producing art sets, create a wide array of colors and styles for more than 25 years, said that because or labeling and packing products. “It’s a and test them to ensure consistency. of the company’s small work force, em- part of American history.” Outside the lab, USW members mill ployees are trained to do multiple jobs Weber is the oldest U.S. manufactur- and mix the ingredients to produce those from day to day. er of high-end art supplies. And because varieties in 130-liter barrels, making “Any one of us is capable of doing its products are designed for profession- sure to get just the right consistency and almost any job here,” she said. “The als, the company and union have been pigmentation for each batch. more you know how to do, the more able to avoid major job losses during valuable you are as a worker.” economic slowdowns, said Lawrence With the USW Baum said the union has nurtured Kapp, the director of purchasing and son that philosophy and has helped create a of CEO Dennis Kapp. behind us, when team atmosphere. “It helps us to remem- “Professional artists are still going to ber that we are always working as a buy your product because they have to we negotiate group,” she said. “The union is vital for produce their art or they’re not going to “ your protection.” eat,” he said. contracts, we get The presence of the USW at Weber The professionals also tend to be things done. has also been good for the company, loyal customers. Most want their paint- making sure the paint-making process ings to have a consistent look, so once Containers that resemble toothpaste runs smoothly and that the company they find a product they like, they rarely tubes are filled and sealed, and boxes are continues to be known for high-quality switch, Kapp said. packed and shipped to suppliers all over products. Around the world the world. Most of the products ”eventu- “We do a good job taking care of ally end up at retailers such as Michaels them, and they take care of us, too,” Producing Weber’s paints begins in a craft stores, the largest seller of Weber Walton said. “We’re the backbone of the small lab at the center of the more than paints in the United States. company, and of this country.” 40,000-square-foot factory. There, Jag-

USW@Work • Summer 2013 7 Leo W. Gerard

USW photos by Scott Weaver

n May, 150 activists and experts with individual workers and families. not work in the Gilded Age, and it is not allied with the United Steelworkers (The videos are available on the USW working now, he said. (USW), Unite the Union and the website, www.usw.org.) The cycle from the Gilded Age to global union Workers Uniting de- Alternatives to austerity shared prosperity and back to the Gilded Iveloped an international plan for shared Age was described by economist Barry prosperity to replace the feed-the-rich- Conference participants discussed Bluestone, founding director of the starve-the-poor austerity that has been alternatives to austerity and developed Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for shoved down workers’ throats for half a the prosperity plan. It contains specific Urban and Regional Policy, and found- decade. policy initiatives in four areas: manufac- ing dean of the School of Public Policy Workers, union leaders, economists, turing and industrial policy; workplace and Urban Affairs at Northeastern and other experts from a half dozen rights; building a green economy and University. countries and two continents gathered investment in public services. The 1920s have returned, he said. in Toronto and hashed out a compre- “We have been told for a long time At that time, consumer demand was hensive plan entitled “Path to Shared that there was only one solution, auster- weak because wealth and income were Prosperity” that they now are working ity, and there was no alternative,” Ca- concentrated in a small group of mil- to implement with the help of like- nadian National Director Ken Neumann lionaires. Their recklessness on Wall minded groups. said. “It is our task to say there is an Street caused the 1929 crash and the “We are giving birth to something,” alternative to attacking our communi- Great Depression. International President Leo W. Gerard ties. It is investing in our communities.” That also was a time of no jobs, no told the gathering on the final day. He Len McCluskey, general secretary savings and no hope. Manufacturing urged attendees to gather collaborators of Unite, the USW’s partner in Workers was shuttered. Investment went bust. to achieve the goals. Uniting and the largest union in Ireland Rather than austerity, Democratic “I believe in you,” Gerard told them. and Great Britain, agreed with Neu- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt “You can build a global fight-back mann, saying, “This week, we are creat- stimulated the economy with govern- machine for a better world, a better ing a turning point. We are pursuing ment investment and the New Deal tomorrow.” new goals for greater political influence reforms, Bluestone said. This included The conference was conceived to on both sides of the Atlantic.” regulation of Wall Street to prevent cy- upend the idea that austerity is the only Talking specifically of the plan, clical crashes. And it included encour- solution to the global crisis caused by McCluskey said it would not substitute aging unionization of workers to secure reckless gambling on Wall Street and for national strategies to combat auster- better wages. its equivalents in London and Toronto. ity, but would complement them. “It The economy began to recover with Experts showed how austerity benefits will demonstrate that we are working creation of government jobs programs the already rich and devastates everyday together as part of a united movement,” such as the Civilian Conservation Corps workers. he said. and construction of the Tennessee A series of videos produced by the The effect of austerity has been to Valley Authority dams and with institu- USW illustrated the pain austerity has funnel money to the richest and beggar tion of the social safety net programs caused in Europe through interviews the world’s workers, he said. That did including Social Security and national

8 USW@Work • Summer 2013 ore than ever, USW members must confront huge corporations with operations all over the world. Standing up to globalization meansM building partnerships with our union broth- ers and sisters overseas. Workers Uniting is one such alliance, forged in 2008 between the USW and Unite – the largest union in Great Britain and Ireland. Building global solidarity, especially within shared industries and with common employers, gives us power that could never be achieved by standing alone. The USW and Unite share nearly 200 common employers. Here are some of the largest: • Automotive & Transportation: Ceva, Cummins, Dana, Federal Mogul, Go- odrich, Johnson Controls • Cement: Cemex, Heidelberg, Lafarge • Chemicals: 3M, Akzo Nobel, BASF, Dow Chemical, Dow unemployment insurance. prosperity. And the institution of Corning, DuPont, FMC, Honeywell, Rhodia Citizens got jobs and spent their austerity – the further cutting of • Containers: paychecks, which, in turn, created government spending – after the 2008 Ball, Crown, Nestle, O-I, Rexam more jobs. Then, government expen- market crash, worsened the situation. • Electric & Gas: ditures during World War II greatly The devastating effects of auster- ABB, National Grid stimulated the economy, Bluestone ity can be reversed the way FDR did explained. it, Bluestone said, by regulating Wall • Food & Drink: Coca Cola Bottlers Street, building up unions, expanding Investing in the country public services, raising the minimum • Glass: To prevent a rebound recession wage and investing in infrastructure. Ardagh, O-I, Philips, Pilkington, PPG and St. when soldiers returned from war, That would be prosperity econom- Gobain Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight ics. • Health Care: Eisenhower continued to invest in the Those who attended the confer- Bayer, Compass Group, Merck, Sodexo country, Bluestone said. They pro- ence prepared a preliminary strategy • Machinery: vided veterans with college subsidies, for prosperity, which includes this Bradken, Caterpillar, Doosan for example, and began construction statement: of the interstate highway system. • Metals: “It is now clear that the dominant Alcoa, Amcor, Ampco, ArcelorMittal, Corus All of this, Bluestone said, created paradigm of the past 40 years – that Group, Essar, Novelis, Precision Castparts, a broad middle class and significantly free markets and a lack of govern- Rio Tinto, SAPA, Timken reduced income inequality. “The ben- ment regulations will lead to the best efits of growth were shared more eq- • Mining: outcomes and a trickling down of Rio Tinto, Vale uitably than ever from 1947 to 1973,” economic resources – does not work. • Oil: he said, “with those in the lowest Instead we must rebuild the economy income group seeing their income rise BP, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, Ineos, Magellan, from the bottom up and ensure that as Marathon, Royal Dutch Shell, Valero at a rate faster than the richest.” the economy grows, all must share in This happened in Ireland and Eng- • Paper & Pulp: the outcome.” Glatfelter, Graphic Packaging, Greif, land as well, Bluestone said. Because That is shared prosperity, the workers had money, Bluestone said, Huhtamaki, Kimberly Clark, Meadwestvaco, economics that worked so well from Procter & Gamble, SCA, Tetra Pak they “went on a spending spree creat- 1947 through 1973. ing jobs and nearly full employment.” • Security: The report notes that its recom- G4S, Securitas This virtuous cycle was broken, mendations are based on the historical he said, when conservative presidents facts Bluestone outlined: • Rubber & Tires: from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bosch, Cooper Tire, Goodyear, Michelin, “This economic agenda... is Tenneco Bush insisted on a failed trickle-down premised on the idea that the cur- theory that slashed taxes on the rich rent level of income and wealth • Miscellaneous: and cut the very government spending inequality isn’t just unfair, but is in BAE Systems, Cargill, Ingersoll Rand, Mueller, Saint Gobain, Serco, Unilever that stimulated the economy. fact detrimental to the economy and This, Bluestone said, sabotaged USW@Work • Summer 2013 9 unsustainable; and it is structured with tive areas including manufacturing, president of the Economic Policy the knowledge that economic outcomes workplace rights, a green economy and Institute, agreed, saying, “Providing are the direct result of political choices. public services. These are comprehen- hopefulness and building a movement of Perhaps most importantly, it recognizes sive and wide-ranging, from reforming institutions and people representing the that power is a central determinant of bankruptcy law and giving priority to bottom 99 percent is our task. . .We have economic decisions. To that end, policy deferred wages, benefits and pensions to more people than they have. We can take should be structured to shift power from mitigating the effects of global climate back our institutions.” the corporate elite back to workers.” change. Gerard ended the conference with The report calls for restoring eco- words of inspiration, saying: nomic and social justice; ending pov- Concerted effort required “There is not one union on the planet erty wages; supporting those hardest To accomplish such a plan will that can reverse this agenda by itself. hit by the recession with services such require the concerted effort of labor There may not be one labor movement as unemployment benefits; providing unions and many other groups. Gerard that can reverse this agenda by itself. security for citizens with health care and said he believed labor could gather allies But I believe the two unions forming retirement security for all; adopting a and achieve the goals. “When we are Workers Uniting can lead the way and goal of full employment; enforcing the together, we can win,” he said. demonstrate there is a different way to right of workers to form and join unions; Speakers at the conference expressed build the economy, that we can lay the investing in infrastructure, education and optimism as well. Among them was foundation for a better world... technology; rebuilding manufacturing, Canadian Peggy Nash, a member of par- “We can win the world we imagine, and fighting for a global marketplace in liament and the NDP, who said, “None where no one goes hungry or homeless, which the rights of all workers and the of us would be part of the labor move- where good manufacturing jobs fueled environment are protected. ment if we didn’t feel we could change by clean energy are plentiful, where we The preliminary report lists policy the world.” invest in people, where families have proposals to support each of the initia- Economist Lawrence Mishel, hope and unions are strong.”

