United Steelworkers: News Articles

Ahead of historical health insurance reform vote, Congress must hear from us

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Within days, the U.S. House will vote on H.R. 3962 — the Affordable Health Care for America Act. It's a historic health care reform bill that includes a public health insurance option, guarantees that employers pay their fare share and doesn’t tax our benefits.

Many of us have been fighting for real health care reform for our entire lives, and this vote is going to be very close. If you've never called your representative before, now is the time. If you've called before, please call again. Tell your representative the time for reform is now: Support H.R. 3962.

Call your representative toll free today in Washington in support of H.R. 3962, the House bill. You can call 1-877-702-0976 to get connected. Click here for a list of House members who particularly need to hear from us.

The House bill covers 96 percent of Americans, is entirely paid for, reduces the deficit and lets families keep the health care they have instead of facing cuts in benefits and higher costs.

When you call, you will be joining tens of thousands of activists in a nationwide action for real health care reform.

The USW mobilizing nationwide this week in support of real health insurance reform that works for us. Click here to visit our tool kit to find out how you can get involved and to find more information about health insurance reform. Don't forget to send us your photos, videos and reports from this week's actions.

USW, paper companies applaud ITC decision to investigate unfair trade case

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The United Steelworkers, along with Appleton Coated LLC, NewPage Corp., and Sappi Fine Paper North America, applauded today's decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission to proceed with a full investigation of coated paper imports from China and Indonesia.

The companies and the USW filed unfair trade cases on Sept. 23 with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the ITC alleging that certain coated paper from China and Indonesia had been dumped and subsidized resulting in injury to the domestic industry and its employees. The paper products covered by the petitions include coated paper used in high-quality writing, printing, and other graphic applications using sheet-fed presses with a GE brightness rating of 80 or higher up and weighing to 340 grams per square meter.

Leo W. Gerard, USW international president, cited as evidence of injury, a coated paper mill closure in Michigan earlier this year, on top of previous job losses at idled, or closed plants and paper machines in Maine, Wisconsin and other states. “We cannot stand by and let imports unfairly take away our good jobs and shutdown factories,” he declared. “Trade laws between nations must be enforced with government fact finding and the power to defend jobs and industries with strong tariff penalties for import violations.” More...

USW: Proposed Tariffs for China Pipe Sends Message to U.S. Workers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The United Steelworkers (USW) said today’s order by the U.S. Department of Commerce for proposed anti-dumping tariffs on China pipe imports known as oil country tubular goods (OCTG) sent an overdue message for thousands of American laid-off workers: trade laws are being enforced.

According to documents, the OCTG trade case is the largest in U.S. history against China imports valued at $2.6 billion in 2008. The U.S. government order confirms overall, China’s practice of dumping OCTG. This is the fifth pipe and tube products dumping case since June 2007.

USW President Leo W. Gerard cited today’s Commerce Dept. anti-dumping margins for OCTG China exporters as promising to U.S. producers with nearly half its work force on layoff status caused by the huge inventory of dumped China pipe imports. “China’s government and exporters are being told we are fed up with their cheating on our fair trade laws and penalties for these transgressions are long overdue ... more

Sierra Club, USW Urge Regulators to Uphold Intent of Lacey Act

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Landmark reforms were aimed at halting deforestation, illegal wood products

The Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers (USW) today voiced concerns over a decision by regulators to grant special exemptions for pulp and paper from the Lacey Act reforms of 2008.

These landmark reforms aim to protect the world’s forests and communities by halting the import and sale of illegally-sourced wood products in the U.S. Under the Lacey Act reforms importers must declare the country and harvest of origin for their products, an essential step to creating transparency in a previously unregulated market where US demand was driving deforestation around the world.

The concerns were submitted in joint comments to the Federal Register on Nov. 2 ... more

USW Declares Support for 'Trade Enforcement Priorities Act' to Create Jobs

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Landmark reforms were aimed at halting deforestation, illegal wood products

Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) today announced strong support for the ‘Trade Enforcement Priorities Act of 2009’ (S. 1982) introduced by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would breakdown foreign barriers for exports to help create American jobs.

