Posted January 10, 200619 yr Steelmaker and union face up to concessions TERRY KINNEY Associated Press MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - Employees at AK Steel's Middletown Works were spared the deep cuts in wages and benefits other steelworkers faced when bankruptcies swept the industry. But a day of reckoning is at hand as the company and the union representing some 2,700 hourly workers negotiate a contract to replace the one that expires next month. Both sides acknowledge the key is in concessions AK won at its Ashland, Ky., Works in September. Company president James Wainscott called that the beginning of a "new era" in AK's labor relations and a pattern for future negotiations. It included a defined pension plan, a consolidation of job classes, elimination of workforce guarantees and increased health care expenses for employees. Read More...
January 10, 200619 yr ^ So I'm surprised to see the new union president advocating the sale of the company.......
February 16, 200619 yr From the 2/16/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: AK Steel workers to vote on strike Workers at AK Steel will vote this weekend on whether to authorize a strike at the steel maker's Middletown plant. Union members will be able to cast their votes on Friday and Saturday. The workers are represented by the Armco Employees Independent Federation. The union has been in negotiations with AK Steel management over a new contract, but the union president said in a broadcast report that the union feels the steel maker hasn't made good-faith efforts to reach an agreement. The contract expires at the end of February. Read More...
February 18, 200619 yr From the 2/17/06 Middletown Journal: MIDDLETOWN: Area community leaders cross fingers AK is OK Tough for neighboring towns to predict effects of strike, lockout Leaders in cities surrounding AK Steel are crossing their fingers that for the sake of many of their residents, business will continue as usual in the mill. “With the possibility of layoffs or a strike we’re concerned about the welfare of our residents and their ability to pay mortgages and the social costs we may see,” said Patrick Titterington, city manager in Trenton. Although he is unsure of the actual number, Titterington said “quite a few” Trenton residents are employed at the steel plant. Read More... From same: MIDDLETOWN: AK-Ashland pact hints at offer for workers here Analyst: Pension, health care costs must be reduced What can those outside negotiations say about the current collective bargaining offer between AK Steel Corp. and its biggest union, Armco Employees Independent Federation? Very little. But statements from both sides since talks started on Nov. 30, 2005, gradually have shed light on that question — and it’s possible to draw some conclusions. For example, Brian Daley, AEIF president, said in early February that AK’s initial offer was “much below” the one accepted by a United Steelworkers of America unit at AK’s Ashland, Ky., plant in September. Read More...
February 18, 200619 yr From the 2/17/06 Middletown Journal: MIDDLETOWN: Chief: 'We are counting on them to do the right thing' Middletown police officials hope that AK Steel and the Armco Employees Independent Federation can reach a deal that would avert a possible strike or lockout. But if 2,700 union workers walk off the job, police say they have a contingency plan to keep everyone safe. “We will preserve the public peace,” Police Chief Mike Bruck said. Bruck said past job actions by AK Steel workers have been orderly and he has no reason to believe that the behavior would be any different if there were a work stoppage. Read More... From same: MIDDLETOWN: Mother urges AK, union to reach deal When asked why she wants the union to settle its contract negotiations with AK Steel Corp., Michelle Carrizales didn’t have to search for an answer. She was sitting on her lap. “We have to give back to the company,” said Carrizales, whose husband, Joseph, is a hot car operator in the coke plant. “Look what they have done for us and all the other families.” Read More...
February 19, 200619 yr All stories from the 2/19/06 Middletown Journal: MIDDLETOWN: AEIF union overwhelmingly backs strike authorization against AK Steel Armco Employees Independent Federation is ready to strike against AK Steel Corp., if it comes to that. In voting Friday and Saturday, AEIF members authorized their executive committee to call a strike at or after 12:01 a.m. March 1. The vote tally was a commanding 2,368 voting for strike authorization against 56 opposed to authorization, AEIF leaders said. The authorization vote, scheduled on Wednesday, also drew a solid turnout: According to the AEIF, 2,424 of 2,645 members cast ballots. Read More... MIDDLETOWN: Fast facts about a potential strike at AK Steel Members of Armco Employees Independent Federation were clear Friday and Saturday in authorizing their executive committee to call a strike against AK Steel Corp. Members voted 2,368 to 56 for strike authorization, said leaders of the AEIF, which represents nearly 2,700 workers at AK’s Middletown Works, AK’s largest and most important plant. Read More... MIDDLETOWN: Councilman believes in power of prayer City Councilman Tony Marconi is putting his faith in the power of prayer. He is calling on all Middletown residents to pray for a positive outcome for the AK/AEIF contract negotiations to avoid a strike or lockout. Tuesday he will present a proclamation to the council to declare Sunday, Feb. 26 a day of prayer in the city. Read More...