he foundation of our agree- The Workers Uniting political con- Also important were sessions that ment five years ago to establish ference this past May in Toronto demon- addressed how to put finance capital Workers Uniting is the mutual strated how we are taking international back in the box and stop it from wreak- acknowledgement of activism trade unionism to a new level. ing havoc across our societies. We need Tas a core function of both the USW and The conference thoroughly exam- to once again put that capital back into Unite the Union. ined just how clearly the attacks on the service of working people. working people are similar In terms of concrete outcomes, it Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey across the four countries of was the intention to leave the confer- USW photo by Scott Weaver Workers Uniting – the United ence with actions which we would States, Canada, Ireland and attempt to implement simultaneously the United Kingdom. across the four countries. We are now Workers’ rights are be- finalising those actions and they are ing eroded and poverty and likely to include the financial transaction inequality are on the rise in tax, alternatives to austerity programs, all four countries. We must incentives to develop green energy and together find new ways to revitalize manufacturing. create fairer, more equal and For me, the labour movement has more democratic economies. been the backbone to political change Bringing together think and progress for generations, and Work- tanks from all four countries ers Uniting will continue that fight for a to begin developing alterna- better world for all of us. tive programs to govern- With the conference, we have taken ment austerity policies was a massive step forward. I continue to be important as was having impressed with the work of our USW politicians from all four colleagues. We are all enthusiastic about countries present to discuss the potential of Workers Uniting. the development of a transna- tional political group. By Len McCluskey General Secretary of Unite

. 10 USW@Work • Summer 2013 to reach a settlement on a new contract. “Where workers are in struggle, in either the Steelworkers union or Unite, we support each other,” said Tony Burke, as- sistant General Secretary at Unite. “The issues in the UK and Ireland, and in the U.S. and Canada, are very much the same.” hen the USW and Unite, the largest union Taking on Rio Tinto in Great Britain and Ireland, formed Work- Another successful global solidarity effort was the end of ers Uniting five years ago, leaders of the two a lengthy lockout last summer at Rio Tinto, another common unions envisioned a network of global union employer with 5,760 Workers Uniting members, including activists,W working together across borders and oceans, to more than 4,000 USW members. directly challenge the power of huge, multinational corpora- A series of global actions organized through Workers tions. Uniting increased pressure on London Olympics officials to Today, while there remains much work to be done, that drop Rio Tinto as a sponsor, eventually pushing the com- vision is becoming reality with aggressive action by Workers pany to back off of its concessionary demands and settle the Uniting members in the areas of bargaining, organizing, poli- dispute. tics, communications, mobilization and global solidarity. With nearly 3 million members worldwide, Workers An example of that partnership in practice was last year’s Uniting has used its power to defend the rights of workers in three-month lockout of USW members at Cooper Tire in Mexico, Colombia, Liberia and elsewhere, and has lobbied Findlay, Ohio. The U.S. work stoppage ended shortly after against job-killing austerity measures across the globe, as well Unite workers held actions at the company’s plant near Bris- as problems such as low wages, dangerous working condi- tol, in southern England. tions and human rights abuses in countries such as Bangla- “No one union can operate globally,” said International desh and China. President Leo W. Gerard. “We share many of the same The partners have worked together on organizing efforts at employers. We share many of the same frustrations with the companies like SCA, Huhtamaki and Siemens, and have sent global financial model that crashed the economy. We share the delegates to each other’s conferences and workshops, includ- same kind of frustrations with the rotten trade deals that cost ing those dealing with politics, Rapid Response, Women of us jobs.” Steel, and health and safety. The global reach of Workers Uniting was on display The alliance has lobbied for governments in the United during a Los Mineros organizing drive earlier this year at an States and Europe to re-invest in their sagging manufacturing auto parts plant in Mexico owned by global giant PKC. The sectors to revive the economy, to focus on creating sustain- company, based in Finland, aggressively tried to bust the able green jobs, and to institute fair trade policies to end the union, harassing and even firing Los Mineros supporters at global race to the bottom. the factory, which employs 6,000. Workers Uniting has organized leadership courses for Unite took its concerns about PKC to Ford, a large PKC member activists, and holds regular member exchanges so customer and also a large Unite employer, to put pressure on workers can learn from each other on common workplace the company. While the Los Mineros fight at PKC continues, problems such as health and safety and communication. the involvement of such a large global coalition threatened While the group is envisioned as a full partnership be- PKC’s business relationships and placed the Mexican govern- tween Unite and the USW, both organizations maintain their ment under international scrutiny. own leadership and structure, a signal to other worldwide “The Mexican government must demonstrate that it can labor groups that collaboration is possible without giving up protect the rights of its workers before it is allowed greater ac- autonomy. cess to U.S. markets,” Gerard said. As Gerard explained, the partnership was created with Another company that has faced international pressure the idea that it would someday grow to include other labor from Workers Uniting and its allies is Caterpillar, which has organizations. operations on five continents and employs more than 1,000 “We chose the name Workers Uniting deliberately because USW members and 1,700 Unite members. Union leaders that shows that there’s opportunity for growth, a signal for from throughout the company met in England in May to share other unions who may want to join us.” information and build relationships as U.S. workers struggled

USW@Work • Summer 2013 11 Photos by Jim West/Jim West Photography

Debby Elswick, dispatcher

Jackie Allen, cook

hen state-level budget cuts led officials to con- sider outsourcing school custodians at a northern MichiganW school district, USW Local 15095 members took the issue directly to the district’s bosses: The people of Ogemaw County. Members started talking to their neighbors earlier this year about what privatizing school services would mean for the children at West Branch/ Rose City School District. They spoke to parents and urged them to talk to school board members. They took to Facebook, circulated petitions and posted lawn signs to get their message out in the small, rural community. “Once people started to understand what privatization would have meant to the kids and the community, they really started to speak up,” said Dan Sharow, president of Local 15095 and a school custodian. Community outreach The challenge for Local 15095 and other public-sector union members is that public support directly affects a campaign’s success, and gaining such support often requires different tactics than private-sector bargaining. Public- sector members often have limited rights to strike and must rely heavily on support from and communication with members of the community. Those challenges were part of what led Tim Callaghan, president of USW Local 4-2001, and his fellow law enforcement employees in Niagara County, N.Y., to break with their small, independent union and join a larger, more influential organization.

Local 15095 President Dan Sharow. The group, which includes 106 sheriffs, deputies, captains, sergeants

12 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Bus drivers Marcia Reed, Marlene Roach and Randy Skowronek

Rod Good, maintenance

Jean Hintz, custodian

and investigators, joined PACE in 2001 and became Steelworkers in 2005. “We’re different from private sec- tor,” Callaghan said. “We have a dif- ferent retirement, different benefits. We don’t punch a clock.” The law enforcement personnel of Niagara County have been working without a contract since Jan. 1, 2012, and finding ways to force the issue has taken creativity and initiative. Callaghan said that the USW’s size and reach has helped. “There’s a lot more resources available to us and our members,” he added. Local 4-2001 members also have held rallies to try to raise community awareness and enlisted the help of other one of several moves by Snyder that the way, parents, grandparents and Steelworkers in the region, who have hurt working families. Late last year, other community members in Ogemaw been generous with their support. he signed a controversial Right to Work County contacted school officials and The next step is to join forces with (for less) law despite significant public board members to voice their opposi- labor-friendly candidates for public opposition. tion to privatization. office. In the case of West Branch/Rose Even students got involved. Sixth- “We need to get people in there City, though, the opposition won the grader Kaitlyn Randall, daughter of who can make good decisions,” Cal- day. Rather than taking a confrontation- USW member Karyn Randall, worked laghan said. “You don’t help them by al approach, USW members took the with her classmates to create a Face- throwing money at them. You do it by high road: They made the case that the book group, distribute petitions and going door to door, talking to friends move to privatization would have meant design support buttons. and families.” more than just job losses for union “The kids took the message home This is where the political experi- members; it would compromise safety and it gave the parents a chance to ence and resources of the Steelworkers and eliminate the family-like environ- know what was happening. It was their becomes critically important. ment at the schools, all for the sake of neighbors and even relatives or friends “It’s strength in numbers,” Cal- relatively little savings. who would be affected by privatiza- laghan said. “Especially young kids, they feel tion,” said Karyn Randall. As was the case in Michigan, that safe with our custodians who they Just days before a decision was strength comes from the surrounding know. If you outsource, then all of a due, the workers met with school board community. sudden, you get a stranger in the build- members and bargained until 5 a.m. Taking the high road ing and then another. We’ve got people to work out a solution to avert the job In Ogemaw County, the school that have been here forever and take an losses. district’s budget woes began when ownership in the school,” said Mary “By connecting with the community Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, like other Jane Schnautz, a 40-year employee and our school board, now people know Republican governors elected in 2010, of the school district and the local’s that we can get through even these hard implemented deep cuts that left local recording secretary. financial times by working together,” school boards facing shortfalls. It was With USW members showing Sharow said.

USW@Work • Summer 2013 13 embers of Local 13-2001 in 2015 for process and maintenance final offer” on April 15, the union issued ratified three separate employees at ExxonMobil locations in a 60-day notice of intent to strike. Short- agreements with Exxon- Beaumont, Texas, and Billings, Mont. ly afterwards, ExxonMobil delivered a Mobil covering about 850 Active and retired workers will have 60-day lockout notice to the local. operations,M maintenance and labora- access to the same health care plans The logjam was broken when tory workers at the firm’s refinery and as management under the agreement. ExxonMobil agreed to set a limit on the chemical plant in Baytown, Texas. ExxonMobil will pay 76 percent of number of consecutive days an employ- The acceptance on May 15 averted the premiums and workers will pay 24 ee can work, which varies depending on the threat of a strike or lockout over percent. shift length, and to establish a full-time contentious safety issues at Baytown, Local 13-2001 member Brandon union safety representative to address one of the largest refineries in the nation Hickey said there were notable gains process safety concerns. with the capacity to process 573,000 for mechanical workers such as crane The company also agreed to con- barrels of oil per day. operators, instrument technicians and tinue negotiations with the union on “I think it’s a fair contract,” member analyzers. implementing American Petroleum Paul Hester said after the vote. “Any- “We got them caught up,” he said. Industry (API) recommended practices time you get a raise, don’t lose any ben- “They now receive double-time af- for controlling worker fatigue. efits and make some progress – that’s a ter working seven consecutive days. The full-time safety representative fair contract.” Before, the seventh day had to fall on was a USW proposal accepted by the The three-year agreements expire a Sunday in order for them to get the industry during the 2012 national bar- on May 15, 2016, and meet the pattern double-time pay.” gaining. The consecutive shift restric- established by the USW’s National Oil The local proposed health and safety tions are part of the API’s recommended Bargaining Program (NOBP) in 2012. language from the 2012 NOBP agree- practices for controlling worker fatigue. Terms include wage increases of 3 ment during the opening three weeks of The API fatigue standard, RP 755, percent in the first and second years of negotiations. was published in 2010, five years after the contract and whatever percentage in- When the safety language was not in accident investigators found fatigue to crease is negotiated during NOBP talks the company’s so-called “last, best and be a major contributor to the fatal 2005

I think it’s a fair contract, anytime you get a raise, don’t lose any “ benefits and make some progress – that’s a fair contract.”

ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas. 14 USW@Work • Summer 2013 AP file photo/ Pat Sullivan fire and explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas. Mobilization key The local began educating its mem- bership on NOBP bargaining 10 months in advance of the ExxonMobil talks, roduction, maintenance and said Local 13-2001 President and Busi- laboratory jobs were saved ness Agent Ricky Brooks. when Tesoro Corp. agreed to “We surveyed the members for local sell its refinery and associated union issues in bargaining, and had Passets in Hawaii and reverse a shutdown one-to-two extra meetings per month in progress. beyond the regular meeting so members “This is wonderful news for our could come and ask questions and stay members, their families and the state of involved.” Hawaii,” International President Leo W. The local organized an action team Gerard said after the sale to Texas-based “My members and I are excited about to talk with members in the workplace Par Petroleum was announced June 17. the future now,” she said. about the issues, what to expect from “Now, our members don’t have to the company, and how bargaining might leave their family and friends in Hawaii Workers played role unfold. to look for family-supporting jobs on Local 12-591 members played a “We put the team back out after we the mainland,” Gerard added. role in saving the refinery by writing gave a strike notice and talked to mem- USW members have been fighting letters to elected officials and lobbying bers,” Brooks said. “I credit the mem- to save the 200 plus jobs at the Kapolei them in Washington, D.C., for help in bership... They stayed with our message refinery since January when Tesoro an- making conditions favorable for a new so we could get a deal.” nounced it would close the facility and owner. They also garnered thousands of turn it into a storage and distribution signatures from Hawaii’s residents on terminal for imported refined products. petitions delivered to elected officials. Tesoro reported the sales price of the “If it weren’t for our members’ hard Hawaii operation is $75 million, plus work, persistence and solidarity, this the market value of net working capital, refinery sale would not have happened which is expected to be $225 million to and Tesoro would have quietly turned $275 million. the facility into an import terminal,” Contract honored said District 12 Director Robert LaVen- ture. “Everybody wins in this deal — Par will operate the refinery and our members, Hawaii citizens, the state honor the current three-year contract and Par Petroleum.” with the USW through its expiration International Vice President Gary date on Jan. 31, 2015, under the succes- Beevers, who heads the union’s oil sor clause in the agreement with Tesoro. sector, said the USW looks forward to None of the 119 production, mainte- establishing a new relationship with Par, nance and lab workers represented by formerly known as Delta Petroleum. Local 12-591 were laid off, and they can “Buying the refinery was a smart all continue their employment. business decision,” Beevers said. “This “Our members and our union made is a great opportunity for the company this sale possible, but I want to also to be profitable and fulfill Hawaii resi- thank Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, dents’ and businesses’ need for reason- his staff and the Hawaii legislature for ably priced fuel.” their support,” Gerard added. The refinery, the larger of two in the Employees who feared their jobs state, can process up to 94,000 barrels of were gone are now relieved, said Jason crude oil per day to make gasoline, die- Sakamoto, a veteran refinery employee sel, jet fuel, ship fuel, asphalt and fuel and union activist who delivered peti- oil for electrical generation. Gasoline tions to Abercrombie seeking help. and diesel fuels are sold through Tesoro- “It’s a great thing. It’s one of those branded retail stations, which will retain things we fought hard for and it has their name after the sale. come to fruition,” Sakamoto said. USW members also have helped to Pat Hoge, the Tesoro unit chair of save jobs at three other refinery sites in amalgamated Local 12-591, called the recent years, in Philadelphia, Trainer, sale a pleasant surprise and thanked Pa., and Delaware City, Del. everyone who helped in the effort.

USW@Work • Summer 2013 15 ost Americans believe that the nation needs more That’s when the nation’s shift away from manufacturing good-paying manufacturing jobs and that the gov- to a service-based economy began to accelerate, helped along ernment should do more to help U.S. companies by free-trade agreements and the establishment of Permanent create them. Normal Trade Relations with China. Those policy changes made MYet despite enjoying overwhelming support, such action it easier for U.S. companies to move jobs overseas, where they barely has made it past the discussion stage in Washington, D.C. can pay low wages and avoid health and safety regulations. “Voters want more than talk,” said International President As a result, between 2000 and 2009, the United States lost Leo W. Gerard, who called for “aggressive action” to help more than 6 million manufacturing jobs and more than 42,000 American manufacturers create jobs. factories, even as productivity was increasing. Growth has A recent poll by the Alliance for American Maunfacturing slowly returned, but without more action from Washington, any (AAM) showed that 89 percent of voters favored a national job increases are likely to remain what Gerard called a “trickle.” manufacturing strategy. Support was consistent across the politi- We need more than a trickle. Besides the AAM poll that cal spectrum, including 93 percent of Democrats, 87 percent of showed strong support for concerted action on manufacturing, independents and 85 percent of Republicans. another recent survey found more than 70 percent of Americans President Barack Obama has made manufacturing a central would rather buy U.S.-made products than imports. part of his plan for growth. In his State of the Union address and Why, then, has there been so little action? Much of the blame his 2014 budget, he called for the creation of 15 innovation hubs belongs to Congress, which has blocked almost every economic to promote cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, create jobs and jobs proposal from the White House. The Economic Policy and boost the economy. The hubs would be created with public Institute estimated that President Obama’s American Jobs Act and private funding and be self-sustaining. would create 2.6 million jobs and save another 1.6 million, but The president’s budget includes a plan to rebuild our crum- that legislation has languished for nearly two years. bling infrastructure: a $21 billion proposal that With leaders in the House concerned only with cutting includes tax incentives and the creation of an spending, and a divided Senate handcuffed by partisanship, de- infrastructure “bank” to help pay for improve- cisive action is unlikely unless more worker-friendly candidates ments nationwide. emerge from next year’s mid-term elections. Obama also has proposed legislation to So far, the president’s plea that “we cannot let Washington support increased training and education for politics get in the way of America’s progress” has mostly fallen American workers, and to end tax subsidies that on deaf ears. Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, how- reward companies for shipping jobs overseas. ever, has consistently stood up for American workers and jobs. “It is really quite incredible that we’re not talking about jobs,” Opposition stalls plan he said. “Every poll that’s coming out and asks people what they While consistent opposition from Repub- think, they say jobs, the economy, and unemployment.” licans in Congress has stalled those plans, the The AAM poll showed that Americans strongly support president did allocate $200 million to fund efforts to crack down on unfair foreign trade, to fight currency three of the tech hubs, pulling together manipulation that artificially keeps prices low for foreign com- funds from the departments of Defense, petitors, to promote Buy American, and to provide tax breaks for Energy and Commerce, NASA and companies that create jobs at home. the National Science Foundation. Nearly two-thirds said that they favored getting tougher on While this is a small step in unfair Chinese trade and currency policies, even at the risk of the right direction, it’s clear starting a “trade war.” that more direct action is “This survey leaves little doubt that voters understand that needed to dig the economy U.S. manufacturing is the nation’s most powerful engine of job out of the hole created by growth and that they want more urgent action taken to address the decline in manufactur- trade violations and halt outsourcing,” AAM Executive Director ing since 2000. Scott Paul said.

16 USW@Work • Summer 2013 “This report will lend enormous am- munition and credence to our cause,” he said. Connecticut’s junior senator said the most disturbing aspect of the report was the nation’s over-reliance on China as a supplier of technology and materials. he decline of American manu- U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), and U.S. One example Adams cited was lan- facturing since 2000 has left Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), along with thanum, an element essential for the pro- the U.S. military vulnerable AAM President Scott Paul. duction of night-vision goggles such as to a disruption in its supply Use American resources those used in the 2011 raid that resulted Tof weaponry and technology, putting in the death of Osama bin Laden. The bipartisan group agreed that they national security at risk. China produces 90 percent of the That is the conclusion retired Army would use the report to push for govern- ment action to reverse the decline in the world’s supply of such rare earth ele- Brig. Gen. John Adams reached in his ments, and the United States imports 90 report, “Remaking American Security,” nation’s industrial base. Brooks said he has seen first-hand percent of its supply of lanthanum. released this spring by its sponsor, the The report cited numerous other ex- Alliance for American Manufacturing the toll that unfair trade, outsourcing and currency manipulation have taken in amples of imported necessities: machine (AAM). tools, semiconductors, lithium-ion batter- “U.S. warriors and workers are in- Alabama. He said those problems have a snowball effect because they hurt not ies and high-tech magnets. All are largely separable and equally essential elements produced overseas, and all are essential of our national defense,” Adams wrote, only businesses and families, but also the government by increasing unemploy- to the production of military equipment, pointing out that some rare and essential from Humvees to helicopters. materials needed for the military’s most ment and shrinking the tax base. advanced weaponry are extracted or pro- “We must empower the American Renaissance overdue duced elsewhere, most notably in China. worker and the American economy by The report is another piece of mount- International President Leo W. using the resources we have here at ing evidence that the United States is Gerard said the report highlights the home,” Brooks said. “Each time the long overdue for a manufacturing renais- importance of government investment in United States and its military has to rely sance, Gerard said. innovation and manufacturing. on foreign sources to meet our national “The statistics do not lie: Since 2000, “It has been clear for decades that security needs, we weaken America.” we have lost more than 31 percent of this our national defense needs do not begin Murphy said the decline in manufac- country’s manufacturing jobs. Unless we and end at the walls of the Pentagon,” turing and its potential effect on defense can reverse the effects that short-term Gerard said. “American workers, includ- was “a problem that has been festering corporate greed, globalization and unfair ing hundreds of thousands of USW for far too long,” and that the report trade have had on our economy over the members, make the best and most reli- would be a powerful tool for lawmakers past 13 years, these negative trends are able products in the world, and Amer- who have been pushing for change. sure to continue.” ica’s warfighters deserve no less when they put their lives on the line.” The report included 10 recommend- ed policy changes that would reduce U.S. dependence on imported products. The suggestions included: • Increased investment in technol- ogy and development • Stepped-up enforcement of Buy American laws • Increased legislative support for manufacturing • Greater development of domestic sources for natural resources • Increased cooperation among government, industry and re- search institutions Navy SEALs are seen through the greenish The AAM presented the report at a glow of night vision goggles as they prepare news conference in Washington, D.C., to breach a locked door in Osama bin Laden’s compound in Columbia Pictures’ “Zero Dark that included Gen. Adams and supporters Thirty.” Photo by/ Columbia Pictures Industries U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Inc. via AP

