USW Remains Committed to Bargaining a Fair Contract
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We know many of our brothers and sisters who work at Cliffs Natural Resources are frustrated with the slow pace of our negotiations. We understand and share your frustration. We also know that this slow pace and frustration have led to uneasiness and uncertainty in our workplaces and our communities.
While we can’t predict the future, we can tell you that we remain as committed as ever to keeping everyone informed as this process unfolds. We are also determined to do what it takes to win a fair contract. Although our committee is on a brief break from the bargaining table, please continue to keep in touch with your local officers and CAT coordinators.
As you know, the steel industry is in the midst of a crisis. Our brothers and sisters at U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal have seen layoffs or threats of layoffs at a number of facilities, and our brothers and sisters at ATI are entering their third month locked out of their jobs.
Like Cliffs Natural Resources, these employers also are attempting to use this temporary crisis as an excuse to gut contracts and force us to accept deep cuts. Like Cliffs, these companies are proposing major increases in health care costs and significant changes to contract language, concessions that would turn back the clock on decades of work at the bargaining table.
We must remember that we did not create this crisis, and gutting our contracts will not solve it. This crisis is largely the result of unfair trading practices by foreign nations, most notably China. Unfortunately, rather than addressing that issue, Congress wants to give us more of the same in the form of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). You can find out more about the TPP by visiting www.usw.org/blog. Soon, we will be asking all USW members to contact their senators and representatives to demand trade policies that benefit American workers. Stay tuned for more information from your Rapid Response coordinators about that effort.
As always, work safely and stay strong. Our unity and solidarity have made a huge difference so far, and we are counting on all of you to stand together through this process.