February 20, 200619 yr My dad works there and doesn't believe it will come to a strike. I'm not too sure this time.
February 22, 200619 yr From the 2/22/06 Middletown Journal: Steel company puts its case on video AK tape sent to homes of 3,500 area employees As the current labor pact with the Armco Employees Independent Federation winds to its Tuesday expiration, AK Steel Corp. is taking its case directly to union households. Some 3,500 videotapes were distributed Tuesday and today to the homes of hourly and salaried employees — all showcasing a somber James Wainscott, AK’s chairman, chief executive and president. His message was grim. Read More... From same: Union members react to Wainscott video The reaction by some union members to the 3,500 videotapes sent out by AK Steel Corp. Tuesday and today may not be what the company had intended. One worker called the video, as well as fliers placed throughout the plant by AK management, no more than propaganda in an attempt to undermine the union. But it won’t work, said Michael Risner, because “their greed has no compassion.” The video will do the opposite by infuriating workers, he said, as have the fliers, which the 33-year employee credited with making union members mad enough to turn out to vote Friday and Saturday to authorize a strike. Read More...
February 23, 200619 yr Not looking too good . . . . . MIDDLETOWN: AK to AEIF: Clean out lockers Company wants all personal items removed by Monday AK Steel Corp. is telling Armco Employees Independent Federation members to clear out their lockers before the labor contract expires next week. The contract expires at midnight Tuesday. AK has been in collective bargaining with AEIF — its biggest union, representing nearly 2,700 workers at Middletown Works — since Nov. 30. A woman who would not give her full name, but said she is married to an AEIF member, told The Journal that workers were advised through notices near time-clocks that personal belongings should be out of lockers by Monday — or the company would cut the locks. Read More...
February 27, 200619 yr From the 2/24/06 Middletown Journal: AK issue: Fewer job classes Company seeking fewer of them; AEIF sees it differently It’s one of the issues between AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation: Job classifications. For steelmakers, fewer job classes means more flexibility in deploying workers. For unions, job classes affect seniority, which jobs workers are asked to do and how workers are moved around and dealt with in general. Read More... From the 2/25/06 Middletown Journal: Police plan for possible strike, lockout Area law enforcement officials discuss contingencies Police Chief Mike Bruck invited law enforcement officials from agencies surrounding Middletown to a meeting Friday for an “information update” on what could happen if officials from the AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation don’t reach an agreement. Attending the meeting were chiefs and high ranking officers from Trenton, Monroe, Franklin, Butler County Sheriff’s Office and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Bruck said. “We shared information about the possibility of problems at AK and what we need them to do if that happens,” Bruck said, added the agencies exchanged phone numbers and other contact routes for fast response if they are needed to respond to assist Middletown as part of a mutual aid agreement. Read More...
February 27, 200619 yr AEIF leaders have bitterly criticized AK for training potential replacement workers at the plant, saying their inexperience poses a danger to those around them in the mill. The following day workers were told to clean out their lockers by Monday because, if an agreement wasn’t reached by the deadline, the lockers will be used by replacement workers. Uh oh...AK is thinking of using scabs to break a possible strike? I am sort of suprised that the Middletown Works has its own union, not part of the United Steelworkers.
February 27, 200619 yr Uh oh...AK is thinking of using scabs to break a possible strike? I am sort of suprised that the Middletown Works has its own union, not part of the United Steelworkers. The AEIF has represented the Middletown Works for over 60 years with only one work stopage that lasted 4 days (back in 1985, I believe). There have been several attempts to bring the USWA into Middletown, and each time, the idea has been fought by the company and soundly defeated by the workers. There is another separate AEIF at another plant, I believe. The UAW also represents several AK plants. The USWA doesn't have the best reputation. My dad each time voted against them.