USW@Work • Summer 2013 17 SW members in Utah are cubic yards of rock and dirt, more than with no one hurt. Mullins said the union working to secure jobs half the 240 million cubic yards moved was in the forefront of making sure jeopardized by a massive by the United States in building the everyone was safe. landslide that dumped 40-mile Panama Canal that connects the “Safety was priority one,” added millions of tons of rock Atlantic and Pacific oceans. International Representative Wayne andU dirt into a copper mining pit in the Tens of millions of dollars in giant Holland Jr. mountains west of Salt Lake City. shovels, trucks and other mining equip- Even though all 1,800 union em- “Everybody is stepping up to the ment were engulfed as the slide dam- ployees were evacuated ahead of time, plate,” Scott Mullins, president of Local aged or destroyed roads, power lines and the size and scope of the landslide were 392, said following the April 10 land- other mining infrastructure. much larger than expected. Workers slide at the Rio Tinto Kennecott Bing- initially feared hundreds of jobs could ham Canyon Mine. “Nobody wants to Early detection be lost. see the mine shut down. We are doing The first sign of a possible slide “Because it was much worse than everything we can to keep it running.” was detected in February by sensors we thought it would be, we were really The landslide registered as a 5.1 that measure ground movement on the scared about our futures, what was go- magnitude earthquake on seismographs mine’s slopes. Movement was slight at ing to happen going forward,” said Mul- as it sent an estimated 165 million tons first but increased to about two inches lins, whose USW local represents 1,400 of earth and debris thundering down one just before the slide, which broke loose of the 1,800 union workers at the mine mile to the bottom of the pit. during a rainfall. and related operations. “So much more The U.S. Geological Survey esti- Preparations were made in advance, material came down than they originally mated the landslide moved 128 million and the mine was evacuated about 12 thought would happen.” hours before the landslide happened

Photo courtesy of Kennecott Utah Copper Corp.

18 USW@Work • Summer 2013 The USW immediately opened talks Some 132 of 275 eligible workers long service. “That was the key,” he with the company on employment is- accepted the retirement package, which said. “Without those 70-80 pensions, we sues, including ways to minimize layoffs was patterned after a negotiated pension would have had members laid off.” and keep workers safe as they moved plan that had been in place for decades. The company has also reduced back into the mine. There were two options in which a overtime, eliminated unfilled positions worker’s age and service must add up to and reduced contracts for services. It No jobs lost for now 80 or 70. asked 2,100 employees to take vacation In May, Kennecott announced to The company then furloughed 34 or unpaid leave. employees that it intended to cut an un- workers from processing facilities and Kennecott is pushing to bring the known number of full-time jobs. At least rehired them a week later to work in mine back to full pace as soon as pos- one contractor laid off workers because the mine and in tailing ponds that hold sible, Holland said, but the company has their worksite was buried, and some 100 waterborne refuse materials. told investors that mine production may nonunion supervisors were let go. “I couldn’t have imagined a better fall 50 percent this year. The USW, which bargains as a outcome,” said Holland, a veteran ne- Stockpiled ore was used to keep council with three smaller unions on the gotiator who once worked at the mine’s the processing facilities in operation. property, was able to reduce job losses smelter. “No one actually lost their job Copper concentrate was also being to union members by negotiating an – for now.” purchased from a nearby mine to keep early retirement package that came with operations running. health care and a one-time $20,000 cash Early retirements key “Everybody is putting their best foot incentive. No one was out on the street Holland credited the union for long forward,” Mullins said. without a job in June, two months after ago negotiating pension plans that per- the slide. mit early retirements for members with

he mine has been in production since 1906 and was des- ignated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Kennecott Talso operates a concentrator plant, a nearby smelter and a refinery. The complex produces copper, silver, gold, molybdenum and sulfuric acid. Rock is crushed and ore is run through a concentrator, where huge grinding plates reduce it to a powder. Copper and lesser amounts of other valuable products are separated in a flotation process. A slurry of filtered concentrate is piped to the smelter, which produces copper metal called anodes. The anodes are transported to a nearby refinery to be processed into copper cathodes, which are sold to customers.

Massive trucks buried by the landslide look like Tonka Toys on a playground sandbox in this photo, but they are big enough to haul 360 tons. The shovels used to fill the trucks can scoop 98 tons in a single bite. Photo courtesy of Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. USW@Work • Summer 2013 19 epresentatives of the Depart- ment of Energy (DOE) got an earful of complaints from the USW’s Atomic Energy RWorkers Council during a conference held this spring in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The complaints centered on griev- ances, subcontracting work, safety and the pension and benefit issues that arise when the DOE changes contrac- tors at the government nuclear facili- ties it oversees. Another topic of concern was the DOE’s decision to shut down a uranium enrichment plant near Paducah, Ky., the only American- owned facility of its kind. The council is a long-established forum for members in nuclear- related industries to share information on topics including con- tracts, negotiations and safety. Local 652 hosted Members of the USW Atomic Energy Workers Council pose for a photograph during its the meeting at the invitation of District spring conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho. USW photo by Lynne Hancock 12 Director Robert LaVenture. Paul Seidler, DOE director of ex- ternal affairs for environmental man- agement, listened to the complaints and said he would report the “big picture” back to Washington, D.C. Bill Eckroade, a DOE deputy in its Office of Health, Safety and Security, was also present. “Unless you stay in front of DOE officials, you won’t get your issues ad- dressed,” Seidler told the council. “It’s because they are swamped.” Workers lose benefits International Vice President at Large Carol Landry told Seidler there The blue glow at the Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor is due to has been no resolution at the Ports- Cherenkov radiation, which is emitted when mouth uranium enrichment facility a charged particle such as an electron passes through cooling water at a speed faster than in Piketon, Ohio, where employees the speed of light in the water. Photo courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory lost benefits in the transfer from U.S. Enrichment Corp. to a new contractor, Fluor-B&W Portsmouth (FBP). Previously, when contractors changed at a DOE site, pensions, retirement plans, seniority and other benefits followed to the new contrac- tor. This did not happen at Piketon. Pensions and retiree health care were eliminated and vacation time and seniority credits were lost.

20 USW@Work • Summer 2013 The USW has fought the DOE Phillips, who noted that some con- over Piketon for two years. For- tractors give “lip service to safety” mer Energy Secretary Steven Chu while others cooperate. committed to a resolution, Landry The DOE’s 851 rule sets said, but he left office before that general parameters on work- was accomplished. ers’ safety and health, requires he USW will continue to fight the U.S. “We believe DOE is wrong, employee participation in safety Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to and we may have to take them matters and lets the contractors de- cease uranium enrichment at the Paducah on legally,” Landry said, adding velop their own safety programs. Gaseous Diffusion plant in Kentucky.The that the union is seeking a meet- David Cassady, of the Safety, Tdecision could eventually displace 1,100 workers. ing with the new secretary, Ernest Health & Environment Depart- “We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines while Moniz. ment, called rule 851 a “paper good, family-supporting jobs like these disappear,” illusion” because it does not set International President Leo W. Gerard said after the Arbitration costs specific requirements that the plant’s operator, U.S. Enrichment Corp. (USEC) an- Another big issue is that DOE DOE’s contractors must follow. nounced layoffs. “This decision has the potential to allows its contractors to pass along In a presentation, Cassady hurt more than just 1,100 workers and their families.” the costs of arbitration to the gov- discussed the DOE’s new focus On May 24, the DOE rejected a multi-party ernment while local unions must on a “safety conscious work agreement between USEC, Energy Northwest, the bear the considerable expense of environment” and said it is based Bonneville Power Administration and the Tennessee preparation themselves. Contrac- on worker behavior rather than Valley Authority that would have extended operations tors typically refuse to settle griev- identifying and fixing root causes at Paducah for eight months. ances until they enter arbitration of safety hazards. On May 31, USEC notified some 1,100 em- or reach the brink of arbitration, “If you take care of the haz- ployees, including 580 members of Local 550, that council members said. ards, you take care of the behav- layoffs of some 160 employees would begin in Landry said the DOE is willing ior,” Cassady said. “We told DOE, August. More layoffs will likely follow in stages, the to meet to review the issue. don’t train on a safety conscious company said. Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. work environment without looking “The loss of these jobs could have devastating (NFS), a major supplier of fuel at the root causes.” for the United States Navy’s fleet effects on the community and businesses in Western of nuclear-powered submarines, Touring test reactor Kentucky,” said International Vice President at Large arbitrates everything, said Local The meeting also included a Carol Landry. 9-677 President Heath Shook. tour of the Idaho National Labo- The USW and Kentucky congressional leaders NFS operates a 65-acre gated ratory, a federal research facility have been urging the DOE to devise future uses for complex in Erwin, Tenn. established in 1949 as a national the plant, located on a 3,600-acre site approximately After paying the full cost of reactor testing station. 15 miles west of Paducah, near the Ohio River. arbitration transcripts and meeting A tour highlight was INL’s Local 550 has filed a Freedom of Information Act rooms for 50 years, Shook said, Advanced Test Reactor, where (FOIA) request with the DOE to learn names of com- “now, the company wants to arbi- visitors could see spent fuel rods panies that may be interested in the site. The DOE trate these arbitration expenses.” laying in a pool of water. It’s a has so far declined to provide that information. Subcontracting USW work sight very few people get to see. There is apparently some interest in the facility. is another major problem that Marybeth Potter, a Local 689 GE-Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment has proposed Landry said the union will attempt member from Piketon, said she installing a new laser process at Paducah to separate to address with the DOE. appreciated the opportunity to see uranium isotopes and has expressed interest in meet- Ryan Christensen, a member the fuel rod storage pool. “I heard ing Local 550’s leadership to discuss using its skilled of Local 652, said subcontractors about the blue glow,” she said, and safety-conscious work force. are hired at the Idaho National “but had never seen it before.” Uranium enrichment plant near Paducah, Ky. Laboratory where he works to do Photo U.S. Enrichment Corp. (USEC) USW-represented work as part of a DOE small business initiative. Safety first There was discussion among the council members about the DOE’s safety culture and the need to train USW members on effective ways to press for safety improvements. “We run the gamut on health and safety at all the sites,” said International Vice President and Assistant to the President Kip