Described as strengthening a trade law provision known as ‘Super 301,’ the legislation would require identification of priority trade barriers that hinder job creation and economic growth in the U.S. It would make sure foreign governments are living up to their trade agreements and not placing barriers that inhibit U.S. goods being shipped into their markets.

Gerard said, “The USW enthusiastically supports the efforts of Senators Brown, Stabenow and the other co-sponsors in taking this meaningful step forward to level the playing field for American manufacturers who export goods to foreign markets. After the past eight years of trade enforcement inaction by the U.S. government, it’s high time we reinvigorate the Super 301 as a priority,” he declared. “We seek a more aggressive posture in eliminating foreign trade-distorting practices that undermine our manufacturing jobs ... more

USW Updates U.S. Secretary Of State Clinton On Status Of Drummond Miners In Colombia

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) today sent to Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton further information on the labor dispute in Colombia involving Drummond. In its letter to the Secretary dated September 17, 2009, the USW expressed concern for the fate of miners who went out on strike following a death of a contract employee of the company.

The USW, after conversations with Colombia union leaders, was initially apprehensive that Drummond would fire all of the workers for striking. The company did petition the Tribunal Superior de Valledupar, where a ruling was issued declaring the strike “illegal” and once confirmed by the Colombia Supreme Court, would permit Drummond the opportunity to dismiss all the workers. The company has since declared that it does not intend to fire all its workers, but it has dismissed five union workers and suspended four others ... more

October 30: A Day to Remember Nuclear Weapons Workers

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Today, we honor the work of over a half-million men and women who served our country during the second half of the twentieth century by producing nuclear weapons, the most dangerous weapons known to mankind.

These workers and scientists developed and crafted our bombs for five decades, from 1943 to 1989. They performed this work for many years, despite the known and unknown risks to their own health and safety.

They are our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers and our fellow Americans. They lived and toiled in places like Rocky Flats, Colorado; Paducah, Kentucky; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Portsmouth and Miamisburg Ohio; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Hanford, Washington; and elsewhere. Many thousands were USW members (or PACE or OCAW before that) and many are still working and are members of our and other unions. They are people who many of us have never met, or even heard of, though they were and continue to be quiet heroes.
Many of these nuclear weapons workers are no longer with us, having succumbed to illnesses caused by the radiation and toxic agents with which they worked. Others are alive but ill. Many more are sick with cancer, lung disease or other ailments. Many can no longer walk across the room without becoming short of breath or cannot hear the voices of their grandchildren due to occupational hearing loss.

Just as they protected us during World War II and the Cold War, we must vow to protect them, to preserve their health and well-being and to achieve justice for their sacrifice. Today, we recognize their hardships, their worries and their suffering, just as we remember and honor their hard work, selflessness and patriotism.

We praise our government for acting to aid these workers even as we raise our voices to seek greater assistance. And tomorrow, let us continue to remember them and continue our commitment to justice and dignity on their behalf.

Leo W. Gerard
International President

For a brief history and list of events, click here.

The Geography of a Recession

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

While many working men and women are feeling the effects of the recession now, the fact is that this economic upheaval began long before the present Administration took office. The link below shows a timeline of changes in unemployment across the country. For the first 24 months, prior to the onset of this recession, nothing was done by the Bush Administration to stem the rise in unemployment.

Click here to view "The Geography of a Recession."

Steelworkers Form Collaboration with MONDRAGON, the World's Largest Worker-Owned Cooperative

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) and MONDRAGON Internacional, S.A. today announced a framework agreement for collaboration in establishing MONDRAGON cooperatives in the manufacturing sector within the United States and Canada. The USW and MONDRAGON will work to establish manufacturing cooperatives that adapt collective bargaining principles to the MONDRAGON worker ownership model of “one worker, one vote.”

“We see today’s agreement as a historic first step towards making union co-ops a viable business model that can create good jobs, empower workers, and support communities in the United States and Canada,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “Too often we have seen Wall Street hollow out companies by draining their cash and assets and hollowing out communities by shedding jobs and shuttering plants. We need a new business model that invests in workers and invests in communities ... more

New Photos: Striking Vale Inco Miners Descend on Wall Street

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Striking Northern Ontario miners and their supporters this week demonstrated on Wall Street in New York, Bay Street in Canada, in Brazil and in London against Vale Inco.