February 28, 200619 yr Stories from today's Middletown Journal...as of now we're down to about 28 hours. But they're talking, which is good. AEIF reviews latest AK proposal By Thomas Gnau THE MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL Armco Employees Independent Federation is reporting possible progress in talks with AK Steel Corp. According to a message on the AEIF hotline Monday, “We received a proposal from the company yesterday. We are reviewing the proposal and plan to give the company a counter-proposal today.” AEIF President Brian Daley was not available for immediate comment Monday morning. An AEIF employee said he was in talks and may be in talks all day. Read More... Uncertain economy awaits city Leaders say they see trends Thinking hard about the unthinkable is something leaders of Middletown may have to do. City officials are unanimous in hoping for the best as Middletown’s largest employer, AK Steel Corp., tries to craft a new labor agreement with its largest union, Armco Employees Independent Federation. The company has about 3,500 employees in the city or working for its corporate headquarters; of those, nearly 2,700 are represented by the AEIF. The current contract expires at midnight Tuesday. Last weekend, AEIF members voted overwhelmingly to authorize their officers to call a strike, if it comes to that. Read More... Praying for AK negotiations Middletown’s future is not up in the air, the Rev. Leon Wilkinson told worshippers gathered at Mount Zion Baptist Church Sunday afternoon. “God is up in the air,” he said. “Middletown is going to be all right.” The doors of four area churches were open Sunday afternoon in support of a citywide day of prayer for a successful resolution of the conflict over the AK Steel Corp./Armco Employees Independent Federation contract. Read More...
February 28, 200619 yr Six hours to go.... AK STEEL: City, steel company hold their breath Workers’ union president: We’re working as hard as we can MIDDLETOWN — As AK Steel Corp.’s largest union approached the final 24 hours of its collective bargaining agreement, Middletown seemed to hold its breath Monday. The contract covering more than 2,600 local AK workers expires at midnight tonight. Brian Daley, president of Armco Employees Independent Federation, visited AEIF offices at 1100 Crawford St. briefly at about 2 p.m. Monday before returning to talks with representatives of AK. Read More... AK STEEL: Chief: Police equipped for crowd control Extra officers set for all shifts this week Where will Middletown Police Chief Mike Bruck be at midnight tonight? If AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation don’t reach a contract agreement, Bruck and other officers will be patrolling the city streets with shields and helmets at the ready. “We plan to have extra officers on all shifts this week if there is a job action,” Bruck said Monday. He said they will be “properly equipped” with crowd control equipment. Read More...
March 1, 200619 yr But some workers were saying that certain shifts in certain parts of the plant had been cancelled for AEIF members. Jon Wright, 42, a 10-year AK worker, said today’s second and third shifts were “blacked out on the schedule.” Another AEIF member, maintenance worker Bill Roach, 40, said AK was marking off its property lines in some areas with orange fencing and big concrete blocks on Lefferson Road. Temporary orange fencing was visible off Crawford on Monday afternoon. “They’re putting the boundaries up,” said Roach, a Middletown resident who has worked at Middletown Works for 17 years. Its possible for a union to not actually strike when a contract expires...to keep working without a contract and continue to negotiate. It almost seems like AK is preparing for a lockout. I think that bitter labor thing at Mansfield was a lockout, not a strike..heres' an article on it: MANSFIELD: Lessons of a 3-year lockout at AK Steel plant No link for article.
March 1, 200619 yr Breaking news: AK locks out 2,600 workers as contract expires Cox News Service MIDDLETOWN — AK Steel has locked out more than 2,600 members of the Armco Employees Independent Federation early today after contract negotiations failed to produce a last-minute deal, according to Brian Daley, the union’s president. Daley briefly addressed a crowd of hundreds of union workers at the AEIF headquarters on Crawford Street shortly before 12:30 a.m. today. Daley said he was proud to represent the union and urged members to behave accordingly during the lockout. “Your behavior has been quite good. You are the community, let’s not destroy the community,” Daley told the crowd. Read More...
March 1, 200619 yr AK Steel locks out 2,700 union workers Wednesday, March 01, 2006 MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — AK Steel locked out nearly 2,700 hourly workers whose labor contract expired early today and hired temporary employees to continue filling orders, a company spokesman said. Union members, who recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leadership to call a strike if negotiations on a new contract failed, began chanting, "United we stand!" and "No scabs!" just after midnight. AK Steel spokesman Alan McCoy said the two sides were unable to reach an agreement that would have allowed the company to remain competitive in the industry. Read More...