USW@Work • Summer 2013 21 Metal workers from Alcoa in Italy protest a plant shutdown in front of the Economic Development ministry in Rome on Aug. 30, 2012. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

international participants to question Alcoa on its capacity reduction plans. A loss of 460,000 tons of smelting capacity is “a major concern for all of us,” Conway said. “It’s something we are going to struggle with over the next he USW and labor unions at total, to lower costs. 15 months.” Alcoa facilities around the Alcoa contracts in many countries Kleinfeld was short on specifics world are working together as including the United States are com- about capacity cuts when questioned the aluminum giant seeks to ing up for renegotiation, making it an but said the company’s intention was Tcounteract falling metal prices by slash- opportune time to improve collaboration to come to a resolution as quickly as ing costs and reducing capacity. among labor organizations. possible. A recent meeting at USW head- “We want to use our international quarters in Pittsburgh brought together network to move us all forward,” said Older facilities targeted unions from the United States, Canada, District 7 Director Jim Robinson, who Outside analysts expect Alcoa to Europe, Australia and Latin America to chairs the USW’s negotiations with target smelting capacity in Australia, explore ways to increase the influence Alcoa in the United States. Europe and the United States, where it of workers at Alcoa, a leading producer The attendance at the annual meet- has older facilities with higher costs. of primary and fabricated aluminum and ing of Alcoa unionists was the largest The company, however, has met politi- the world’s largest miner of bauxite and since the sessions began in 2007 and cal pressure against closures in Europe refiner of alumina. included representatives from nine where governments fight to maintain “It is important that we keep this countries plus IndustriALL, the Euro- jobs. alive, and keep learning from each pean-based global manufacturing and While Alcoa is considering pro- other,” International President Leo W. mining union federation. duction cuts at existing facilities, it is Gerard said in welcoming union repre- Management would not meet with adding 740,000 tons of new smelting sentatives to the meeting, held in May. the international labor leaders five years capacity in Saudi Arabia as part of a Labor unions from nearly every ago when the first conference was held. joint venture there. major country where Alcoa has facilities For the last two years, as the group has Alcoa appears to be counting on the were represented at the Pittsburgh meet- grown, Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Saudi project, along with its planned ca- ing in person or by telephone. Alcoa Kleinfeld has made time to attend. pacity cuts, to drive down overall costs. employs about 61,000 people world- “I think it is important that Alcoa Kleinfeld called the project the “lowest- wide, about 56 percent of whom belong management see us caucusing together cost smelter the world has ever seen.” to unions. and exchanging ideas,” Gerard said The joint venture includes a bauxite On May 1, before the conference before Kleinfeld and a small entourage mine, an alumina refinery, an alumi- began, Alcoa announced it was review- of executives arrived. num smelter and a rolling mill that ing operations and considering cutting International Vice President Tom can produce stock for automotive and 460,000 metric tons of aluminum smelt- Conway, who leads the USW’s alu- construction products and cans. The ing capacity, or 11 percent of its current minum industry conference, urged the smelter produced its first hot metal last

22 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Center: Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld

Left: Ruwald Rodgers, president of his union at Alcoa in Suriname, addresses the conference.

Right: David LaClair, president of Local 450-A, Robert Smith, president of Local 420-A, and Bruce Howie, Local 420-A inside guard, all of Messina, N.Y., look on as Steve Morris, vice president of Local 309 at Alcoa, Tenn., speaks.

USW photos by Steve Dietz

year and is scheduled to be operating at second quarter, compared with a net loss “There is no reason on Earth why full capacity in 2014. of $2 million a year earlier. The com- we cannot compromise on the safety Traditional trade unions, how- pany reported $195 million in one-time side,” Kleinfeld said, urging union ever, are not permitted by law in Saudi charges, including costs associated with members to stop work when conditions Arabia. “Work committees” that must the closure of a smelter in Italy and are unsafe. At the company’s annual include participation of government and two lines in Quebec. The charges also meeting the next day, Kleinfeld accepted employers are allowed, but bargaining, included $62 million related to a Justice a union offer to work together in a new strikes and public demonstrations are Department corruption investigation way. banned. involving sales of alumina to a company Rob Johnston, executive director of Alcoa is expected to continue to in Bahrain. IndustriALL’s base metals unit, said the seek other low-cost facilities, specifi- Safety, not jobs, was the thrust of unions made their position on safety cally in China and Angola. Alcoa is the Kleinfeld’s prepared remarks to the clear. largest multinational investor in China’s union officers. Acknowledging two “We have publicly stated our willing- aluminum industry, with an investment worker fatalities at Alcoa facilities in ness to improve performance, manage- of $800 million there since 1993. 2012, the CEO asked the union members ment seems open to this,” he said. “I Alcoa reported a net loss of $119 to work with the company on improving hope this openness translates into an million, or 11 cents a share, in the 2013 safety. agreement sooner than later.”

t the global meeting of labor Leo W. Gerard. “We have a reason- for conduct related to campaigns to unions at Alcoa, participants able relationship with the company, but organize employees at two company- took turns discussing the when it comes to organizing employees, owned facilities. problems and successes they they are no different than the others.” One case involves Traco, a Ahave had with the aluminum giant in Participants criticized Alcoa CEO Pennsylvania maker of windows and their home countries. The most com- Klaus Kleinfeld for not being neutral doors that was purchased by Alcoa mon complaint around the table was in union drives even in cases where in 2010. The other is Alcoa Howmet, losing jobs to outside contractors. there is neutrality language in the labor which produces cast parts for industrial But union members in the United contracts. turbines in Hampton, Va. States were the only ones to complain “Everywhere we go, we are treated Despite the union busting at those that Alcoa interferes with campaigns to like we have the plague,” Gerard added. locations, the USW did win card check organize new members at its facilities. The USW has filed unfair labor recognition last year for 65 employees “That’s one thing that is different in practice complaints with the National at an Alcoa facility in Hutchinson, Kan., America,” said International President Labor Relations Board against Alcoa where a neutrality clause was in effect.

USW@Work • Summer 2013 23 elatives of missing dead were haven’t received the bodies and don’t scrutiny since a fire last November at keeping vigil at the rubble of know what happened to their loved the Tazreen Fashion factory in Dhaka the Rana Plaza more than two ones. It is heartrending.” killed 117 and injured 200. It was fol- months after the eight-story Kernaghan visited Rana Plaza near lowed by the April 24 collapse of Rana Rfactory building collapsed in Bangla- the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka this Plaza, the worst catastrophe ever in the desh, killing more than 1,200 garment summer as pressure was mounting for apparel industry. workers. action to improve the safety and work- In July, not long after Kernaghan’s “There are dozens of men and wom- ing conditions for millions of poorly- visit to Rana Plaza, a coalition of trade en holding up pictures of their children, paid garment workers whose factories unions led by the IndustriALL Global saying help me find my daughter,” said supply big-name retailers around the Union announced an agreement with 80 Charles Kernaghan, executive director world with cheap fashions. mostly European brands and retailers to of the USW-backed Institute for Global Safety and working conditions in inspect and repair garment factories in Labour and Human Rights. “They Bangladesh have been under increased Bangladesh and train their workers. The

Rescuers in Bangladesh look for victims and survivors on April 25, one day after the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed, killing more than 1,200 garment workers. AP Photo by A.M. Ahad

Photo courtesy of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights

24 USW@Work • Summer 2013 USW is a member of IndustriALL. Labor unions had long been pressing he Institute for Global The retailers began negotiations with the Obama administration to suspend IndustriALL and the UNI Global Union trade breaks on tariffs the United States Labour and Human in mid-March on a factory inspection gives Bangladesh under the Generalized Rights has set up a plan for Bangladesh. The resulting ac- System of Preferences, a World Trade T relief fund for workers who cord, which is legally enforceable in Organization program that seeks to pro- national courts, requires signatory com- mote economic growth. were injured in the collapse of panies that source goods from Bangla- The suspension will affect less than the Rana Plaza factory build- desh to establish an enforceable fire and 1 percent of America’s $4.9 billion in building safety program. imports from Bangladesh, including ing in Bangladesh. Institute Director Charles Taking responsibility tobacco and plastic bags, but will not touch the garment industry, which does Kernaghan pledges that every The companies agreed they would not have American duty-free status. take responsibility and action wherever Even though the suspension is lim- dollar donated will go to help- inspections uncover safety problems, ited, Kernaghan called it an important ef- according to IndustriALL. They also ing the injured workers. For fort. “Someone had to put the line down information, go to the insti- pledged to pay for necessary renovations and say enough is enough,” he said. and improvements. The U.S. move, he said, could influ- tute’s website, www.glhr.org. A group of American retailers led by ence the European Union to take similar Checks can be also sent to Wal-Mart and Gap were criticized for action. Europe annually buys 60 percent their decision to reject the legally bind- of Bangladesh’s clothing exports, and, the Institute for Global ing agreement negotiated by Industri- unlike the United States, extends duty Labour and Human Rights, ALL and prepare their own plan instead. free privileges to apparel. On June 29, the USW joined other Five Gateway Center, labor unions, community groups and the Collective bargaining Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. United Students Against Sweatshops in Bangladesh enacted weak unioniza- protesting at Wal-Mart and Gap stores in tion measures in July after the USW the United States, Canada and the United urged the Obama administration to Kingdom. demand that Bangladesh remove all of On July 9, 17 North American retail- its restrictions on labor union registra- ers including Wal-Mart, Gap, Target and tion and collective bargaining that deny Macy’s announced their separate plan workers in the apparel industry the right to improve factory safety. Their plan to form unions. Human Rights Watch committed $42 million to worker safety said the amendments make some im- initiatives and $100 million in loans and provements but still fall short of protect- other financing to help Bangladeshi fac- ing workers’ rights and meeting interna- tory owners fix safety problems. tional standards. But unlike the accord signed by Eu- Without effective workplace repre- ropean retailers, the Wal-Mart plan lacks sentation, the USW said no amount of legally binding commitments to pay for government or corporate monitoring will improvements. Some labor rights groups protect workers who typically earn about estimated it could cost as much as $3 $38 a month, among the lowest wages in billion to bring Bangladesh’s garment the world. factories up to acceptable standards. “The workers need a voice and the The two retailer agreements came a only voice you have as a worker is to month after the Obama administration join a union. You can’t do it by your- announced it would suspend certain trade self,” said Kernaghan, who describes privileges for Bangladesh in response to conditions in Bangladesh garment facto- serious shortcomings in worker rights ries as close to slavery. and workplace safety standards. The minimum wage starts at 12 cents “The administration’s action sends a an hour with a top wage of 26 cents an strong message to the Bangladeshi gov- hour for senior sewers. Shifts as long as ernment and employers that there will be 15 hours are common as are seven-day no business as usual until Bangladeshi workweeks. workers can exercise their fundamental “They have nothing. They just live rights to organize and bargain collec- and work and starve,” said Kernaghan, tively, workers receive living wages, and who visited garment workers in their fire and building safety standards are homes and in hospitals around Dhaka. established and enforced,” said Interna- “They live under the most miserable tional President Leo W. Gerard. conditions I have ever seen.”