“Vale has been trying to avoid our shining a light on their managerial record,” said USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann. “Now it appears to be trying to hide from hard questions that might be raised by investors and the media.”

Strikers held a breakfast demonstration at a Vale Inco picket line in Sudbury, striking Steelworkers from Sudbury and Port Colborne were busy hand-billing and meeting investors outside the New York Stock Exchange, while other Steelworkers were joined by their Brazilian allies for a protest at Vale headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

A similar demonstration is scheduled for London, when updates on contract negotiations in Canada and Brazil will be provided.

“We want to make it perfectly clear to Vale that we’re not going away, no matter where they run,” said Joe Guido, a USW Local 6500 member from Sudbury.

Some 3,500 Steelworkers from Sudbury, Port Colborne and Voisey’s Bay, N.L., have been on strike since July 13, 2009. The USW wants the company to return to the bargaining table in Canada and calls on its top management to rekindle negotiations.

Click here for more. Check out this photo slide show:

Tell Congress to say no to taxing health insurance benefits

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) analyzed the impact of the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed 40 percent excise tax on high-cost health care benefits on families and individuals.

The analysis, requested by Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut, confirms that costs are expected to be passed along to consumers through higher health coverage cost. These plans are often referred to as "Cadillac" plans in the media.

This tax would hurt many working families and retirees, including some membes of the USW. Please write or call your member of Congress and ask them to reject taxing health insurance benefits and to sign on to a letter penned by Rep. Courtney that is co-signed by some 182 fellow members of Congress. Visit our Health Insurance Reform Tool Kit for more information and letter writing tips.

The review of the excise tax proposal by the JCT shows:

The total number of individual and family plans impacted by the excise tax grows from 19% to 30% and 14% and 31% respectively between 2013 and 2019 -- many of them USW members and retirees.
The total number of family plans affected by the excise tax grows from 12.7 million to 31 million between 2013 and 2019.
The average tax increase for all households grows from $918 to $1,318 between 2013 and 2019.
For the middleclass income brackets, the number of households hit by the tax doubles, and in some income brackets nearly triples, by 2019.

Click here for the entire JCT analysis.

Again, please call and/or e-mail your members of Congress and ask them to sign on to Rep. Joe Courtney's letter opposing the proposed excise tax. If your member already has signed, thank them.

Click here for help finding your members of Congress. Here are some members who haven't signed who need to hear from you:

Rep. Brian Baird
Rep. Howard Berman
Rep. Marion Berry
Rep. Bobby Bright
Rep. G.K. Butterfield
Rep. Christopher P. Carney
Rep. Kathy Castor
Rep. Jim Costa
Rep. Susan Davis
Rep. Diana DeGette
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Rep. Charles Gonzalez
Rep. Alan Grayson
Rep. Jane Harman
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa
Rep. Jay Inslee
Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas
Rep. Edward Markey
Rep. Jerry McNerney
Rep. Rick Larsen
Rep. Jim Moran
Rep. Richard Neal
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.
Rep. Tom Price
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger
Rep. Ike Skelton
Rep. Vic Snyder
Rep. Niki Tsongas
Rep. Melvin Watt

USW and Philips Remember Texas Chemical Explosion & Fire 20 Years Later

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) and Chevron Philips Petroleum conducted a remembrance today of a horrific explosion and fire started at the Phillips petroleum refinery in Pasadena, Texas on this day in 1989, which took some ten hours to bring under control. There were 23 fatalities and 314 injures. Facility damages resulted in over $700 million as a result of a release of highly flammable polyethylene during a maintenance process.

“There are many for whom that day will live forever, vivid in their nightmares and waking hours,” said USW International vice president Gary Beevers. “Many were affected as they lost a family member or friend that day, while many others who work at other petrochemical facilities thought: ‘That could have been us.’”