March 2, 200619 yr I will not even attempt to post every story about this, because the Middletown Journal has about a dozen today alone. They do have a nice little section set up with an archive of all of their stories on the subject. It can be found here. (Warning: They may require registration.) http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/content/news/local/aksteel/
March 2, 200619 yr this made the national media websites, and papers like the San Jose Mercury and Miami Herald picked up on the story.
March 10, 200619 yr From the 3/9/06 Middletown Journal: AK STEEL - Day 8 brings no meeting between AEIF and AK Steel representatives What happened: There was no word Wednesday on when AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation would resume face-to-face bargaining. AEIF members continued their picket line vigils at nine stations around Middletown Works property as rain fell during much of the day, the eighth of the lockout. Their former contract expired at midnight Feb. 28. Wednesday was the eighth day of AK’s lockout of the AEIF’s approximately 2,600 members from Middletown Works. What happens today: The AEIF has called a membership meeting at 4 p.m. today at the Oasis Church, 6927 Lefferson Road. It will be the first full membership meeting since the lockout began. Read More... From the AP, 3/9/06: Some fear lockout will hurt benefits Health-care rumors prompt AK Steel retirees to worry Thursday, March 09, 2006 Terry Kinney ASSOCIATED PRESS MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — As a retiree from AK Steel’s Middletown Works plant, Bob Patterson pays nothing for health insurance and $5 per prescription by mail, a big deal because he and his wife are diabetics and medications would cost $900 a month at full price. Now he and other retirees are worried about cuts in benefits as the lockout at the plant entered its second week yesterday. The company has not said how its contract proposals would affect retirees’ health care, and Patterson said he had heard only rumors that benefits would be reduced or eliminated. Read More...
March 11, 200619 yr From the 3/10/06 Middletown Journal: AK and AEIF meet for 45 minutes Friday Negotiators for Armco Employees Independent Federation and AK Steel Corp. met for about 45 minutes Friday, exchanging information on “several matters” before ending the session, the company said. There was no word on when the sides will meet again. Brian Daley, AEIF president, could not be immediately reached for comment. Read More...
March 13, 200619 yr From the 3/12/06 Middletown Journal: Finances a concern for locked-out workers AEIF members hope for early resolution, but experts say they should prepare Next month, Doug Wolf will have worked at AK Steel’s Middletown Works for 30 years. Wolf, a Hamilton resident, said he understands that he will be able to retire then even if he still is on the picket line. AK’s lockout of Armco Employees Independent Federation, which represents Wolf and about 2,600 other Middletown Works workers, started shortly after midnight Feb. 28. The lockout is in its 12th day today. Wolf would like another few years in the mill. Read More...
March 15, 200619 yr From the 3/14/06 Middletown Journal: BREAKING NEWS: Tuesday meeting ends, no profit sharing for now By Thomas Gnau Members of Armco Employees Independent Federation will receive no profit-sharing until a dispute over the amount of those payments is resolved, AK said Tuesday. Negotiators for the AEIF and AK Steel Corp. met for about an hour Tuesday, their fourth face-to-face meeting since AK locked out the union’s 2,600 members shortly after a former contract expired at midnight Feb. 28. The lockout is in its 14th day Tuesday. The company has said that AEIF members qualify for 2005 profit sharing of about $930 each. Read More...
March 16, 200619 yr Both stories from the 3/15/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: AK: No profit-sharing for now Members of Armco Employees Independent Federation will receive no profit-sharing until a dispute over how those payments are calculated is resolved. Brian Daley, AEIF president, said Tuesday that the 2005 profit-sharing amount that AK Steel Corp. has calculated for AEIF members — about $930 — falls short by nearly one-third of the proper amount. “It actually should be a little bit above what Ashland is getting,” Daley said. Read More... AK LOCKOUT: AK reaches out to W.Va. workers ISU spokesman says AK trying to recruit in Ohio Valley area Some 4,000 current and former steelworkers are concentrated in the Ohio Valley of eastern Ohio and the West Virginia panhandle. Recruiters for AK Steel Corp. are looking to that region for workers to staff its Middletown Works during the company’s lockout of its largest union, said Dave Gossett, a spokesman for Independent Steelworkers Union, which represents about half of the steelworkers in the area. “We certainly discourage any of our members from working as a scab at any place,” Gossett said Tuesday. Read More...
