This week, your USW Local Union 9558 bargaining committee met with the Company in order to begin bargaining for our first USW Contract. The Local Bargaining Committee is being assisted by USW District 8 Representatives Fentre Graves and Michael Lewis and from the USW Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Shane Carlin.
A tour of the plant was provided in order to discuss and better understand the overall operations. Many of you may have seen the Committee along with Fentre, Michael and Shane in various areas of the plant discussing the operations with local Company management and corporate representatives.
We presented proposals covering a very broad range of issues of concern to our membership and other items necessary to be addressed in our contract. In addition to explaining and discussing our proposals, discussions also included how bargaining will be conducted and the various production processes in the plant. Overall, we had very iAQnteresting and helpful discussions. Bargaining will resume in the coming weeks.
ALCOA SPLIT
As we all know, it has been announced that Alcoa will split into two separate companies. Our plant will be included in the “value added” company. This has no effect on the Company’s obligation to bargain with us and the Company acknowledges that bargaining will continue.
In solidarity,
Kirmett “KC” Jimmerson, Cissy Glover, Vanessa King, Shirley Campbell, Sederick Wilson