Volume 3, Issue 7: Aug. 19, 2023

ASARCO Negotiations Resume with Interim Wage Proposal and Agreement Over Vacations for Rehired Workers

Earlier this week, USW District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, who chairs ASARCO negotiations for the unions, along with attorneys, staff and local union officials, met with the membership from various operations to hear their concerns.

First among the issues that were raised was the long length of time it has taken to enforce the law. Members are suffering from wage erosion due to decades of inflation, and need wage improvements now - not years from now after the courts have finally held Asarco accountable for years of illegal actions.

The bargaining committee for our unions took this information and crafted an interim wage and 401(k) proposal to be implemented September 1, 2023, while negotiations over the complete BLA terms continue.

The interim wage increase proposal was presented to ASARCO at the resumed “Big Table” negotiations on August 16.

We are awaiting ASARCO’s response to this very reasonable proposal.

The unions also sought to remedy the unjust situation concerning re-hired ASARCO employees not receiving credit for prior service for vacation calculation purposes.

We are pleased that we reached an agreement with ASARCO that grants prior service credit for vacation purposes to union represented members who had broken service and were subsequently re-hired after January 1, 2021. The agreement also addresses the situation of re-hired employees current lack of vacation time in year one and two of their return years.

Click here for copies of the wage and 401(k) proposal and memorandum of agreement over vacations that can be review at your local.

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Click here to download this as a printable PDF.