March 16, 200619 yr ‘Help Wanted’ at AK Steel Thursday, March 16, 2006 Paul Wilson THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH With no end in sight to a 2-weekold employee lockout, Middletownbased AK Steel Holding Corp. is trying to lure replacement workers from other parts of the state and beyond. Through classified advertisements in several Ohio newspapers, including The Dispatch, AK Steel is seeking millwrights, electricians, pipefitters, welders and others to temporarily staff its Middletown operation. Newspaper ads also ran in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo, and in West Virginia’s northern panhandle, which borders Ohio and where the steel industry once employed tens of thousands. "We have needs for people with specific backgrounds and training," said Alan McCoy, AK Steel spokesman in Middletown. Read More...
March 17, 200619 yr God I hate union mentality. Its so cultish. They have such a sense of entitlement, when in actuality, nothing in life is guaranteed. These guys should be thankful that there is still a steel company in Middletwon to provide jobs. ARMCO, the previous company, almost when bankrupt in the mid 1980s and again in the early 1990s before the Ashland and Middletown plants were spun off into a new company, AK Steel, when turned around 5 years later and purchased what was left of ARMCO. I have family members and friends who are affected by all of this. My dad is two months shy of being eligible to retire. Luckily there is a 90 day grace period in the old contract, so he will be able to retire under that. But he'd like to continue to work. I'm gald he is considering other options. Middletown can survive with is main employer if it prepares for it. In the long run, they may be better off without it.
March 17, 200619 yr I think the union should just follow what the Ashland plant agreed to. That seems to be what AK is looking for. As it stands AK seems pretty serious about sitting the union out on this.
March 17, 200619 yr Well from what my dad says, they are being offered less than Ashland. I don't know how true that is. He is so much better off than most people affected by this. Now there is talk that USWA wants to merge the AEIF into their structure. This would be the biggest mistake. If they want to be part of a bigger union, they should seek out UAW. A union is only as valuable as they the leadership makes it out to be. The Union leaders need to make their followers believe they are needed and that things are worse than they really are. The Union likes to paint a negative picture. If they pained a positive one, perception would be they aren't needed.
March 17, 200619 yr I think AK could break the union, if they can get enough replacement workers to run the mill. It might be a good sign for the union if AK is advertising for these, as it could indicate they are not able to run the mill they way they would like, with the people they do have on hand.
March 17, 200619 yr A friend of my family is a salary worker and he is putting in 12 hour days in the mill. 4-4, 7 days a week. If that gives you any indication on how things are going.
March 22, 200619 yr From the 3/21/06 Middletown Journal: Breaking News: AK Steel and AEIF to resume negotiation talks Wedensday AK Steel Corp. and negotiators with the Armco Employees Independent Federation have agreed to meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, the company announced Tuesday afternoon. AK Steel plans to present a counterproposal to the AEIF’s most recent proposal, said Alan McCoy, AK’s vice president, government and public relations. As has been AK’s policy, the company did not disclose the location of negotiation talks. Tuesday mark’s the 21st day of the lockout of the union’s 2,600 members just after the old contract expired at midnight Feb. 28.. The last time negotiators for the AEIF and AK met was March 14 for about an hour, their fourth face-to-face meeting since the lock out. The meeting was not a contract-bargaining session, but to discuss profit-sharing numbers for 2005. Read More... From same: State to rule on unemployment claims State officials could decide in the next 10 days whether union members locked out of AK Steel Corp.’s Middletown Works are eligible for unemployment benefits. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services held a public hearing Monday at its Springdale office to review the Armco Employee Independent Federation’s bid for jobless payments. To collect unemployment benefits, union members had to prove they had been locked out and were willing to work under the old contract with AK Steel. Nearly 2,400 AEIF members filed for unemployment benefits as of Monday. The union, which represents about 2,650 hourly workers, has been locked out of the Middletown mill for the past 21 days. Read More...