USW@Work • Summer 2013 25 he dusty archives of Cass in the mining regions of the West, where worked as a union negotiator; an advi- Alvin’s life as a union activist he frequently met with and organized sor on health, safety and the environ- arrived on a loading dock at local unions and helped with contract ment; a member of the publicity and the USW’s International Head- negotiations. He would act as the face education department; and the acting Tquarters in Pittsburgh early this May. of the union, and once went head to director of the old District 38, the The cardboard boxes and plastic head with a Phelps Dodge Corp. ex- western-most district with boundaries bins were stained and weathered, hav- ecutive in a televised debate during an similar to the current District 12. He ing been stored for decades in an old infamous three-year-long copper strike was known for being blunt, outspoken garage. But inside was a treasure trove in the early 1980s. and often profane, irreverent and wryly of newspaper clippings, photographs Alvin was an accomplished pho- funny. and other keepsakes from Alvin’s career tographer. He took photographs for the as an organizer, staffer and West Coast American military during World War Mine Mill merger editor for the USW’s magazine, then II and was one of the first outsiders to The documents in Alvin’s collec- named Steelabor. photograph the German concentration tion represent the good times and the They were shipped from California camp Dachau. bad, and how union solidarity endured by Alvin’s son, Grammy award-winning The collection includes hundreds of regardless. guitarist, singer and songwriter Dave his photos, many of which illustrated Posters, flyers, letters and sample Alvin, who offered them to Internation- Steelabor in the 1940s and 1950s. union ballots illustrate the Steelwork- al President Leo W. Gerard at the 2011 There are dramatic shots of workers on ers’ campaigns to attract members from USW Constitutional Convention in Las the job, on strike, at meetings, and even the International Union of Mine, Mill Vegas. relaxing with their families at union and Smelter Workers (Mine Mill) in the In one box, dozens of delegate med- picnics. 1950s and 1960s. als from conventions and conferences Over his long career, Alvin also Mine Mill was successful in hold- Alvin attended were jumbled together ing off Steelworkers’ attempts to unseat along with bound folios of early is- sues of Steelabor. The letters, books, pictures and other documents col- lected over a 40-year career represent milestones of the union itself, unique artifacts that illustrate how the USW evolved between the 1940s and 1980s. Alvin was well known, particularly

Photos from Cass Alvin’s collection. Alvin is pictured in the center photo with open collar and unbuttoned jacket. The workers in the vintage photos on the left and right are unidentified.

26 USW@Work • Summer 2013 them in the Western United States the union remained strong. trips, as well as his nightly ‘lectures’ on for nearly 20 years, but in 1967, they He saved letters written in support of the injustices of the world at the dinner merged. The merger and ensuing chal- the miners and records of the donations table, had a major impact on how I see lenges were documented too as union other Steelworkers made to help them the world and the songs I write.” solidarity was immediately tested dur- endure nearly three years on strike. One Cass Alvin passed away in 2000, but ing a major copper strike that began in handwritten note from John Stephen his fingerprints remain on the union’s June 1967 and lasted until March 1968. Murdzek of Cambridge, Mass., sim- history. His collection will go to Penn ply read, “Fellow workers, this is all I State University, which maintains Steel- Solidarity forever can afford right now. I’m sure you can worker archives. Alvin was deeply invested in educat- put it to good use. All the best in your ing new members. Building on research struggle.” He enclosed $100. Alvin performed in the 1960s, the USW In summer, Alvin often took his sons put together a film in 1969 called “The Dave and Phil with him while organiz- Counting Starts with One” to help new ing. Dave likes to say those road trips hires better understand the union. to desert outposts and their stays in Alvin had a knack for looking cheap motels helped prepare him for his forward, anticipating where the union career as a musician. would focus in the future. The film, for “Our father showed us there was example, pointed out not just the “bread another side to life, another side to the and butter” issues of wages and pen- stories you read in the history books sions, but other responsibilities as well. or newspapers or on TV,” he said. “I This, the film’s proposal said, didn’t know it at the time, but those included the union’s “ability to be a political force in such situations as civil liberties, better educational systems, the fight against atmospheric pollution, and many other areas that require not only political know-how, but political muscle.” The archive also chronicles the infa- mous Phelps Dodge strike, which began in 1983 and dealt a severe blow to the non-ferrous mining community. Yet even in the midst of the brutal strike, during which Phelps Dodge used illegal and often violent means to try to break the strikers, Alvin’s archive shows how Photo illustration by Steve Dietz

USW@Work • Summer 2013 27 hen Local 3657’s Women of Steel Committee sought dona- tions of gently-used purses stuffed with useful items for victimsW of Hurricane Sandy and other trag- edies, the response was unexpectedly over- whelming. Hundreds of bags of every size, shape and color were donated to the cause, all crammed with shampoo, toothpaste, makeup, lotion, feminine products and other personal hygiene items that could benefit a sister or family in need. “It’s amazing when you do a call to order with the Women of Steel,” said Paulette Bat- tisti, one of the co-chairs of the Local 3657 WOS Committee and the District 10 WOS coordinator. “They always step up to the plate.” Volunteers began at the local, which rep- resents staff at the International headquarters, and then continued to solicit purses at the USW’s International Women’s Conference, which took place in Pittsburgh this March. By the time the conference was over, participants had donated enough bags that the Local 3657 committee had to rent a truck to move them from the conference hotel to an available room at the USW. Donations continue And the donations keep coming. “Even if they couldn’t participate at the conference, locals have been shipping them to us,” said volunteer Julie Stein. “We thought we’d only need the space to sort donations for three weeks, and we’ve used it for three months.” Given the passage of time and the abun- dance of bags received, Battisti said the committee decided to “spread the wealth” to different organizations outside the region hit by Hurricane Sandy and to include women’s shelters, community organizations and food pantries. In June, the group sent 25 cartons holding 190 filled handbags to the Central Oklahoma Labor Council to help those who were dis- placed by two deadly tornadoes that hit sub- urbs of Oklahoma City this spring, damaging or destroying 13,000 homes. WOS Director Ann Flener-Gittlen said she received thank-yous from women in Moore, Okla., who were touched by the gesture and grateful because the personal care items they received were in short supply where they live. “This was a great project,” said Flener- Gittlen. “And I am happy to report that it just keeps generating more good ideas.”

Members of Local 3657 prepare purses for shipment. USW photo by Steve Dietz 28 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Photo illustration by Steve Dietz

fter winning an election arguments will be held later to be represented by the this year or early next. USW, employees of Max- Last January, the D.C. Pak, a box manufacturer in Circuit Court ruled in favor Lakeland,A Fla., were bargaining for a of Noel Canning, a soft drink union on the basis that they did supervi- first contract this spring when the em- bottler that alleged an NLRB decision sory work. ployer abruptly refused to continue. involving its employees was invalid The union objected to the first elec- “We’re in limbo,” said Leland Pow- because three Board members were tion because of management threats ell, the chief negotiator for the union at unconstitutionally appointed while the made to employees during captive audi- MaxPak and a member of the organiz- Senate was on a winter break. ence meetings before voting. ing team. The NLRB is composed of five The bargaining efforts of the 80 new members and cannot legally issue Union wins second vote USW members at MaxPak are on hold decisions or take other actions in the ab- On Aug. 12, 2012, the NLRB as anti-worker politicians in Washing- sence of a valid three-member quorum. directed that the two disputed ballots ton and their corporate partners try to Maria Somma, a USW organizer, be counted, invalidating the union’s derail the National Labor Relations said “employers are using the Noel first victory. A regional NLRB director, Board (NLRB), the independent agency Canning case as an excuse to deny however, ordered a new vote because charged with conducting union repre- workers their legal rights for representa- of the company’s illegal pre-election sentation elections and investigating tion.” practices. and remedying unfair labor practices. Since that ruling, more than 100 The union won the second vote by a Attacks on the NLRB’s authority companies have appealed NLRB deci- wide 52-21 margin, and the NLRB cer- have turned into an all-out offensive by sions, arguing that the Board does not tified the union at MaxPak on Nov. 6. employers attempting to invalidate hun- have enough validly appointed mem- “It wasn’t even close,” Powell said. dreds of decisions favorable to workers bers to conduct business. District 9 Director Dan Flippo called and to stop the Board from deciding When MaxPak discontinued bar- MaxPak’s action unjust and totally un- current cases. gaining in March, its attorneys pointed American. “Elections should matter in Conservatives have blocked Presi- to the Noel Canning case. MaxPak sued the United States,” he said. dent Obama’s nominees to the NLRB, the NLRB alleging that since the NLRB In July, a deal negotiated by Senate and federal appeals court decisions did not have a valid quorum, all of its leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) broke the have jeopardized recess appointments decisions leading to and including the NRLB logjam. Obama’s two recess ap- the president made to ensure that the certification of the union last Nov. 6 pointments were replaced with two new agency would maintain a quorum were void. nominees. Republicans agreed not to necessary to operate and enforce work- MaxPak workers went through two block their confirmation votes. ers’ rights. In June, the Supreme Court elections to win representation. In the Meanwhile, workers at MaxPak agreed to review the constitutionality of first, held on March 15, 2012, 39 votes continue to back the USW. “Everyone those appointments, which have been were cast for the union and 38 against. is waiting,” said Parker. “We still have challenged by corporate interests. Oral Two voters were challenged by the plenty of support.”

