USW Local 7600 will be hosting a candlelight vigil this Tuesday, June 9th at 7pm in memory of ALL that have lost their lives unjustly at the hands of authority.  Guest speaker, Bishop Cecil A. Richardson to commence the event followed by Channing Hawkins, Gabriela Plascensia, Kimberly Johnson-Calvin and performances by DJ Will Supreme and recording artist Nickie King, all are welcome.

June 5, 2020 - USW Local 1944 stands in solidarity with the unprecedented groundswell of protest taking place internationally against the systemic racism faced by Black citizens, in particular from police. It’s shameful that well into the 21st Century, individuals and communities often remain judged by the colour of their skin and not by the content of their character, as Martin Luther King asked us to do 57 years ago.

It seems that every month reveals new video proof of individuals treating Black lives with total reckless indifference. Any person of conscience must ask themselves what goes on when no camera is watching if such egregious actions take place regularly in full public view. It’s simple for police officers to restrain a man without kneeling on his neck, as in the George Floyd death. It’s simple for someone to call the police if they suspect that a jogger is a searched-for criminal, rather than to drive up, pull a gun on them, and provoke a confrontation resulting in murder, as in the Ahmaud Arbery death. In the Arbery case, the vigilantes stated that Ahmaud matched the description of a suspected burglar, yet what description could they make out from a passing jogger except that he was a young black man? It appears that any young black man would have been dealt the same fate in that situation, on the basis of their “description”, their Blackness.

George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are only two names of many: Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Walter Scott, Jamar Clark, Danny Ray Thomas, Stephon Clark, Terrance Crutcher, and very many others.

“As the smoke clears from the canisters of tear gas being shot at peaceful protestors, and people try to go back to their lives as they were before, whether in lockdown or otherwise, we must not forget these past days.” says Acting President Donna Hokiro. “However our fight is about more than the violence that occurred at the hands of these four police officers. It is also about the policies that keep the oppressors in power and the rest of us in service to those masters. It is about the lack of resources from education and health equality, to the ability to secure work and housing and in some cases even clean drinking water. Predominately these inequalities ring true for brown and black people and those in First Nation communities. Often we do not connect policy to real life but that is exactly where the injustices start. In order for us to make real and lasting change that will benefit all peoples, we must put into power people that represent our diversity and...

Le 5 juin 2020 - La Section locale 1944 du Syndicat des Métallos est solidaire de la vague de manifestations sans précédent qui se déroule à l’échelle mondiale contre le racisme systémique auquel sont confrontés les citoyens de race noire, en particulier de la part de la police. Il est honteux qu’au XXIe siècle, les individus et les communautés soient toujours jugés sur la couleur de leur peau et non sur la valeur de leur caractère, comme le rêvait déjà Martin Luther King 57 ans auparavant.

Il semble que chaque mois, une nouvelle vidéo expose des individus qui traitent la vie des noirs avec une dangereuse et absolue indifférence. Les personnes dotées d’une conscience doivent s’interroger sur ce qui se passe quand aucune caméra n’enregistre ces actions scandaleuses, qui se déroulent régulièrement en public. Il serait facile pour des policiers de retenir un homme sans aller jusqu’à s’agenouiller sur son cou, comme dans le cas de la mort de George Floyd. Il serait facile pour un individu d’appeler la police s’il soupçonne qu’un joggeur est un criminel recherché, plutôt que de s’approcher, de tirer avec une arme à feu et de provoquer une confrontation aboutissant à un meurtre, comme dans le cas de la mort d’Ahmaud Arbery. Dans l’affaire Arbery, les justiciers autoproclamés ont déclaré qu’Ahmaud correspondait à la description d’un cambrioleur présumé, mais quelle description pouvaient-ils faire d’un joggeur qui passait, hormis que c’était un jeune homme noir ? Il semble que tout jeune homme noir aurait subi le même sort dans cette situation, sur la base de leur « description » : leur race noire.

George Floyd et Ahmaud Arbery ne sont que deux noms parmi tant d’autres : Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Walter Scott, Jamar Clark, Danny Ray Thomas, Stephon Clark, Terrance Crutcher et bien d’autres encore.

« Alors que la fumée des cartouches de gaz lacrymogènes tirées sur des manifestants pacifiques se dissipe et que les gens tentent de retourner à leur vie, que ce soit en confinement ou pas, nous ne devons pas oublier ces derniers jours, a déclaré Donna Hokiro, Présidente par intérim. Cependant, notre combat va bien au-delà de ces violences faites aux mains de ces quatre policiers. Il s’agit également des politiques qui maintiennent les oppresseurs au pouvoir et les populations à leur service. Il s’agit du manque de ressources dues aux inégalités en matière d’éducation et de santé, de l’incapacité de trouver du travail et un logement, et même dans certains cas d’avoir accès à l’eau potable. Ces inégalités frappent majoritairement les personnes à la peau brune et noire et les collectivités des...

UPDATE: Essentia has notified us that they are looking to start layoffs for those covered by the Green Book contract next week. Layoff meetings may even start as early as Monday. Please know though it will take multiple weeks and we don't know when your turn will come that much in advance. These next few weeks our office will be hard pressed to handle much other than the layoffs. We understand you may have questions though. If you can message us on facebook, that is a little easier for us than phone.

MAY/JUNE 2020 MEMBERSHIP MEETING POSTPONED

The riginal meeting scheduled for May 17th and then June 14th has been postponed again due to safety concerns and meeting hall availability. The Local is looking into the ability to host virtual meetings for the size we need or other meeting halls that can safely accomidate our needs. We will continue to update the membership when the meeting can be held. 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we have witnessed many ups and downs. As we continue to emerge from under the weight of this pandemic, we must be diligent in our efforts for a safe and healthy environment, not only here but at home as well. We are slowly starting to see positive signs for our plant. Several of our Brothers and Sisters are being recalled and the Company will be implementing interim incentive plans in areas having outages in the near future. If you have questions about the temporary plan which will be used during your outage, please contact your Grievance Committeeman.

In an effort to gauge demand, we reached out to local automotive dealers in the region.  We are happy to report good news. Several dealers are currently experiencing record breaking sales. We hope this translates into orders for us sooner rather than later.

Career Development is planning on re-starting classes the beginning of July. They are putting together a schedule of classes and ordering what is necessary to properly follow the state and CDC guidelines for a safe and successful start-up. They will also be contacting participants who have have missed classes to reschedule where possible.

Indiana Surgical Associates (ISA) is now taking appointments for Wellness exams. At this time exams will be done by appointment only at 2 locations. Wednesday appointments will be conducted at the Merrillville Office located at 101 E 87th Ave., Suite 420 and Friday appointments at the Michigan City office located at 3500 Franciscan Way, Suite 3A. Anyone making an appointment will be asked screening questions regarding COVID-19 and masks are mandated at your visit. After your visit you will need to call (219) 940-5377 upon leaving the office to complete the screening portion of your visit. This MUST be done to finalize your wellness screening. To schedule an appointment please call (219) 940-5374. Please remember if you are married, both you and your spouse must obtain a wellness exam to receive the benefit.      

In Solidarity, 
Pete Trinidad Sr. 
USW 6787 President 

Patti will be at the Union Hall on Friiday, June 26th