Negotiations with ATI Continue; Company’s Proposals Show Some Movement but Still Fall Far Short
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Talks with ATI have continued throughout the week and are ongoing. USW leadership remains in regular contact with ATI management and continues to exchange proposals and review information the company is providing the union on its proposals.
Over the past several weeks ATI has made several modifications to its August 6 “last, best and final” offer including changes to its healthcare proposal, the retirement plan for new employees and profit sharing. Unfortunately, management continues to demand deep and unnecessary concessions to healthcare, work schedules and other issues. Also under discussion is contracting out and VEBA funding.
Fixing the Problems Caused by ATI’s Reckless Attack
In addition to working through the outstanding contractual issues, the parties also need to address several of the problems caused by ATI’s reckless attack on our union. We are discussing the company’s decision to idle Midland and Bagdad and its impact on members at both locations along with pensions, service credit and seniority for the duration of the lockout.
Labor Board Charges Moving Forward
The USW has filed numerous charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the company violated federal law throughout the bargaining process and during the lockout. In December, the NLRB notified the parties that it intends to issue a complaint on those charges and declare the lockout illegal.
Because ATI violated the law at so many different facilities in so many different parts of the country, charges were filed in several different NLRB regions. It is our understanding that the board is currently consolidating many of the charges into a single complaint in NLRB Region 6 in Pittsburgh, PA. The union is continuing to aggressively pursue the NLRB charges and hold the company accountable for its unlawful behavior.
For more information on the NLRB process you check out the “NLRB Process Flow Chart” on the NLRB’s website: https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process.
Together We Will Win a Fair Contract
As this lockout continues we know that it is taking a toll on all 2,200 locked-out Steelworker families. ATI believes that by continuing to drag out this process it can break our resolve and starve us into agreeing to its deep and unnecessary cuts. All 2,200 of us have stood strong for five and a half months and together we’ll last one day longer than ATI and win a fair contract.