federal appeals court has struck its authority when it ordered businesses Another federal appeals court ruled down a rule that would have to display a notice in a prominent loca- in May that the rule violated the free Arequired millions of businesses tion explaining the rights of workers to speech rights of business. to put up posters informing workers of join a union and bargain collectively to their right to form a union. improve wages and working conditions. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. The rule was challenged by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the South ruled in June that the NLRB exceeded Carolina Chamber of Commerce. USW@Work • Summer 2013 29 Wilhelmenia Hardy he 460 members of Local 1025 done a really good job in a fairly conser- in Wilmington, N.C., hold a vative part of North Carolina.” broad range of political views, and President Wilhelmenia Contributions voluntary THardy works hard to bring them together Federal Election Commission rules in support of worker-friendly candidates prohibit using union dues for political and policies. purposes, so the USW relies on voluntary The local’s members, who make fiber contributions to its PAC fund to engage in optic cables for Corning Inc., participate political action. in the USW’s Political Action Commit- Local 1025 started actively participat- tee (PAC) because they understand the ing in PAC a little later than other locals program is about backing issues and but has quickly picked up momentum. candidates that help workers, not political The local kicked off its first PAC drive in parties. 2008 with a rally where more than 200 “We have Democrats and Republi- members signed PAC cards. Today, Har- cans,” Hardy said. “We were able to have dy focuses on educating new members. a dues check off drive and a PAC drive Corning’s habit of making extreme and assure people it was to help any can- demands of its workers has also helped didate who wants to support what is best keep union membership and PAC partici- for unions and working people.” pation high even though North Carolina is This push towards political coopera- a Right to Work (for less) state, she said. tion has earned Hardy the honor of PAC “Every time Corning does something member of the quarter. District 9 Director to attack us, the work force is very sup- Dan Flippo, who nominated Hardy, said portive of us,” Hardy said. “People come “she has taken on the PAC program and forward to ask for union cards, and I give them a PAC card too.”

SW members in June ratified contract, wages will increase 2.5 percent improved organizing language that a four-year master agreement in the first and second years, 2 percent showcases the relationship between the with Packaging Corp. of in the third year and 2.5 percent in the USW and PCA at both an international America (PCA) that cov- final year. and local level. Uers more than 1,900 workers at 25 box “With continuing consolidation in plants across the country. Medical benefits secured the industry, contract protection pro- The global agreement sets key eco- The agreement also improves retire- visions are especially important, and nomic and security terms for all loca- ment security, vacation provisions and USW PCA workers will continue to tions, and stipulates that no changes can benefits. The current health care plan know that their jobs won’t be affected be made to existing local agreements and premium contributions are locked in if a facility is sold,” said International in upcoming negotiations without the for the life of the current and next local Vice President Jon Geenen, who over- mutual consent of the local union and union agreements. sees bargaining in the paper sector. the company. “One of the key achievements of “The organizing language will assist us It is the second master agreement for this global agreement was locking in in improving our union density in the PCA box plants. The first one, negoti- our high quality health care plan and converter sector of this industry.” ated in 2009, ended the practice of maintaining current percentages on Later this summer, the USW, local allowing just one or two locals to set premium contributions to keep health union affiliates and PCA will enter ne- the pattern for the rest of PCA locations care costs from escalating for the PCA gotiations for a master global economic because their negotiations came up first box plant workers,” said Leeann Foster, and security agreement that covers in the bargaining cycle. assistant to International President Leo workers at the company’s four “This second global agreement W. Gerard and PCA bargaining chair. paper mill operations. further solidifies coordinated bargaining “Unfortunately, health care inse- in the industry and with PCA,” said In- curity is too often the norm in today’s ternational President Leo W. Gerard. “It workplaces, but the USW PCA box provides economic and job security for plant workers will know stability on this our members and a platform for a posi- important issue through at least 2017 tive relationship between the USW and and at some locations until 2019.” companies like PCA that are committed All local union contracts will con- to manufacturing in North America.” tinue their contract protection clause On expiration of each local union in case a facility is sold. There is also

30 USW@Work • Summer 2013 By combining the grievance proce- dure, collective action and issue-based bargaining, Local 7600 forced Kaiser Permanente to spend $800,000 to rem- edy the problem. Like other providers in the health care sector, Kaiser Permanente is mak- ing changes to adapt to the new regula- tions that come with the Patient Protec- tion and Affordable Care Act of 2010. he 6,000 health care workers members have won collective bargain- Jobs are being re-designed and who are USW members at ing agreements that set standards in combined, new technology is being the Kaiser Permanente Health the overall health care industry. The introduced and new systems are coming System in California expect contracts include consistent across- online to document just about every as- Teffective leadership and a world-class the-board wage increases, enhanced pect of care delivery, said Mandy Hartz, contract. employer contributions to the employee coordinator of the USW Health Care To ensure members get what they pension plan and comprehensive health Workers Council. deserve, a leadership team from Local insurance benefits with low out-of- Hartz said the local union must file 7600 held a two-day strategic planning pocket costs. information requests, demand discus- session in Fontana, Calif., to set objec- “Negotiations and everyday relation- sions over mandatory subjects of bar- tives and strategies to meet them. ship building through the partnership is gaining, file grievances, and generally “The truth is, no matter how good a powerful and effective way of repre- make sure the members’ needs are being you are – and Local 7600 is exceptional senting our members and our patients,” met and that the union has a say in how – there’s always room for improve- said Local Vice President Janis Thorn. the changes are implemented. ment,” said District 12 Assistant to the Over the last two years, the local “Kaiser Permanente is ahead of the Director Chris Youngmark. has empowered hundreds of members curve when it comes to implementing Local 7600 represents health care through the grievance process and won these changes, and that means Local workers at three hospitals and 11 clinics more than $1 million in settlements and 7600 must also be ahead of the curve,” and support facilities at Kaiser Perman- back pay awards. Hartz said. ente, one of the nation’s largest not-for- “It’s not enough to have a great The local was praised by District profit health plans. contract,” said Rosemary Vanderdoes, 12 Director Robert LaVenture for its In total, Kaiser serves more than a contract specialist with the local and rich tradition of servicing members and 9.1 million patients and customers, one of the 35 leaders present. “As a helping the community. He noted the including about 7 million who live in union, we must collectively continue to local is a regular participant in educa- California where it is based. Its system enforce and enhance the rights of our tional conferences and maintains one of includes 37 hospitals, 611 medical of- members every day.” the top Women of Steel programs in the fices and more than 175,000 employees. When necessary, Local 7600 shows district. Operating revenue was $50.6 billion last strength with collective action. Hun- “By taking the time to develop a year. dreds of protestors took to the streets in strategic plan with set objectives, strate- Local 7600 is part of a coalition of January to picket after the health care gies to achieve those objectives, and unions that represent Kaiser’s employ- provider failed to follow the correct specific timelines to measure progress, ees through a labor management agree- procedure in a series of job eliminations Local 7600 is setting an example for ment known as the Kaiser Partnership. where seniority should have been the how to build effective local unions,” he Through the coalition, union controlling factor. said. Photos by Slobodan Dimitrov

USW@Work • Summer 2013 31 Rubber Negotiations Under Way ontract negotiations between the USW and tire companies Goodyear, Bridgestone/Firestone and BFGoodrich began this spring and are ongoing, focusing on wages, pensions, benefits Cand other important issues. USW contracts with the three companies expire July 27. The Goodyear agreement covers 8,000 workers at six North American facilities: Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; Danville, Va., and Fayetteville, N.C. The Bridgestone/Firestone agreements cover about 4,500 USW members at six facilities in Ak- ron, Ohio; Bloomington, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; LaVergne, Tenn.; Russellville, Ark. and Warren County, Tenn. The BFGoodrich agreement covers about 2,400 employees at facilities in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Pension Trust Chair Retiring Solidarity in Brazil erle J. Duehr Jr. is retiring ucineide Varjão Soares, newly elected president of as chairman of the board of the Brazilian National Confederation of Chemi- Mtrustees and director of op- Lcal Workers (CNQ/CUT), shows off a Women of erations of the Steelworkers Pension Steel brochure given to her by International Vice Presi- Trust (SPT) effective Aug. 1. dent at Large Carol Landry. The multi-employer defined ben- Landry was part of a USW delegation that attended efit pension plan has provided negoti- the seventh CNQ/CUT congress, where Varjão was ated retirement benefits to participants elected the confederation’s first woman president. Also and their families since 1953. The attending from the USW were District 9 Director Dan SPT has more than 500 participating Flippo and Carolyn Kazdin from the Strategic Cam- employers, over 100,000 participants paigns department. and assets exceeding $3 billion. Like the USW, CNQ/CUT represents workers in Prior to being appointed chairman various business sectors including petroleum, chemical, in 2008, Duehr served 13 years as a paper and glass. CNQ/CUT recently participated in a plan trustee and 26 years as an officer National Day of Struggle for Workers’ Rights, hitting the of Local 1861U in Dubuque, Iowa. streets for a 40-hour workweek, an end to contracting out and a decent retirement for working people. Their demands included health care, education and affordable Plibrico Workers Fight transportation. ocal 2324-03 members at Plibrico carried their fight for a Lfair contract over 400 highway miles from the small town of Oak Hill in southern Ohio to the company’s corporate headquarters in Chicago. On June 11, about 15 District 7 Steelworkers met up with the contin- gent from Local 2324-03 to distribute handbills outside Plibrico headquar- ters about their labor dispute. Steelworkers also hand-delivered letters from workers and their fami- lies, urging the company to negotiate in good faith with the USW for a fair contract. About two dozen members of Local 2324-03 were forced on strike in July 2012, when Plibrico sought Bankruptcy Judge Approves Ormet Sale to impose major wage cuts, increase bankruptcy judge in June approved the sale of out-of-pocket health care expenses on Ormet Corp. to Wayzata Investment Partners, deductibles and premiums and elimi- Aclearing the way for operations at the Hannibal, nate two paid holidays. Ohio, smelter to continue. The company manufactures mono- Last summer, Ormet announced the possibility of lithic refractories used in demanding layoffs for the nearly 1,000 employees at the plant, includ- thermal applications. ing 837 USW members. Local 5724 members ratified a contract with the new owner in April.

