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Union Members Ratify Three-Year Agreement with Asarco Contact: Tony Montana, 412-562-2592, [email protected] Albuquerque, N.M. — The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that union members have overwhelmingly approved a new, three-year labor agreement with Asarco. “The new labor agreement provides unprecedented wage increases to a broad spectrum of jobs, from laborers to operators to diesel-electric technicians—raising some rates by as much as 27 percent,” said USW District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, who chaired negotiations for the unions’ Unified Bargaining Committee. “The new contract provides opportunities for even higher earnings by adding new skills and qualifications, such as advanced welding credentials and earth moving machinery.” In addition to wage improvements, the new contract provides additional time off, with numerous vacation and holiday improvements for workers. It lowers workers healthcare contributions and ensures that so-called “fatigue monitoring systems” are used to make work safer and not simply more supervised. USW Local 886 President Greg Romero, representing one of the six local unions at the negotiating table with Asarco, said that workers should be proud. “These are historic gains for the workers in the Copper Triangle,” Romero said. “As a lifelong resident of the area, we know from history that we are unstoppable when we are united.” USW Sub-District Director Fernando Terrazas, also a longtime union leader with family history in the area, added that workers depend on solidarity with each other to gain contract improvements. “Asarco has a job to do, mine copper and maximize profit. Our job is to force companies to consider their workers’ interests,” Terrazas said. “Without a union, it’s every man or woman for themselves, and employers love those odds.” The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations. — May 30
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Unions Announce Tentative Agreement with Asarco Contact: Tony Montana, 412-562-2592, [email protected] Albuquerque, N.M. — The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that its Unified Bargaining Committee, which includes representatives from USW, International Association of Machinists, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, reached a tentative agreement for a comprehensive labor contract with Asarco covering more than 500 bargaining unit members at the company’s Ray and Hayden locations in Arizona, as well as a facility in Amarillo, Texas. “The three-year agreement will be voted on by the membership on May 29, and if approved, will become effective June 1, 2024,” said USW District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, who chaired the Unified Bargaining Committee. “After many years of fighting, we have achieved fairness and justice for Asarco workers.” “Our agreement is major a milestone, marking unprecedented, collectively bargained improvements at Asarco,” Prescott said. “Our pride in the union members’ solidarity, sheer grit and determination cannot be overstated.” “Our jobs will be safer, pay better and benefits more secure under the proposed new agreement,” Prescott said. “We are confident members will be pleased with the hard-won results.” The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations. — May 24
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Blue Bird Workers Ratify First Contract as USW Members CONTACT: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, [email protected] (Macon, Ga.) – The United Steelworkers (USW) today announced that more than 1,500 members at Blue Bird Corp.’s Fort Valley, Ga., facility overwhelmingly ratified a first union contract that provides significant wage improvements, promotes respect on the job, institutes a profit-sharing system and secures vital health and safety provisions. While the three-year deal will provide all workers with at least 12 percent in raises, some of the lowest paid will see increases of more than 40 percent. The contract also delivers needed retirement security with the establishment of a defined contribution plan, as well as a platform for workers to address concerns regarding civil rights, health insurance costs, public policy, creation of new jobs and more. “Workers at Blue Bird organized because they needed a voice on the job,” said USW District 9 Director Dan Flippo, who represents workers in Georgia and six other Southern states. “Thanks to their solidarity and hard work, they made significant gains that will benefit them now and lay a firm foundation for further progress well into the future.” Blue Bird workers make school buses, including low-emission and zero-emission models, and the company has been approved to receive significant funding through the EPA’s Clean School Bus program. “Federal investments like these must come with a seat at the table for workers,” Flippo said. “Our union has a long history in the South fighting for better wages and working conditions in a variety of industries, but for too long, corporations and their political cronies have tried to characterize the South as a place where they could run away from unions, cut corners and pay workers less. “Workers at Blue Bird are helping to change the narrative. All workers deserve fair treatment. A union contract like the one at Blue Bird is the best way to seize that future.” The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations. For more information: http://www.usw.org/. ### — May 23
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USW Applauds Biden’s Strategic Redesign of China Tariffs Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, [email protected], 412-562-2444 PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers union (USW) today welcomed President Joe Biden’s announcement strengthening and strategically redesigning tariffs on Chinese goods as a result of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 tariff review. “The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, and flawed Chinese trade policies have had an outsized negative impact on our members,” said USW International President David McCall. “Now, the Biden administration’s work to strengthen relief measures shows we’re not backing down. Instead, we’re backing up our domestic producers and workers.” The president will be highlighting the newly redesigned tariffs today at the White House, at an event in which USW members will proudly participate. “The key to President Biden’s success in building a worker-centered trade policy is his multi-pronged approach,” said USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown. “His administration has been diligently confronting foreign unfair trade using established trade tools to stand up to the unfair and anticompetitive policies of trading partners like China. But just as importantly, President Biden has been strategically using investments here at home to reignite and renew America’s manufacturing capacity.” McCall stressed that strengthening America’s manufacturing base requires a comprehensive approach, with no one-size-fits-all solution. “From the CHIPS and Science Act to the Inflation Reduction Act, from new approaches on outbound investment to today’s tariff announcements and more, President Biden is addressing trade through an integrated set of solutions,” McCall said. “And moving forward, we know this administration will continue to show this same grit and ingenuity in standing up for workers, including the investigation it initiated last month into China’s transportation, logistics and maritime policies. “President Biden’s comprehensive approach is achieving real results for real workers, promoting economic recovery and fostering a brighter future.” The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations. ### — May 14
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USW Disappointed in USMCA Panel Decision on San Martín Mine For Immediate Release: May 13, 2024 Contact: Ben Davis, [email protected], 412-562-2501 PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers union (USW) issued the following statement in response to the rapid response mechanism panel decision, issued under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), in the case of the San Martín mine, owned by Grupo Mexico: “The United Steelworkers is disappointed by the panel decision. “While we appreciate the work of the panel, specifically its ruling that the mine is a Covered Facility under the USMCA rapid response labor mechanism, the fact remains that the strike launched in 2007 by our sister union, the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers of the Mexican Republic (Los Mineros), has not been resolved. “Mexico’s highest court ruled nearly three years ago that the strike by Los Mineros is legal, yet Grupo Mexico continues to operate the mine with replacement workers, excluding the members of Los Mineros from the workplace. “The failure to find a denial of rights at the company sends a message that the rights of corporations outweigh those of workers. That is simply unacceptable.“We are also concerned by the publication of the Mexican Economy Secretariat’s announcement on social media, prior to its official release, and by the statements to the news media by a member of the panel, prior to the decision being made public. “Such actions threaten to undermine the integrity of the Rapid Response mechanism. We hope that Mexico will take appropriate corrective actions.“There are many outstanding questions that need to be assessed in the coming days, the first of which is the views of Los Mineros, who, we believe, have yet to see the decision. It is their members whose interests are at issue, and we stand in solidarity with them. An additional question is the impact of the decision as it does not have precedential value under the USMCA.“The fight for workers’ rights, including those at issue in this case, is far from over and we will examine what further actions are necessary and appropriate.” The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations. ### — May 13
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United Steelworkers Press Releases Feed
- Union Members Ratify Three-Year Agreement with Asarco
- Unions Announce Tentative Agreement with Asarco
- Blue Bird Workers Ratify First Contract as USW Members
- USW Applauds Biden’s Strategic Redesign of China Tariffs
- USW Disappointed in USMCA Panel Decision on San Martín Mine
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