]> http://www.laborradio.org/taxonomy/term/79/0 United Steelworkers of America and PACE en http://www.laborradio.org/node/9629 <p>The United Steelworkers gave GOP Vice-Presidential candidate a reception she deserved at a Republican fundraiser in Pittsburgh. Jesse Russell has the story.</p> <p>[Street Noise]</p> <p>The United Steelworkers joined with several other unions to drive home the message that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin doesn’t represent union workers even if her husband is a card carrying union member. The VP pick has used her husband’s Steelworker membership to try and win over blue collar workers that may traditionally be less inclined to vote for a Republican. Palin was in Pittsburgh on Friday for a $1000 per plate fundraiser and the Steelworkers said they led the march from their headquarters to the Westin Convention Center so she could meet the union that represents her husband;</p> USW and PACE Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:01:13 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/9166 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>Thanks to a successor clause negotiated by the United Steel Workers there won’t be any job losses or changes in employment terms for workers at Weyerhaeuser. The union managed to protect workers in the sale of Weyerhaeuser to International Paper. The contract, wages, pensions and benefits were all simply transferred to the new owner. Workers also retained their seniority rights.</p> USW and PACE Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:23:12 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/9146 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>United Steel Workers members at Packaging Corporation of America are voting Thursday on acceptance of a new five-year master contract agreement covering 1200 workers. The contract covers mills in Tennessee, Michigan, and Wisconsin. USW President, Leo Gerard says this agreement lays the foundation for economic security for these workers during a time when the paper industry is undergoing massive change from economic globalization. Details aren’t being released until the ratification vote, but the USW says the contract includes wage and benefit increases and groundbreaking job security provisions.</p> USW and PACE Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:02:44 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8554 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>Will a blue tide wash the red away in many states and Congressional districts this fall? United Steelworkers Indiana Rapid Response Coordinator, Brett Voorhies thinks it will. Democrats backed by unions have won three recent special elections in solid “red” Congressional districts – Illinois, Louisiana and in Mississippi. In Indiana, Voorhies says the USW made the difference backing Jill Long Thompson, the first woman to win the Democratic Gubernatorial nomination in Indiana. He believes unions will help turn Indiana blue, regardless of whether the Democratic presidential nominee is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.</p> USW and PACE Wed, 14 May 2008 15:10:26 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8320 <p>Nearly 270 workers at a pipe manufacturing plant in Iowa continue to be locked out of work. On January 28, Griffin Pipe closed the doors on employees and refused to let them in. According to the Daily Nonpareil, nearly 200 workers represented by local Steelworkers Union 3141 have filed for unemployment or are relying on assistance from the union’s strike and defense fund. The lockout began after contract negotiations failed between the company and the union. The company has said production at the plant is down and is seeking to place workers in roles where they are needed most, but the union is concerned that such a concession could impact seniority.</p> USW and PACE Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:45:46 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8268 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The Blue-Green Alliance between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club is working now with Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. The Alliance is working to educate its members about global warming and then activate them around solutions that can promote economic prosperity with green principles. It's an effort to build a strong blue-collar constituency for global warming solutions. Steelworkers President, Leo Gerard says we’re looking towards a very near future when good, high-paying American jobs will be created by the emerging green economy.</p> USW and PACE Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:32:21 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7762 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>When United Steelworkers member, Eric Powell decided to run for Mississippi State Senate, he thought he could keep his main job with Packaging Corporation of America. But after he was sworn in, the company fired him. Without a union, that would have been the end of the story, but USW District 9 Director, Stan Johnson says the union just got State Senator Eric Powell his job back.</p> <p>[Johnson]: "Without representational rights and intervention on behalf of the union, the Senator would have clearly been terminated. That’s what we do, that’s how we do business. And we’re proud of the fact that he was elected to the Mississippi Statehouse as a Senator. We encourage our members to get involved politically and we support our members who do. And we were certainly going to support him and his efforts to do so. We did that in the election and we certainly did so in the resulting termination." </p> USW and PACE Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:24:01 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7471 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The United Steelworkers union says a Texas Supreme Court decision limiting contract workers to worker’s compensation benefits when injured on the job rewards negligent employers. The USW says without the ability to sue companies when negligence causes worker injuries the burden of recovery falls on the injured contract workers. The USW says if this law had been in effect when the 2005 BP explosion happened, BP would have escaped $1.5 billion in liability and the dangerous lack of proper safety procedures at BP would have never come to light.