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USW Offers Fair Compromise to End Labor Dispute
Bargaining Report
With the support of the local union presidents and our bargaining committee, the USW met today and presented a new comprehensive proposal to ATI. Our good faith proposal to end the unfair labor practice strike enhances the security of our jobs and increases wages without imposing expensive premiums or establishing a lower, two-tier health care proposal for new employees. We also provided the solutions to other issues, including a simple and easy-to-confirm profit sharing plan, VEBA funding (retiree health care), office and technical issues and shutdown benefits for impacted facilities (#3 Finishing in Brackenridge, Waterbury and Louisville).
After we made the proposal to management, they asked for a caucus and said they would get back to us. We waited several hours and then got a call indicating they were considering the offer and would respond later today. We’ll send an update with the response.
We are making every good faith attempt to resolve the dispute, but a management that has a goal of weakening the collective bargaining process and treating workers now and into the future like collective “beggars” is unacceptable and unlawful.
Management tries to justify its actions with excuse after excuse and has now indicated on its website that the company’s “future is bright” and that profit sharing for the first quarter of this year was the result of “poor quality profits.” What are “poor quality profits?” It must be a new term invented by management to refuse to reward workers who have dedicated their working lives to ATI.
Then on the website they proclaim their contract offer is “very generous and fair.” Yet in every one of their current and past contract proposals ATI states:
“The wage increases and lump sum payments proposed below are based upon savings generated from other proposals contained herein and are not available independent of those proposals.”
What is their intent in making the above condition in their offer? It means that after union members have gone without a wage increase since 2014, ATI will not make a proposal for any economic gain over the next four years unless the union members give up and make concessions in other areas of the contract. They offer lump sum payments-- and take away profit sharing. They offer wage increases-- and take it away in health care premiums.
That’s how ATI describes “very generous and fair.” We disagree!
Management has also falsely proclaimed that the union told management we did not value profit sharing – what the union actually told them was we did not agree with our inability to verify their profit-sharing calculations due to their restructuring of their business segments.
They refused to allow the union to audit the numbers, and they wanted us to accept the findings of their accountants, which was unacceptable. When we kept pressing to see the numbers, they finally agreed there were mistakes and “promised” it would not happen again. We’ve been targets of their broken promises in the past, and that’s why we have proposed a new profit sharing formula.
The company’s response proved once again that management’s demand for premiums has nothing to do with the actual cost of quality health insurance but instead represents ATI’s short-sighted desire to have union members pay a higher and higher portion of health care. Premium-free health care is part of our compensation. We already have an 90/10 plan with higher deductibles, higher co-pays for overall health care and prescription drugs.
Legal Update
The National Labor Relations Board is processing the unfair labor practice charges the USW has filed so far, and all of our witnesses have provided statements (“affidavits”) for the investigation to proceed.
Attorneys from both the USW and outside counsel are pursuing unemployment compensation on behalf of workers in each of the states.
COBRA Update
The American Rescue Plan Act requires the company to prepay for each month of coverage before the government will reimburse it. The USW was notified that ATI has sent COBRA notices to ATI members on strike. These notices outline COBRA premiums. If you don’t have other immediate coverage available, you do not have to pay any premiums for COBRA coverage. You should soon receive information about the 100% subsidy for COBRA under the American Rescue Plan Act. You should go ahead and elect COBRA for yourself and your dependents. Do not send in any premium payments.
We will keep them informed and provide as much information as we can for the duration of the dispute.
Stay strong! Stay united! Our solidarity and determination will prevail!
In unity,
Your USW/ATI Negotiating Committee
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