Steelworkers Back Agreement with Hamilton Specialty Purchaser
07/18/2007 - Members of the United Steelworkers' Local 4752 vote 93% in favor of an agreement reached last week with Woodside Capital and Pinnacle Steel; pending court approval, the agreement could lead to the reopening of Hamilton Specialty Bar.
Members of the United Steelworkers' (USW) Local 4752 have voted 93% in favor of an agreement reached last week with Woodside Capital and Pinnacle Steel; the agreement could lead to the reopening of Hamilton Specialty Bar pending court approval.
The agreement maintains all benefits, vacations and recall rights, although workers will take a $3.75 decrease in wages for the period leading up to full production. Workers will have the opportunity to bring wages back up by as much as $3.75 through an incentive plan that is based on average hourly tonnage over the last four years.
The new owners have agreed to begin recalling employees based on seniority, with the plant operating three 12-hour shifts employing 120 workers to start over the first seven weeks. The recall will be reviewed by the union after five weeks. Full production could re-employ as many as 250.
In early May, Local 4752’s President and several USW members occupied the plant; the occupation ended when the company agreed to reinstate retirees' benefits, which had been ended in advance of the closure. At that time, the company also agreed to provide active employees with vacation and unpaid wages.
Now, as a result of the agreement with Woodside and Pinnacle, retiree benefits have been fully reinstated, with improvements to life insurance, hearing aid coverage and the elimination of a deductible on prescription drugs for people over 65.
The USW is Canada's most diverse union, representing more than 280,000 men and women working in every sector of the economy.