Unfortunately, 20 years later, it is sad to note some other similar accidents in the petrochemical industry. Phillips had fatal accidents in 1999 and 2000 in the K-Resin section of the facility. In 1997 and again in 1999 the Tosco Avon refinery in California experienced fatal accidents. At Arco in Channelview, Texas in 1990, 17 workers were killed in an accident and in 1998; six workers were killed in an explosion and fire at the Equilon refinery in Anacortes, Washington. More recently the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas had a release and fire where 23 workers lost their lives in 2005 ... more

USW answers common member questions about health insurance reform

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The USW has just completed a series of conference calls with members, retirees and local union leaders about the important issue of health insurance reform. The calls resulted in many important questions and we tried our best to provide answers.

Click here to download a document summarizing those questions and answers and please pass it on. Visit our Health Insurance Reform Tool Kit for more information, including how you can get involved.

Preliminary Hearing Held by Trade Commission on Coated Paper Case

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Big stake for workers as U.S. investigation begins against China, Indonesia

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) began their investigation of the trade case filings by the United Steelworkers (USW) and three domestic companies against coated paper imports from China and Indonesia at a preliminary hearing yesterday.

“We have seen thousands of job losses by multiple plant shutdowns in coated paper manufacturing caused by imports since the period examined in the last petition to enforce fair trade rules against the flood of subsidized imports from Asia,” said Leo W. Gerard, USW international president.

“Imports jumped by 40 percent this year, forcing a mill closure in Michigan on top of previous layoffs at idled plants and paper machines in Maine, Wisconsin and other states. Sadly, our case is made stronger by these mounting job cuts. If the rule of law between nations mean something, predatory trade practices that steal jobs must be penalized with the power of government enforcement ... more

USW Blasts Seizure of Mexico's Electricity Plants by Federal Police as Another Attack on Labor Rights

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) today sharply criticized the actions of the government of President Felipe Calderon for his announcing the liquidation of the Central Light and Power Company of Mexico (LyF) and the termination of the workers following the seizure of plants by the Mexican Federal Police. By terminating the workers, the government seeks to eliminate the Mexican Electrical Workers Union (SME), a frequent critic of Calderon's government policies.

SME has criticized the government's plan to privatize the electrical industry. It appears that by seizing LyF, which provides electricity to Mexico City and several states in central Mexico, the government is planning to merge its facilities with the Federal Electrical Commission and sell the facilities to a private corporation ... more

USW Mourns Loss of Brother from Arizona

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers is mourning the loss of another brother, Robert Stewart of Kearny, Arizona.

Brother Stewart died Sept. 27 when the haulage truck he was driving for the Ray Mine owned by Asarco overturned. It was just two weeks shy of his 29th birthday.

Stewart was a member of USW Local 5252. He was known as Arizona's No. 1 Steelers fan and was buried in a casket adorned with his favorite team's logo.

Stewart leaves behind his fiancée, Cayci Ozaeta, and two children - Anakah and Jayden. He also is survived by his mother, Kim, Step-Father Salvador Hernandez, sisters Michelle, Amanda and Sabrina, grandfather Cecil Sellick, Uncle Kenny Sellick, and six nieces and nephews.

The accident is being investigated.

USW Affirms Report on China Glass Industry Subsidization as Job Threat

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) applauded the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) for a report just released on the significant job losses of U.S. glass workers and the massive increase of Chinese government subsidies that have exacerbated a damaging flood of imports to the industry.

USW President Leo W. Gerard said the report “provides compelling evidence that our government must step to the plate at the upcoming commerce talks with China later this month to urge a response that reduces the effect of subsidization on American jobs in the glass industry.” He adds, “Rising joblessness makes it critical that our government enforce fair trade laws to help reverse this trend.”

Top U.S. government officials will be meeting in Hangzhou, China with their Chinese counterparts of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) starting Oct. 29. Cick here for more.

USW lauds legislation that would create jobs; invest in workers; rebalance trade

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) today lauded new legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) that would support our nation’s workforce and strengthen the competitiveness of American industries globally, while enhancing the administration’s ability to reduce foreign trade barriers. The Reciprocal Market Access Act, which looks to reform the process by which goods are exchanged between the U.S. and other countries, is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D-NC).

“We need to take action now to rebuild our economy by ensuring that American manufacturing can succeed globally,” said USW International President, Leo W. Gerard. “More than ever, it is critical that our trade negotiators enforce rules to ensure our industries can compete fairly and that we address our ballooning trade-deficit.” Click here for more.

