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.
16 mai 2018 - Lundi 14 et mardi 15 mai 2018, le Bureau exécutif de la Section locale 1944 du Syndicat des Métallos s'est rassemblé.
Lors de cette réunion, les Scrutateurs de vote de la Section locale ont présenté leur rapport sur les récentes Élections des dirigeants de la Section locale et officiels d'unité 2018.
Conformément au Manuel d'élections dans les sections locales des Métallos, les Scrutateurs de vote doivent présenter leur rapport lors de la première réunion du Bureau exécutif après les élections. Avant de pouvoir procéder au vote sur le rapport des Scrutateurs, toute protestation dûment déposée doit être lue, débattue et votée par le Bureau exécutif lors de la réunion.
Au cours de ces deux journées de réunion, il n'a pas été possible pour le Bureau exécutif d'effectuer cet examen dans son intégralité, ni le vote des protestations et du rapport des Scrutateurs. Par conséquent, il était prématuré d'organiser la cérémonie d'assermentation ce matin, le mercredi 16 mai 2018, car les résultats des élections n'ont pas été validés par le Bureau exécutif.
Nous avons conscience de la confusion causée par cette procédure, et nous demandons aux membres de se référer au Manuel d'élections dans les sections locales des Métallos. Notre Section locale procède pour la première fois aux élections sur le mode 'un membre, un vote' du Syndicat des Métallos, et c'est tous ensemble que nous travaillons.
Le Bureau exécutif se réunira de nouveau le vendredi 18 mai 2018. La cérémonie d'assermentation se déroulera à une date ultérieure.
Plus d'informations seront communiquées au fur et à mesure que celles-ci seront confirmées.
ArcelorMittal has proposed a three-year labor agreement that attacks many of the hard won benefits that we have achieved over the years. USW members have fought for generations to negotiate fair wages, incentives, health insurance, pensions, overtime pay, supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB), sickness and accident benefits (S&A), layoff minimization, scheduling and many other protections that make our workplaces safer and give us a stronger voice on the job.
The company would like us to believe that its latest contract proposal is acceptable and fair, but this is a deceitful characterization. The company wants us to ignore a very important fact – its concessionary demands would more than wipe out any pay increases the company has proposed.
They have attacked our security and “safety net” provisions. They have even failed to address some of our non-economic proposals and ignored most of the local issues we have brought to the table.
ArcelorMittal is trying to convince us that we should ignore how profitable the company is now and accept major concessions for the sake of “sustainability” because the industry has faced downturns in the past – conveniently overlooking the critical fact that the flexibility of our contracts has enabled the company to survive the tough times and thrive now that the market has rebounded.
The company’s proposal is not fair, and its demands for huge concessions are not necessary.
Here are the facts:
ArcelorMittal can afford a fair agreement that meets the needs of our members and families.
ArcelorMittal will make huge profits this year, and forecasts for the market and the industry are very positive for future years – as acknowledged by both the company and Wall Street.
Hourly workers have waited more than three years for a wage increase, yet management regularly rewards itself with pay increases and bonuses. They claim to care about the longterm interests of the company, but they operate it without a comprehensive plan for the future viability and sustainability of our facilities. This short-term mentality leads to 2 inconsistencies – which is exactly what greedy, self-entitled bosses do when they think they can get away with it.
From 2015 to 2017, even when the company was not profitable, the owner still took millions of dollars in management and branding/franchise fees every quarter whether the company was profitable or not. USW members already have made sacrifices.
I started at HIbbing Taconite in May of 2005 as a production truck driver. I went through the maintenance apprenticeship program in 2008-2010 and currently work as a maintenance mechanic in the pellet plant. I ran for and was elected recording secretary of this local in 2012 and 2015. In 2018, I chose to run for my current position as guide. I have been through steward training, all four years of the Charley Richardson union training held at Ruttger's annually and have been a delegate and an observer to the United Steelworkers Constitutional Congress. I also had the privilege of attending the Rapid Response conference in Washington D.C. a few years ago. I represent our local in the pellet plant as a grievanceman and I, also, handle contracting-out issues there.