32 USW@Work • Summer 2013 Moral Mondays SW members on June 24 joined civil and human rights activists participating in “Moral Mondays,” a Useries of ongoing, nonviolent protests at the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C. The weekly protests, which began on April 29, are led by the North Carolina NAACP. They are meant to push back against an extreme right-wing agenda that includes cuts to education, social programs and unemployment benefits; rejecting Medicaid expansion; new restrictions on voting and labor rights, and restarting the death penalty. About 120 people were arrested for civil disobedience on June 24 when an estimated 5,000 people joined the protest, the largest to date. More than 800 arrests have been made since the protests started. Pictured are Ken Nettles, a District 9 staff representative, and Kuyzendra A. Cobb, a member of Local 9-0425 in Roa- noke Rapids, N.C. Big Annie Honored USW Calls for Buy American ig Annie” Clemenc, a he USW is strongly urging the New York leader of the 1913 copper Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to “Bminers’ strike on Michi- Treconsider its decision to renovate the iconic gan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, this sum- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge with Chinese steel and mer will be inducted posthumously to use American materials instead. into Labor’s International Hall of “American steelmakers and steelworkers have Fame in Detroit. the drive, the know-how, and more than enough Clemenc was a member of the capacity to supply the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Western Federation of Miners, which project with the best steel in the world made at the merged with the USW after it changed safest and most environmentally responsible plants its name to the International Union of in the world,” International President Leo W. Gerard Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. said in a letter to MTA executives. The induction ceremony will The double-deck bridge, the longest suspension be held at the Keweenaw National span in the Americas, marks the gateway to New Historical Park in Calumet, Mich., York Harbor and connects the boroughs of Staten on July 26, as part of a centennial Island and Brooklyn. commemoration of the strike for bet- The MTA last year awarded Tutor Perini Corp. ter wages and conditions by 15,000 a five-year $235.7 million contract to replace the miners. upper roadway of the bridge, using nearly 15,000 metric tons of steel. Perini chose Chinese companies Wage Cuts Restored in Virgin Islands to produce the steel and fabricate the decking. SW-represented government workers in the U.S. Virgin Islands Projects that use federal funding typically fall persuaded the government in July to restore salaries that were cut under the rules of the Buy American Act, which Uby 8 percent two years ago in an austerity drive. mandates the use of U.S.-made steel and manufac- “This is a huge victory for the islands’ Rapid Response program,” tured goods whenever possible. The MTA said it can District 9 Director Dan Flippo said after legislators approved a new budget circumvent those requirements because the project for the remainder of fiscal 2013. is being funded through bond sales to be repaid by The USW represents more than 1,500 U.S. Virgin Islands government tolls. employees and has 16 collective bargaining agreements with the territorial government for its employees. Public workers had filed a lawsuit to block the salary cut included in the Virgin Islands Economic Stability Act of 2011, but a federal judge dis- missed the case last year, saying the cuts were necessary and unavoidable. In addition to the imposed salary cuts, government workers also lost 10 percent wage increases that had been negotiated by their unions and were forced to contribute 3 percent of wages to retirement plans. “I think we should all be proud of our efforts, said Walter Challenger, Jr., a member of Local 9488 who called for continued vigilance. “The next cliff that threatens our USW membership could be around the corner.”

USW@Work • Summer 2013 33 ‘Solidarity Tour’ To Visit 13 Cities SW members will participate this August in a 17-day, 13-city tour across North America to spread a message Uof solidarity and to support local struggles and connect them with the global fight against corporate power. The tour is scheduled to begin in Philadelphia on Aug. 17 and end in Los Angeles on Labor Day, Sept. 2. Other stops include Pittsburgh; Detroit; Windsor, Ontario; Chicago; Me- tropolis, Ill.; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Fargo, N.D.; Missoula, Duties Sought on Foreign Pipes Mont.; Portland, Ore., and San Francisco. For a full schedule ine steel producers, led by U.S. Steel, filed a trade and more details, visit http://summerofsolidarity.org. complaint in July claiming that foreign-made oil and Along the way, activists will hold workshops and education- natural gas pipes from nine countries are being sold al activities, perform hip-hop shows and other cultural events, N below market cost and sometimes with the benefit of govern- and take to the streets in a series of actions. The rank-and-file ment subsidies. driven project is not funded or organized by any national union The group filed the complaint with the International Trade or federation. Commission and is seeking tariffs on pipe products from India, Korea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tur- EMTs Vote to Join USW key, the Ukraine and Vietnam. aramedics and emergency medical technicians employed The case is similar to one filed by the USW and other by Medix Ambulance in Oregon and Washington voted producers of tubular goods in 2009. In that case, American Pon June 13 to join the USW and its Health Care Workers producers won duties averaging 86 percent on Chinese pipe Council. imports. “We are excited to welcome these new members to the The current case may also help to reduce “trans-shipped” union, and we look forward to working with other medical goods, pipes that originated in China and were imported into transport workers in the area,” said International Vice President the United States via another country. Fred Redmond. Medix Ambulance is located in Warrenton, Ore., and pro- vides 911 and medical transport services to Oregon’s northwest coastal region as well as communities across the Columbia River in southwest Washington. Palermo’s Workers Mark Strike Anniversary orkers at Palermo’s pizza factory in Milwaukee marked the one-year anniversary of their strike in WJune by marching 18 miles from the factory to co- owner Angelo Falluca’s home. More than 200 people from unions and other community groups joined in the march and a candlelight vigil held to call on the company to negotiate and recognize the union. DuPont Council Fosters Solidarity Palermo workers began the strike on June 1, 2012, to seek epresentatives from the four USW locals at DuPont better wages, safer conditions and paid sick days. chemical facilities met in Pittsburgh in June for train- Ring on how to increase the union’s power within their plants and how to further the long-range goals of the DuPont Council. “We have a plan to show DuPont that its bully tactics at the bargaining table won’t work in the face of union solidar- ity,” said District 4 Director John Shinn. This included rallying around Local 6992 of Buf- falo, N.Y., which at the time of the meeting had been in a 15-month fight for a contract but has since settled. Local 6992 successfully ratified a new four-year contract in July. Vice President at Large Carol Landry said that the suc- cess of the DuPont Council was just one part of building solidarity throughout the USW’s chemical sector. “The resolve of the DuPont Council and other similar councils to collective action will be a key to our future in this industry,” Landry said. 34 USW@Work • Summer 2013 NLRB Rules for Casino Workers USW Blasts Voting Rights Ruling he National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Pittsburgh has autho- he USW criticized the Supreme Court’s rized the filing of a complaint against Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino for decision this June to strike down key unfair labor practices against workers and union organizers. Tprovisions of the 1965 Voting Rights T Act, clearing the way for states to launch voter The complaint was authorized in June, but not immediately filed as the NLRB attempted to negotiate a settlement between the casino and the Steel suppression and redistricting schemes designed City Casino Workers Council Organizing Committee. to rig election outcomes. The nearly 850 workers at the casino have been attempting to organize International President Leo W. Gerard con- since April. The organizing effort, led by a coalition of unions that includes demned the court for overturning the landmark the USW, has met with interference and harassment from the company. civil rights law. The Workers Council alleged to the NLRB that management threat- “By eviscerating the Voting Rights Act, ened to fire workers for union involvement and monitored employee break which was approved overwhelmingly in the rooms and other non-work areas to intimidate those seeking to organize. U.S. House and unanimously in the Senate, the The NLRB continued to investigate allegations that four union commit- Supreme Court has at once usurped Congress tee members had been fired or indefinitely suspended by the casino for their and set back civil rights 50 years,” Gerard said. involvement in the campaign. “More Americans than ever are now at risk of Unions participating in the coalition include the USW, UNITE HERE, being disenfranchised as a result of this gross the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Teamsters. The injustice and our democracy is immediately organizing effort covers all casino workers except dealers and security. weakened.” Separately, about 800 workers at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo, International Vice President Fred Red- Ohio, voted in May to be represented by a joint council of the USW and the mond said that the decision will enable states United Auto Workers. Unions were earlier certified at casinos in Cleveland to thwart would-be voters by implementing and Columbus, Ohio. Efforts are also under way to organize a casino in expensive, unnecessary voter identification Cincinnati. programs and by redistricting maps to mini- mize or marginalize minority votes. “Over the past several years, the USW has been working with the American Civil Lib- erties Union and other groups against voter identification laws and other tactics intended to suppress voting,” Redmond said. “Our move- ment is growing and mobilized, and we will not allow our country to return to the days of Jim Crow, literacy tests and poll taxes.” Honeywell Resumes Production oneywell Metropolis in Metropolis, Ill., resumed full production in July Hafter completing necessary upgrades to bring the facility into line with Nuclear Regu- latory Commission (NRC) requirements. Local 7-669 President Stephen Lech said he Steelworkers Help Elect Markey was pleased that the plant resumed production ozens of USW volunteers helped elect U.S. Rep. Ed Markey to but was concerned about continuing relations a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts that was vacated when John with the company as they bring back workers. Kerry resigned to become secretary of state. About 20 of the local’s 200 members had D not been recalled at press time. Instead of USW members and their families from Massachusetts, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania participated in gate leafleting, phone returning all laid-off workers, Honeywell was banking, poll watching and other voter mobilization activities. said to be filling vacancies off the street — an “Markey has been a friend of Steelworkers... for 37 years, bringing apparent contract violation. The local survived experienced leadership that stands up for the diversity of our membership a 13-month lockout in 2010 and 2011 before in natural gas utilities, wa- ratifying the current three-year contract. ter authorities, municipal The NRC ordered a shutdown of the plant services, health care units, in May 2012. The required changes enhanced paper mills, and manu- the plant’s ability to withstand earthquakes and facturing,” said District 4 tornados. Director John Shinn. Workers in Metropolis convert uranium Markey defeated Re- into uranium hexafluoride, a compound that is publican and businessman processed to make fuel for commercial reac- Gabriel Gomez in a special tors. election held on June 25.

USW@Work • Summer 2013 35 Have You Moved? Notify your local union financial secretary, or clip out this form with your old address label and send your new address to: USW@Work USW Membership Department, 3340 Perimeter Hill Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 Name ______New Address ______City ______State ______Zip ______

See page 8 for more.