USW News Break - Monday, February 21, 2011

Economic/Political Articles
"This is just to Break Unions and Destroy the Middle Class"
Last night, MSNBC "Hardball" Host Chris Mathews talked with United Steelworkers (USW) District 2 Director Mike Bolton and Wisconsin Republican State Senator Glenn Grothman about the anti-union bill being proposed in Wisconsin. Since Monday, union members and supporters have gathered around and in the Wisconsin State Capital building to rally against the attack on state union workers. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has refused to meet with the unions to negotiate contract concessions but has decided to submit a bill that will strip … more

Unions want to hold Mexican government accountable
Local human rights activists and unions will protest against the Mexican government and Mexico's largest mining company Thursday morning for improved mining conditions. This protest against Groupo Mexico, the third largest producer of copper in the world, outside the Mexican consulate in Tucson is part of an international week of action against the company. The worldwide protest will highlight Groupo Mexico's alleged poor safety record. United Steelworkers official Kevin Stephens said Groupo Mexico offers hazardous work … more

John Boehner: I Stand With WI Gov. Scott Walker
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is watching events in Wisconsin, and he's come to this conclusion: the thousands of union workers packing the Capitol are wrong and the governor is right. In a statement to reporters this afternoon, Bohener said that Walker's plan to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin teacher, nurses and other workers is just the kind of thing Boehner's majority is trying to accomplish in Washington. "Republicans in Congress - and reform-minded GOP governors like Scott Walker, John Kasich [OH] … more

Why what happens in Madison, Wisconsin matters to everyone
What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Madison, Wisconsin over the next week could quickly spread to rest of the country.  Madison has become the centerpiece of a larger battle over worker rights, and how to balance the state and federal budgets in America.  Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) has decided that the only way to balance the budget in the state is to strip state employees' union of their most essential collective bargaining rights.  State employees, their families, students, and labor sympathizers across … more

Mine Disaster Anniversary Sparks Calls for End to Mexico's Violent Repression of Labour and Human Rights
Mexican and B.C. labour leaders are speaking out today against the violent repression of labour and human rights in Mexico. Labour and community supporters are gathering in downtown Vancouver, across from the Mexican Consulate, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Pasta de Conchos coal mine disaster that killed 65 miners. The event is part of demonstrations in 30 countries. "It is recognized that Mexico has become a dangerous country for Canadian tourists. It is a brutal country for independent trade unionists," says … more

Steelworker Articles
HBC Employees Join United Steelworkers – District 6
Workers at Hudson's Bay Corporation's warehouse/logistics centre in Brampton have voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW). In a vote Wednesday, administered by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the workers voted by a 55% margin to join the USW. About 200 workers in the HBC warehouse supply products to Zellers, The Bay, Home Outfitters and Fields stores across Canada. "These working women and men made a strong choice in favour of our union and we are honoured by that choice," said Ken Neumann, the USW's … more

Steelworker forges new career with union newsletter – District 7
In the annals of the written word, few can match the improbable journey of Doug May from Granite City steelworker to ink-stained wretch. Moreover, by leveraging the editorship of a trade union newsletter into a full-time writing gig, May has gamed a system that has beaten down many a journalism school graduate over the past 10 years. Don't believe it? Ask a journalism or English major the next time he or she takes your order for super-sized fries. May, for the record, has never studied journalism. Nor, for that matter, has he … more

Wisconsin Gov. Walker Ginned Up Budget Shortfall To Undercut Worker Rights – District 2
Wisconsin's new Republican governor has framed his assault on public worker's collective bargaining rights as a needed measure of fiscal austerity during tough times. The reality is radically different. Unlike true austerity measures -- service rollbacks, furloughs, and other temporary measures that cause pain but save money -- rolling back worker's bargaining rights by itself saves almost nothing on its own. But Walker's doing it anyhow, to knock down a barrier and allow him to cut state employee benefits immediately. Furthermore … more

Planer mill staff receive compensation – District 3
After three years of negotiations, Tembec has finally agreed to pay severance for 16 employees of the Cranbrook planer mill. The United Steelworkers Local 1-405 announced the settlement on Tuesday, Feb. 14. "After many meetings, public protests, making the issue part of forest industry negotiations in the southern interior, and a grievance, the parties finally came to a resolve," said the union branch's financial secretary, Doug Singer. Work ceased at the Cranbrook planer mill in November 2007, sending 16 long-time employees … more