From Your 2019 USW Bargaining Committee
Thursday, July-22-19
Release #5
Good day Brothers and Sisters,
We are very close to concluding the non-monetary portion of the bargaining process with Vale. There are some challenging issues as we have 400 contractors on the site and our membership is around 600 strong. We do not see the amount of contractors subsiding in the near future given the work we anticipate in the plant and are struggling to rationalize this with the Company. Our community is very much affected when a large portion of work is performed by people who do not reside here in the North. This is a confront we are trying to reconcile with Vale to achieve a better agreement for you the members who live in our community, who pay ever increasing taxes in our community, who have raised generations in our community, and who will be in this community long after Vale has reaped their rewards and left.
We have also heard a strong message from you our membership on moving forward into the monetary portion of bargaining. We know what your issues are and intend on getting a fair deal that does not concede all we have fought for thus far. The future of our product in the mines is strong as the world moves into an Electrical Vehicle era that will see strong demand for a very good product. The mining industry is cyclical and despite the big storm recently, we know that we are moving to a bright future here. Know that a fair deal is achieved with your strength and our solidarity as a membership.
Please contact the Union with any questions you may have about the bargaining process, and thanks for your ongoing support.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
Warren, Scott, Matt, Keith, Dave and Todd.