</p> USW and PACE Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:43:31 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7393 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The United Steelworkers union says since 15 workers were killed and 180 injured in the British Petroleum explosion and fire in Texas City, Texas in 2005 the industry response to safety hazards pervasive in U.S. oil refineries has been anemic. USW President, Leo Gerard says a new union survey of safety practices at U.S. refineries shows there’s an alarming potential for future disasters and companies need to work with the union on a comprehensive overhaul of oil refinery safety practices.</p> <p>[Gerard]: “It's a wake-up call to the industry and as the United Steel Workers we're prepared to work hand in hand with them to improve the safety conditions and the standards in every refinery, whether it's represented by us or not."</p> USW and PACE Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:55:42 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7369 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The United Steelworkers has teamed with the Sierra Club and other groups to form a coalition that’s suing the state of California to enforce the state’s protections against cancer-causing chemicals. USW’s Shawn Gilchrest says the coalition also wants Dupont’s Teflon chemical – PFOA – treated as a carcinogen.</p> <p>[Gilchrest]: “The agencies are just not reacting to the hazardous chemicals the way that the law is intended. And so what we really want to do is hold the agencies accountable. We depend on our agencies and on our federal regulators to be watchdogs for us and its a shame when we actually have to take them to court to hold them accountable for doing what they should be doing." </p> USW and PACE Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:38:30 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7315 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>Children's bracelets contaminated with toxic cadmium are the latest in a string of toxic imports, mostly from China. The United Steelworkers is waging a campaign to stop this dangerous flood of imports. For more on the union's efforts to stop toxic imports, go to stoptoxicimports.org</p> USW and PACE Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:22:53 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/7282 <p>The United Steelworkers are encouraging Grupo Mexico to pay attention to a new report for the sake of Mexican mine workers. Jesse Russell reports:</p> <p>A new report highlighting serious health and safety violations at copper mines owned by Grupo Mexico in Sonora, Mexico is being called a wake-up call by the United Steelworkers. The report discovered "failing equipment, high levels of toxic dust and acid mist, and a lack of health and safety programs to educate workers." The USW represents Grupo Mexico workers at mines in Texas and Arizona and they issued the statement in solidarity with the Mexican workers.</p> USW and PACE Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:06:14 -0800 http://www.laborradio.org/node/6989 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The United Steel Workers says almost 9,000 retirees, spouses and surviving spouses will get lump-sum payments of up to $600 this year from a health benefits trust fund. The fund was established for former employees of Kaiser Aluminum when Kaiser went bankrupt. The benefit is about equal to $50 monthly Medicare Part B premiums. The trust fund was set up in 2004 to restore prescription drug coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees. The retirees were represented by the USW, the UAW, United Food and Commercial Workers and the International Association of Machinists.</p> IAM UAW UFCW USW and PACE Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:54:58 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/6739 <p>Three Democratic candidates are now campaigning in Iowa with major labor endorsements. Jesse Russell has a look:</p> <p>Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd was the first to receive a labor nod coming from the International Association of Firefighters. New York Senator Hillary Clinton has recently picked up the endorsements from both the International Association of Machinists and the United Transportation Union. In a unique move the Machinists also endorsed a Republican candidate – former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Huckabee was the only Republican candidate who agreed to speak at the Machinists recent convention. And just in time for Labor Day, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards picked up two major union endorsements – from the United Steelworkers and the United Mineworkers of America. Edwards had already received an endorsement from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.</p> IAFF IAM UMWA USW and PACE Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:09:23 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/6634 <p>On Friday, the United Steelworkers reached a tentative agreement with Delphi. Details on the agreement were not released to the public as members vote on approval. USW represents 900 workers in Ohio. </p> Auto Industry USW and PACE Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:58:11 -0700