March 24, 200619 yr From the 3/23/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: Latest meeting holds little promise An hour and 15 minutes of talks between negotiators for AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation did not appear to end on a hopeful note Wednesday. “We saw nothing substantial from the company,” said Brian Daley, president of the AEIF, whose more than 2,600 members AK locked out from Middletown Works early March 1. Wednesday’s meeting — the fourth bargaining session since the lockout started — allowed AK to present a counterproposal to the AEIF’s most recent contract proposal. (A March 14 meeting focused on 2005 profit sharing.) Read More...
March 25, 200619 yr From the 3/24/06 Middletown Journal: BREAKING NEWS: AK, AEIF bargainers to meet Saturday By Thomas Gnau MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL Negotiators for AK Steel and Armco Employees Independent Federation will meet at 5 p.m. Saturday, the company said Friday evening. Representatives of the AEIF will present a counterproposal to AK’s last proposal, which the company presented to the union Wednesday. Both sides continue to clash over costs. Brian Daley, AEIF president, said Friday that the union’s proposal would save AK more than $61 million a year. Read More... From same: AK LOCKOUT: More help on its way for AEIF Social service agencies bracing for long-term impact of AK lockout The Armco Employees Independent Federation union hall will turn into a one-stop social services shop today as one union helps another during a food drive for AK Steel Corp.’s locked-out workers. The food drive, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the hall on 1100 Crawford St. is sponsored by the Miami Valley AFL-CIO Regional Labor Council with food supplied by Shared Harvest Foodbank, a United Way agency. In addition, representatives from he Middletown Area United Way and other United Way agencies will help the employees with assistance requests during the food drive, said Mike Sanders, director of the Middletown agency. Read More... From the 3/24/06 Cincinnati Post: An AK Steel timeline since lockout Events since AK Steel locked out union hourly workers at Middletown Works: Feb. 28: Talks that had begun Nov. 30 fail to produce new labor agreement between AK Steel and the Armco Employees Independent Federation. Six-year-old contract expires at midnight and company locks out workers. March 1: Company continues operations using salaried employees and replacement workers. March 3: Union cancels negotiating session after learning of published reports that U.S. Steel might be interested in acquiring AK Steel. March 4: Negotiators meet for about 40 minutes in first session since lockout. March 7: Negotiators meet for second time; session lasts about 40 minutes. March 10: Third bargaining session lasts about 45 minutes. March 14: Union and company officials meet to discuss 2005 profit-sharing figures; no contract negotiations. March 20: Hearing to determine whether work stoppage meets definition of lockout for purposes of filing unemployment claims. Company acknowledges locking out AEIF but says it will challenge payments to some workers who have been collecting vacation pay. State agency expected to rule in about 10 days. March 22: Fourth bargaining session scheduled. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060324/BIZ/603240335/1001/RSS04
March 26, 200619 yr All stories from the 3/25/06 Middletown Journal: MIDDLETOWN: ‘Chasing numbers that we can’t catch’ Negotiators for AK Steel Corp.’s largest union are prepared to accept a minimum number of workers that could save the steelmaker more than $61 million a year, the union president said Friday. But an AK spokesman countered saying the Armco Employees Independent Federation’s most recent contract proposal would increase the company’s costs by $100 million over the life of a 38-month contract through wage, vacation and incentive pay upgrades. Brian Daley, AEIF president, would not disclose the minimum number of workers being proposed at Middletown Works, but said the union “wants to maintain some semblance of job security for this community.” AK wants no set minimum, and would reduce its work force through retirements and attrition. Read More... MIDDLETOWN: AK workers union has $4M but no strike fund During a lockout of its largest union, a spokesman for AK Steel Corp. is trying to bring that union’s finances — and its current lack of a strike fund — into the arena of public opinion. In AK’s electronic newsletter, Community Connection, AK points to the most recent public LM-2 document, filed in 2004 by Armco Employees Independent Federation, which represents more than 2,600 workers AK locked out from Middletown Works early March 1. Unions are required to file LM-2 forms yearly with the U.S. Department of Labor. The documents offer an overview of union finances. The 2005 filing should be publicly available at the end of March. Read More... MIDDLETOWN: Union makes AEIF fight its own When unions help unions, gratitude happens. That was evident Friday as representatives of at least four area unions shared food and finances with workers locked out of AK Steel Corp.’s Middletown Works. Hundreds of Armco Employees Independent Federation members stood in line at the AEIF’s Crawford Street offices for 20 minutes or longer for their share of nearly 33,000 pounds of food provided by Shared Harvest and the Dayton Miami Valley AFL-CIO Regional Labor Council. Read More...
