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ATI “Hell Bent” on Relentless Mismanagement
Over the last couple of weeks, ATI management has been telling the USW that they were no longer insisting upon employee health care premiums.
Today, management showed up at bargaining and said that their idea of a fully-insured plan was more expensive than the current self-insured plan, something we told them previously would occur.
As an option, management suggested a “discussion document,” only related to health care that described a cost containment scheme that included an annual “cap” on health care. The offer included a proposal tied to the union’s offer to establish a joint health care committee to contain costs.
The USW has engaged ATI during many hours of bargaining to offer health care cost containment mechanisms and other approaches to settle the dispute.
We were willing to explore the idea and accepted the premise of annual caps. Our USW committee then proposed to define the measurements and criteria and made an offer to move the discussion forward.
When ATI reviewed our counter, they realized we exposed the “tricks and traps” of their proposal, which would have allowed them to be able to unilaterally modify our health care plan design and/or implement health care premiums even higher than previously proposed.
Despite our committee’s efforts to help control health care costs, they have now rejected our proposal claiming -- without logical explanation -- that our proposal did nothing to help control costs, even though it was based on the caps they proposed.
ATI’s position continues to be “their way or no way” – and that is not collective bargaining! Their deceitful and dishonest actions exhibit their weakness and betray their lack of good faith.
Besides the health care issues, we remain apart over issues that include wages, profit sharing, transfer rights, VEBA, O&T issues and shutdown provisions.
Remember, this company can afford the fair contract we deserve, and their relentless mismanagement continues to prolong this unfair labor practice strike at a time when every other steel producer is taking advantage of the best market and highest pricing in decades.
Stay strong! Stay united! Our solidarity and determination will prevail!
Your USW/ATI Negotiating Committee
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