'Angry' Steelworkers Are Ready to Strike

Workers for US Steel say they're ready to walk off the job
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 9, 2018 11:15 AM CDT
'Angry' Steelworkers Are Ready to Strike
Steel workers cheer for President Trump at Granite City Works on Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Granite City, Ill.   (J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

US Steel workers are fired up and ready to strike if a new contract isn't reached soon, the Times of Northwest Indiana reports. Workers for the Pittsburgh-based company voted nationwide this week to approve a strike if talks involving health care costs, retiree benefits, and wage increases don't work out—at a time when their employer is apparently rolling in money. "Angry USW members conducted strike authorization meetings at each US Steel local over the past week," the United Steelworkers said in a statement to workers, adding that there was "an overwhelming 'yes' vote in every local. Many locals reported that their results were unanimous." A three-year US Steel contract for roughly 16,000 USW workers ran out Saturday.

Don Furko, president of USW Local 1557 in Clairton, Pa., says workers are pushing back at a time when President Trump's policies are benefitting US Steel: "Between the tariffs and the tax break for corporations, they stand to make $2 billion this year," he tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. US Steel says it's offering workers profit-sharing of at least $6,000, a signing bonus of $4,000, wage increases starting at 4%, a 15-cent hourly increase to 401(k) retirement plans, and a one-time $5,000 health-care bonus. But Farko says workers still have too many out-of-pocket health care costs for family coverage. The pro-strike vote surprised steel-industry sources, says the Post-Gazette. There hasn't been a US Steel work stoppage since the company locked out workers for six months in 1986. (More US Steel stories.)

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