USW to host conference call for members on health insurance reform

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

USW International President Leo W. Gerard will speak with members next week about health insurance reform in a series of conference calls on Wednesday, Oct. 14, Thursday, Oct. 15 and Monday, Oct. 19.

The calls are set for Wednesday at 7 p.m., Thursday at 2 p.m. and Monday at 10 a.m.

Health care reform is one of the civil rights issues of our time. If done right, it’s a chance for us to build bargaining power and take care of our retirees.

But it’s a complex issue. And we want to make sure you hear directly from us about where we stand and how important it is for your voices to be heard in the debate.

Please join us on this special call. The number of slots are limited so please click here to send an e-mail and someone will get back to you with more information - please include your name and phone number. Or call 412-562-2588 to sign up.

For USW members, health care fight is personal

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Editor's Note: Please scroll down to download and print leaflets available after each personal story.

We asked our union brothers and sisters to share with us their personal stories and photos to help explain why our fight for health care for all is so important. The responses have been coming in - and some of them are heartbreaking. All of them make it clear that the time for health insurance reform is now, whether we have insurance or not.

Click here to visit our USW Health Care Tool Kit. And if you haven't yet, send us your story and photo by clicking here.

Here are a few examples of the stories we've gotten so far:

USW Local 1899 member Kathleen "Kitty" Loepker has been tirelessly fighting for universal health care since 1995, working with the Granite City, Ill., local's Rapid Response program. In 2004, the fight became personal when her brother, Dale, died from a treatable illness. He was 40 years old and did not have health insurance. Click here for more of Loepker's story. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

About a year ago, Nicole Snapp, a USW Local 9349 member in Chisholm, Minnesota, suffered a devastating miscarriage. Because she is a part-time employee at Range Center Inc., she does not have health insurance and is still paying for the emergency room care she received. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

USW Associate Member Debbie Mefferd of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is a self-employed 60-year-old with a pre-existing medical condition. For her, like millions of other small-business owners and those with pre-existing conditions, health insurance is unaffordable. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

Retired Steelworker Gary Gaines in Granite City, Ill., submitted a family photo showing his kids and grankids. "This picture explains why I am for a single-payer or public option national health care plan," he wrote. He went on to explain that none of his children or grandchildren have health insurance. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing his story.

USW Local 338 member Jane Perkins in Spokane, Washington, supports health insurance reform because she knows it will help lower the emergency room costs that currently burden every working American family with about $1,100 a year. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

Retired Steelworker Barbara Gunther of New York has been through a lot over the past year: an ovarian cancer diagnosis, brutal chemotherapy, heart problems, hospital and rehab stays and a change in doctors. Because of Medicare and her union-negotiated retiree health care, paying medical bills has not been on her list of worries, and she believes every American should be so lucky. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

Margaret Carlson was born in England and had great experiences with that country's nationalized health care system. Now a U.S. citizen and proud USW Associate Member from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Carlson wants to put some myths about England's system to rest as America fights for health insurance reform. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing her story.

Good, employer-provided benefits don't necessarily mean you or your family won't fall victim to the profit-over-people mentality of big insurers. USW staffer Dave Wolfe says what happened to him and his family is proof that health insurance reform will help everyone, even Americans with benefits. Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing his story.

Last December, Jeremy Woodward's third son, Mitchel, was born 15 weeks premature. The USW Local 1237 president from Newark, Ohio, writes that his son spent the first half of his life in a hospital. "Needless to say he is what we call our million-dollar baby. I just couldn't imagine what all we would have to go through if health care costs would increase.” Click here to download a worksite flier showcasing his story.

Health care in the United States should be affordable and accessible to all, says USW Associate Member Ed Grastorf from Pacific Palisades, California. "It is time for a health care system that centers on the patient, and not on the monopoly profits of predatory private insurance companies.” Click here to download a worksite flier featuring his story.

Unite member Lee Jeavons wrote all the way from the United Kingdom to show solidarity with USW members in the health care fight. He talked about a heart attack he suffered last year at age 39 and the great care he got from the UK’s National Health Service, a government-sponsored health system.