March 27, 200619 yr From the 3/26/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: Any end in sight? Lockout of AEIF nears one-month mark When Dwayne Frary was hired at AK Steel in 2002, he had one date in mind. “The day I hired on is the day I started saving for Feb. 28,” the 30-year-old Franklin Township resident said. That’s Feb. 28, 2006. The day AK’s former contract with Armco Employees Independent Federation expired. The day before AK locked out the AEIF’s approximately 2,600 members from Middletown Works. Read More...
March 30, 200619 yr From the 3/29/06 Middletown Journal: BREAKING NEWS: AK, AEIF will meet again Thursday By Thomas Gnau MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL Negotiators for AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation met Wednesday afternoon. A statement from the company did not say how long the meeting lasted, but said the sides will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday. AK representatives “offered comments” on the comprehensive contract proposal the AEIF presented Saturday, the sides’ last face-to-face meeting, the company said in its statement Wednesday, without elaboration. Read More... From same: AK LOCKOUT: AEIF plans rally at Curtis and Yankee FAST FACTS Where do matters stand: AK Steel’s lockout of Armco Employees Independent Federation’s approximately 2,600 members from Middletown Works is in its 29th day today. When do talks resume: Both sides are scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. today. AK has suggested meeting again Friday morning, and union leaders have said they are considering that suggestion. Also: the AEIF announced Tuesday that it will have a “community rally” at Curtis Street and Yankee Road — near AK Steel corporate offices at 703 Curtis — at 3 p.m. Friday. According to the AEIF hotline on Tuesday, Brian Daley, AEIF president, said: “It’s time for the community to be informed of the shameful decision made by AK Steel, and how their decisions will affect our future in the Middletown and the surrounding areas.” — Thomas Gnau http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/03/29/mj032906fastfacts_W.html From same: AK LOCKOUT: Source: ‘Due diligence’ seen at mill Observer thinks AK could be buyout target of U.S. Steel Talk of U.S. Steel Corp. possibly buying Middletown’s largest employer doesn’t seem to be going away. If anything, steel watchers everywhere seem to have latched onto the story. Early this month, a Pittsburgh newspaper published a report saying it had obtained a document outlining a presentation to U.S. Steel directors about a bid to buy AK Steel Corp. with cash and stock. Read More...
March 31, 200619 yr All stories from the 3/31/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: Sides mum about meeting Analyst sees 4-hour session as ‘positive sign;’ rally set today AK Steel’s lockout of its Middletown union goes on, but Thursday’s negotiations appeared to be notable for two reasons. First, it was the longest bargaining session so far in the lockout, now in its 31st day. A brief statement from AK said the session lasted four hours. Second, it was the sides’ second session in just two days, the first time the sides have met that often. Read More... AK LOCKOUT: State rules AK labor dispute a lockout Locked-out union members picketing at the gates of AK Steel Corp’s Middletown Works Thursday said they’re pleased they’ll be able draw some of the unemployment benefits that they have been paying out for years. More than 2,400 locked out Armco Employees Independent Federation members will receive unemployment benefits, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The decision released Thursday afternoon follows a March 20 public hearing in Springdale, during which representatives from AK Steel and the AEIF testified before a state officer. Read More...
April 2, 200619 yr From the 4/1/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: AEIF rallies in shadow of AK headquarters Steel company’s lockout of workers enters second month A rally by the union locked out from AK Steel’s Middletown Works was held so close to AK headquarters Friday, the CEO himself probably could have watched it. With the lockout beginning its second month, nearly 1,000 Armco Employees Independent Federation members and friends made their voices heard at a lot northwest of Curtis Street and Yankee Road, a few hundred feet from AK’s general offices at 703 Curtis St. Read More...