Your bargaining committee met this morning with U.S. Steel, and it is becoming clear that the company has been surprised by the level of anger and solidarity you’ve displayed.
While of course they would never admit that, they modified their proposal and then within minutes posted it on their website while the union was still reviewing it internally. You undoubtedly understand their play for what it is - another clumsy and bad-faith attempt to try to influence everyone’s first impression and undermine your bargaining committee.
It’s another big attention-grabbing headline with a $19,000 figure at the top. Once again, the devil is in the details, and their proposal requires a close reading and thoughtful analysis.
No New Money/Worse Health Care Coverage
First, the proposal includes the original $4,000 signing bonus. U.S. Steel then adds the $6,000 of your 3rd- and 4th-quarter profit sharing payments, this time sliding forward payment. As you have figured, you have already earned these payments, although U.S. Steel would have you believe that it’s a gift of new money. That brings the total back to $10,000. They then try to intimidate and stampede you to accept their deal by including an unrealistic self-imposed deadline of ratification by Sept. 22.
To determine how they get to $19,000, you have to understand their health care options. In trying to drive people to the “high deductible health care” (HDHC) proposal and get rid of your current health care, they essentially offer a bribe of $1,500 per year for the transition. So $1,500 per year over a six-year agreement is $9,000. ($1,500 x 6=$9,000). The only problem with this is that you have to give up your current health care coverage and move to the HDHC plan.
So, according to U.S. Steel’s math, a $4,000 signing bonus + $6,000 of your own profit share money + $9000 from giving up your health care = $19,000. Pretty slick, huh?
Here’s their next slick trick: The health care plan that you now have is gone entirely under their proposal. It’s just not being offered. Their replacement plan doubles the deductibles, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums compared to the current PPO Plan.
Remember their last proposal had you paying up to $237 per month for medical and dental coverage. They have now reduced that to $125 per month for medical and $20 per month for dental. They also say that at the end of the year they’ll reimburse you $125 per month to offset the premiums that you’ll now be paying. First, the reimbursement will be treated as income, and you can expect about a 35% reduction due to taxes and deductions. Secondly, your coverage is decreased, so you will pay an average of another $2,000 per year in out-of-pocket expenses for higher deductibles, drug copays and coinsurance. So, every time you use the...
US STEEL MADE ANOTHER PROPOSAL TODAY (9/12). THERE ARE TWO PDF FILES BELOW. ONE IS US STEEL'S PROPOSAL AND THE OTHER IS THE USW EXPLAINATION OF THEIR PROPOSAL. SMALL, SNEAKY, CAREFULLY CALCULATED ADVANCES HAVE BEEN MADE. NEGOTIATIONS ARE ONGOING.
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ALTHOUGH THE USW MADE A COUNTER PROPOSAL YESTERDAY (9/13), WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE STRIKE PREPARATIONS UNTIL THE COMPANY MAKES SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS AND TAKES OUR POSITION SERIOUS.
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ALTHOUGH SOME VERY SMALL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, WE ARE PROCEEDING WITH STRIKE PREPARATIONS UNTIL THE COMPANY MAKES SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE TEXT UPDATES FOR THE USW PROPOSAL BREAKDOWNS AS THEY ARE RELEASED (TEXT USS TO 47486).
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PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE TEXT UPDATES FOR THE USW PROPOSAL BREAKDOWNS AS THEY ARE RELEASED (TEXT USS TO 47486).
THIS SITE WILL BE USED AS A HUB OF INFORMATION AND STRIKE RELATED MATERIAL DURING THIS TIME. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN STILL.
THIS SITE WILL BE USED AS A HUB OF INFORMATION AND STRIKE RELATED MATERIAL DURING THIS TIME. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN STILL.