“All I then had to do was concentrate on my recovery, not worry about how I would pay the bills - after all, it's already paid for! I am now back at work, economically active and able to support my family. Moreover, I am paying taxes, rather than being stranded at home drawing on welfare. So it's good for the country, too,” he wrote. Click here to download a worksite flier featuring his story.

NEW AUDIO: USW works for safety at refinery startup

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Workers Independent News brings us a report on safety efforts at a Citgo refinery plant in Texas. Click here to listen.

The United Steelworkers union is trying to make sure that when a Citgo refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, restarts this month, it’s a safe startup. The refinery was shut down after an explosion that critically injured a worker.

John Warner, President of USW Local 13-1647, says Citgo wanted to rush the startup before workers were comfortable with the safety precautions.

"I want to make sure that my people are confident enough to walk in that unit, push the button and come up and feel safe. I want them to have that confidence,” Warner said.

Warner says hydrogen fluoride or HFS is used at this refinery – a dangerous chemical the USW would like to see phased out in favor of better, safer solid catalyst technology.

National Call-In Day for Health Care TODAY - Click here to call Congress now!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Today is a National Call-In Day for health care. Union members are asked to call their members of Congress and ask them to support health insurance reform that is good for working families. Enter your info in the tool below to automatically get connected to your lawmakers.

We need to do this to combat the big insurance companies that are trying to derail real reform and continue putting profits over people. Click here for more information on the National Call-In Day. And click here to visit our Health Care Tool Kit for valuable resources.

When you call your member of Congress, ask him or her that we need health insurance reform now that:

Controls costs and doesn't tax our benefits.
Provides guaranteed coverage for all Americans.
Includes a public health insurance plan option
Holds insurance companies accountable.
Requires all employers to pay their fair share.
Provides help for VEBAs and empoyers who offer pre-Medicare coverage for early retirees.

Click here to download a flier outlining where our union stands on health insurance reform.

Honduran Doctor Returns to Homeland

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Fight for freedom brings arrest peril

Providing free medical care for thousands in his poverty-ridden homeland was one huge undertaking.

But returning home to fight for freedom -- and face arrest or worse -- represents the latest challenge from which Dr. Luther Castillo says he will not wilt.

In 2005, the Honduran doctor established a free hospital in a poor, rural region of his Central American homeland, with the help of Pittsburgh-based Global Links, which provides medical equipment and supplies to poor nations.

The past two weeks, he made his rounds through the city and Washington, D.C., to gather political support against the military coup d'etat that took control of Honduras on June 28.

Despite threats of arrest, Dr. Castillo said he would return home last week and remain in hiding while providing free medical care in Iriona and Ciriboya in the northeastern coastal area of Honduras.

The First Garifuna Hospital, which he founded, has provided free medical treatment to 276,000 people in the region. But the de facto government led by President Roberto Micheletti now threatens to shut down the hospital.

The United Nations and the United States have condemned the coup and its human rights violations, military killings, illegal curfews and rape of women. The coup forced elected President Manuel Zelaya to flee the country, although he, too, reportedly returned and sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Little concrete international reaction against the coup has occurred.

Early this year, Mr. Zelaya had named Dr. Castillo as medical chief for the region served by his hospital and provided the hospital $3,600 a month to feed its 17 volunteer doctors. His association with Mr. Zelaya put Dr. Castillo at odds with the coup government.

"They now want to capture us," Dr. Castillo said, noting plans to return to Honduras. "We have to leave a new country for our grandchildren and our children -- a new country of peace -- a new country where rich people see the poor as having equal rights. That's the opportunity history has given us to do now."

Daniel Kovalik, a Pittsburgh labor and human-rights lawyer, serves on the board of Global Links, the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization that collects surplus supplies and equipment from local hospitals for shipment to needy countries in the Americas under the motto, "Sharing surplus. Saving lives."

Mr. Kovalik was a member of a seven-person delegation that traveled to Honduras in July to gauge the coup's impact. In a July editorial published in the Post-Gazette, Mr. Kovalik described Dr. Castillo as "an altruistic doctor" who runs the free clinic that Global Links helped to furnish and supply.

During his recent trip to Pittsburgh, Dr. Castillo received AFL-CIO support against the coup during the union's convention here. The doctor also met with Global Links and local doctors to seek additional support for his clinic and encourage opposition to the coup.

