Members and Retirees of Local 5328

With the announcement today by Premier Doug Ford with shutting down all nonessential services, the question is in everyone’s mind, will it affect us? 

 To be honest, I believe it will affect us but how, we won’t know until tomorrow. 

 We have a few customers that have been categorized as an essential service. Hamilton East being part of the supply chain to that business, may be deemed an essential business as well.  If we are deemed essential, it will be business as usual for most of the plant. 

 Many of our customers are US based and specifically in Michigan. The state of Michigan is currently in a lock-down order except for essential services. A couple of those businesses that are deemed to be part of the essential service are small portion of our business.  

 I believe that if we are deemed an essential service, there will be minimal affect to our work force. If we are included as nonessential service, the plant will be shutdown entirely but we will not have that answer until Doug Ford announces a list of essential and nonessential services tomorrow. 

 We did met the company today and were going to institute new measures to create social distancing. Changed work hours for certain jobs ranging from 6:30-6:30 on continuous operations and on some 8 hour jobs the shifts would be, 7:30-3:30, 3:30-11:30,11:30-7:30. In addition to that, the lunchrooms would be capped at 2 people and the cafeteria would be used as a lunch room.  All this is on hold until tomorrow’s announcement.  

 We will be meeting again at 10:00am and hope to have some information shortly after that. 

 Please stay calm and concentrate on the job!! Your family depends on you!! 

 In solidarity, 

Anthony Ciaramella 
President
USW Local 5328

Sisters and brothers,

Our President Valery Robinson and Vice President Liz Cuevas are working tirelesly 7 days a week with the leaders of Kaiser Permanente to get ahead of the nasty Coronavirus and to keep us up to date with what's going on.  Val and Liz have received authorization to release the Daily COVID-19 Message.  This is a message created by the leaders at Kaiser Permanente with important updates and policies.  Please see below for the most recent update we have for the Riverside Service Area.   Also, please do not hesitate to call the union with any questions or concerns at (909) 302-0000.

“Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."     

Mattie Stepanek

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Please read the recent memo released by our Plant Manager Jean Louis:

March 23, 2020

From: Jean Louis Muller, Vice President and General Manager, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor

To: All Burns Harbor employees

Subject: Coronavirus and “stay at home” order information

First and foremost, my thoughts are with you and your families during these unprecedented times. I am writing you today to provide updates on the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak and what it means for you as a Burns Harbor employee.

Safety is our absolute number one priority at ArcelorMittal, and our most important asset is you, our people. More so now than ever, it is important to continue practicing workplace safety, so your fellow employees, families and community stay safe. Remember to take everyday precautions including avoiding close contact with people who are sick, washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and avoid touching your face, nose, and eyes.

In case you haven’t already seen, Governor Holcomb implemented a “stay at home” order starting Tuesday through at least April 7. Illinois has a similar order in place which started Saturday and also goes through April 7. This order mandates all non-essential businesses to close and all residents to stay at home unless engaged in essential work or activity.

The steel industry and our supply chain were included in the essential industries category which exempts us from the closure order. Therefore, it is critical that operations employees and essential vendors report to work as scheduled until further notice.

We must ensure that the highest workplace safety standards are met, and it is more important now than ever before. It is key to remember there are positive steps we can all take to personally minimize the risk of infection. Social distancing should continue to be followed, as well as practicing personal hygiene. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly throughout the day. And if you unfortunately experience symptoms while at work, please contact your supervisor immediately, who will provide you further instruction.

If you have any questions about this order and what it means for you, please contact your manager, or email [email protected].

As always, I am extremely proud of our team and appreciative of each and every one of you. I am confident that with your hard work and dedication, we will get through these challenging times. We are all in this together. Stay safe.

 Jean Louis Muller, VP & GM, ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor