We are the United Steelworkers, North America’s largest industrial union. We’re 1.2 million members and retirees strong in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. We proudly represent men and women who work in nearly every industry there is.
Last night, the U.S. House delivered a bipartisan vote to pass the Butch Lewis Act (H.R. 397), 264-169. This is a major step forward in our union’s multi-year effort to find a solution to the issues facing financially-distressed multiemployer pension plans. Cheers rang out from those watching in the House Gallery as the vote was announced. Impacted members and retirees from a number of unions, including our own, were part of the crowd.
Out of our three main local representatives, Lamb and Doyle both voted Yes. Reschenthaler voted No.
Thanks to all who called, emailed, or found some way to contact our representatives on this matter. No matter how your representative voted, your voice still matters.
From here, the bill moves to the Senate, where a new fight will unfold. Yesterday, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio reintroduced similar legislation (S. 2254), gaining the support of 26 other Senators who have cosponsored.
There are 25 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 0 Republicans that are supporting this bill. Out of Pennsylvania's two Senators, Casey has already supported our cause. Toomey has not supported yet as of this date. If you live in the state of Pennsylvania, email Senator Pat Toomey and request his support ASAP. CLICK HERE FOR HIS EMAIL PAGE. Thanks you for doing your part. He has to act on this by our many contacts to his office.
Update #2
I wanted to share my email to our Senator that has not supported this bill yet. I will post his reply when available.
My email to Sen. Pat Toomey on 7/26/2019:
Help is needed and we look to your leadership to provide this help. As a proud steelworker in the city of Pittsburgh, I'm asking that you'd support S.2254 - Rehabilitation for Multi-Employer Pensions. We, the middle class workers that pay taxes, have seen our tax money bail out various organizations throughout the years. By no fault of our own, we need assistance. Not as a bailout, but as a backstop to protect our pensions. As this measure was being debated in the Ways and Means committee, I was there in...
Central Marine: The union committee met with the company on 7-23- 2019 and 7-24-2019, the committee members were Adam Larson and Jeff Thompson along with Tom Zidek Business agent for Local 5000 and Dan Vorrees International staff represenative. We discussed some local issues and we think we have agreed how to resolve some of these local issues given to us by our members. We gave the company our economic proposals on 7-09-2019 and we were expecting them to respond at this latest meeting ,unfortunatley they were not ready to respond to our proposals. We are still working on getting an extension with Central Marine. We are trying to bargain three agreements at the same time and the logistics of all of this is tricky. your committee members are doing a good job of representing all of you at the table. As of this update there are no new meetings scheduled and we will continue to work and keep bargaining to try and get afair agreement to brring back to the membership. Stay tuned for more updayes as they occour.
Keylakes : we have meetings scheduled for Keylakes in August. We have met with the company for about two hours but our committee members could not attend because of relief problems so a few local issues were discussed but no decisions were made. We had to extend this contract until 8-31-2019 as well because of the same logistic problems and relief issues.
Interlakes: We have not met with Interlakes as of yet we have requested information and as of yet we have not recieved it. We are also extending this agreement until 8-31 -2019.
Please we are asking everyone to stay strong and hang in there we are working to get these agreements done.
In Solidarity Tom ZideK 440-225-7752
People have asked me if the local is in the same place i thought we answered this before but we are still at 17535 Rosbough Blvd Suite 201 Post office box 101 cleveland ohio 44130. Phone number is the same at 440-243-7000. We have also had to renew for one year a new lease but at over a five hundred dollar reduction in the rent. after the new year there will be some decisions made by the administrators about the local.
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
Central Marine we have agreed to a few small local issues and we have exchanged our economic proposals but we have not agreed to anything as of this update. we are working day to day with central marind because we have not been ablo to cone to an agreement with the comapny on this issue.
Keylakes we intend to meet with the comany on 8-20 8-21 and 8-22, weintend to have our committee members at the bargaining table and we have a signed contract extension with Keylakes.
Interlakes we hope we will be meeting with the company on 8-15 and 8-16 this will be the first meeting this company. i say we hope to be meeting is beacuse we gave the company these dates and of this up date the company has not...
The Burleigh Bulletin is the latest Union news and information provided to our Briggs and Stratton Unit. Below you can find the first three issues and we will continue to update the website when new issues are released.