"Like many others who have decried injustice in Honduras, Dr. Castillo is now on a long list of people for whom the new regime has issued arrest warrants, and he has gone into hiding," Mr. Kovalik wrote. "Even so, Dr. Castillo continues to minister to the sick and to those injured by military assaults."

Donations can be made to Global Links' "Honduran Emergency Aid" fund at www.globallinks.org.

The First Garifuna Hospital in northern Honduras that Dr. Castillo founded in 2005 opened its doors in 2007 and represents one of Global Links' many successes.

Iriona, home of the hospital, represents one of the poorest municipalities in Honduras. "We don't even have electricity," Dr. Castillo said. "The machines in the hospital work on solar power. We get furniture from Global Links."

Besides providing medical care to 30,000 people in Iriona, the hospital also serves 70,000 from surrounding areas. Many of the patients are Garifuna -- the indigenous people of the region.

Since the coup, Dr. Castillo said, his doctors and nurses have faced problems maintaining certifications to practice medicine. The new government also discontinued the monthly food fund for doctors, who have had to discontinue trips throughout the region to care for patients unable to travel to the hospital.

"This is the first time in history people in this area have had access to health care," Dr. Castillo said. "But [the new government] is destroying what we'd been doing,"

Medical officials from other nations have visited his hospital for pointers on providing free health care in poor regions: "Now we are surviving on what we can get," he said. "We are struggling."

Dr. Castillo serves as secretary of communications for the national committee against the coup attempt, a group that includes union members, teachers, ethnic groups and indigenous people. That role places him in further jeopardy with the de facto government.

"I know that I will be in trouble when I return," he said.

While the Obama administration condemned the coup, it also has sent mixed messages by continuing foreign aid and maintaining troop levels in Honduras, Mr. Kovalik and Dr. Castillo agree. There also were suggestions that Mr. Zelaya's return to the country "would be irresponsible" before the political turmoil is resolved.

But Mr. Zelaya's return "is the only way that peace can come back," Dr. Castillo said. "We need to return to the constitution, then see gains from that process."

Mr. Kovalik said the coup government has killed about six people and beat or assaulted thousands of protesters. More than 1,000 have been illegally detained, with the shutdown of media outlets and the arrest or detention of journalists. One journalist was killed.

Once back in Honduras, Dr. Castillo said, he will not remain in the same place two nights in a row. But he said he's willing to put his life on the line to restore freedom and democracy to his homeland.

"I have a responsibility to the people to return," he said. "I'm in danger, but I will have protection. I want to let the government know that I am ready to fight for freedom."

David Templeton can be reached at dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578

Posted on Monday, October 05, 2009
By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09278/1003098-53.stm#ixzz0T5iB28LV

Unions Say Chemical Safety Board is Broken, Putting Workers and Communities at Risk

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Unions recommend Obama Administration fill vacant and soon-to-be vacant Board seats

Several International Unions representing hundreds of thousands of chemical workers again criticize the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), today for their report on the October 11, 2008, oleum release at INDSPEC Chemical Corporation in Petrolia, PA. The unions reacted to the CSB’s new report on a release of oleum, an acid used in various industries, from a manufacturing facility represented by USW Local Union 6346-25. The Local Union was excluded from the beginning in all aspects of the investigation by the company proclaiming the investigation to be privileged.

“The CSB report process is broken,” said Mike Wright, USW Health Safety and Environment Director. “This report lacks the quality of analysis of past reports. A major release of oleum, a widely used and highly hazardous material that endangers both workers and the public, should trigger a comprehensive investigation and formal recommendations, rather than just lessons learned. CSB recommendations are key to long term and sound improvement of workplace and community health and safety ... more

USW Members at Bridgestone-Firestone Ratify New Four-Year Contracts

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The United Steelworkers (USW) announced today that its members at Bridgestone-Firestone ratified by more than a 2:1 ratio new four-year contracts covering 4,500 workers at five tire and rubber product plants. The expiration date is July 27, 2013.

A master agreement covers plants in Akron, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Russellville, Ark; and, LaVergne, Tenn. A separate agreement was ratified at Warren County, Tenn ... more