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USW, ArcelorMittal Reach Global Agreement on Health and Safety Issues
06/04/2008 - The USW reaches a groundbreaking agreement with ArcelorMittal that will help to improve safety and health standards throughout the company.
The United Steelworkers (USW) announced that it has reached a groundbreaking agreement with ArcelorMittal to improve health and safety standards throughout the company. The global agreement covers ArcelorMittal workers represented by unions throughout the world.
“This agreement is an obvious signal to companies everywhere that unions are vital to safe and healthy workplaces,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “It is the most important issue for our members, and we are pleased to be able to come to this agreement with the world's number-one steel company.”
In addition to recognizing the vital role played by unions in improving health and safety conditions, the new, groundbreaking agreement establishes universal minimum standards at every site the company operates. The agreement implements many safety-improvement measures, such as plant-specific joint management-union health and safety committees, and training and education programs that address current health and safety issues in North America and elsewhere in the company.
“This agreement will build on the work that we have already undertaken in the company,” said ArcelorMittal President and CEO Lakshmi Mittal. “Health and safety is our number-one priority, and in signing this agreement we hope to set a new benchmark for the industry.”
The new agreement also provides for the creation of a joint management-union, global health and safety committee that will target plants in the group in order to work to dramatically improve their performance.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America. Approximately 20% of them work in the steel industry.
