USW Retirees Won’t Be Frightened by ArcelorMittal’s Open Enrollment Letter

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Click here to download a PDF of this flyer to distribute at your facility.

Last week, while our families were celebrating Thanksgiving, ArcelorMittal management sent a deliberately ambiguous, confusing and unsigned letter to retirees – announcing an open enrollment period for 2016 benefits and hinting that the company may increase retiree premium contributions early next year.

Based on a careful review by the USW Legal Department, we have informed the company that it cannot change retiree benefits or increase premiums without mutual agreement from our union.

It is important to remember that many of the protections and provisions of our contracts were negotiated specifically to prevent employers from unilaterally changing them like ArcelorMittal seems to be threatening to do.

Management has pushed for significant concessions from active and retired workers throughout this process. Current and future retiree health insurance coverage has been and will continue to be an issue during our ongoing negotiations with ArcelorMittal. The company’s proposals would reduce insurance coverage and increase premiums for USW members and retirees.

We are not interested in accepting concessions that would lower our standard of living, especially considering that our own health care proposals would save the company millions without disrupting the lives of active or retired Steelworkers and our families.

To address a final point in the company’s letter to retirees, our union cannot foresee any reason why an individual would want to “temporarily cancel” their company-sponsored health insurance.

We urge any retirees with questions or concerns about this and other issues discussed in the letter to contact ArcelorMittal USA Employee Benefits at (219) 399-5411, (219) 399-6694 or (219) 787-2814.

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Communications Department
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