April 6, 200619 yr From the 4/6/06 Middletown Journal: AEIF leader: Tone of talks has turned more serious An agreement could be reached in a matter of days if AK Steel Corp. and the Armco Employees Independent Federation continue to talk seriously on outstanding issues to end the lockout at the Middletown Works, the union’s president said Wednesday. “The sands shifted somewhat and the discussions have been more serious,” said AEIF President Brian Daley of the tone in talks in recent days. “We’re working to narrow the gap and we hope the company is serious. We’re serious. We want to make a quick resolution and the quicker it’s settled, the better.” Daley was upbeat as he updated more than 100 members of the Concerned Armco Retired Employees Wednesday at its monthly meeting at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Coles Road. He met with the retirees a few hours before Wednesday’s bargaining session, which is the ninth talk since the lockout began at midnight Feb. 28. The lockout is in its 37th day today. Read More...
April 9, 200619 yr From the 4/8/06 Middletown Journal: AK, AEIF agree deal is not imminent While negotiations between AK Steel Corp. and the Armco Employees Independent Federation have increased in frequency and duration over the past week, hopes for a quick resolution are not realistic, according to an AK spokesman. Alan McCoy, AK’s vice president, government and public relations, said Friday that four tentative agreements are in place, but “the heavy lifting is ahead of us, certainly.” AEIF members have been locked out 39 days, and McCoy said it is presumptuous to say an agreement is near. Read More...
April 11, 200619 yr From the 4/11/06 Middletown Journal: Blast at AK Steel investigated Middletown firefighters didn’t have to be dispatched to AK Steel Sunday night. They heard the explosion, saw the smoke and headed to the main gate. A steam explosion at about 11:30 p.m. in the slag pit injured three workers and caused small fires inside the plant, according to the fire department. Read More...
April 11, 200619 yr Well...if one staff's a plant with inexperienced workers on long shifts, doing dangerous work,it gets pretty risky for accidents, I guess.
April 13, 200619 yr From the 4/13/06 Middletown Journal: AK LOCKOUT: Talks called 'serious' AEIF, AK agree to meet again today Negotiators for AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation met for less than an hour Wednesday. It was the 11th bargaining session of the lockout, which is in its 44th day today. Where do matters stand: Brian Daley, AEIF president, said the Wednesday meeting lasted for 41 minutes. Alan McCoy, AK vice president, government and public relations, said the session lasted for “about 50 minutes.” Both parties have agreed to resume discussions at 8 a.m. today, Daley said. Read More...
April 14, 200619 yr From the 4/14/06 Middletown Journal: AK-AEIF talks to happen 'each day' next week By Thomas Gnau, The Middletown Journal MIDDLETOWN — Negotiators for AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation will meet every day next week, both sides said Friday. In an e-mail newsletter, AK said talks are scheduled to happen "each day next week." Brian Daley, AEIF president, said he expects talks to happen "at least" five days next week. AK locked out the AEIF's approximately 2,600 members from Middletown Works early March 1. If next week's meetings go forward, it will be the first time during the lockout that daily negotiating has occurred. Read More... From same: AK LOCKOUT: AK gives ‘final offer’ on 3 issues Meeting is 12th bargaining session Negotiators for AK Steel and Armco Employees Independent Federation met for about three hours Thursday. It was the 12th bargaining session since AK’s lockout of the AEIF’s approximately 2,600 Middletown Works employees started March 1. What happened in Thursday’s meeting: There was some private caucusing on both sides, and AK said it presented its “final offer” in the areas of safety and health and the contract’s purpose and scope. Alan McCoy, AK’s vice president, government and public relations, declined to elaborate. Brian Daley, AEIF president, also declined to offer details. But he said AK’s proposals were nothing on which the union could agree. Read More...
April 17, 200619 yr From the 4/17/06 Middletown Journal: BREAKING NEWS: Monday sees two AK-AEIF meetings Negotiators for AK Steel Corp. and Armco Employees Independent Federation met Monday morning, exchanging proposals on union representation and medical issues. Both sides planned to meet again at 4 p.m. today. These were the 13th and 14th bargaining sessions since AK locked out some 2,600 AEIF members March 1. Read More...
April 18, 200619 yr From the 4/18/06 Middletown Journal: BREAKING NEWS: AK offers AEIF another 'global' proposal By Thomas Gnau THE MIDDLETOWN JOURNAL Negotiators for AK Steel and Armco Employees Independent Federation met for less than an hour today. The company said it presented a “comprehensive global contract proposal” to the union, asking AEIF negotiators to “carefully consider” the proposal. In an e-mail update, an AK spokesman also said that if the proposal was not acceptable to AEIF representatives, they were asked to convey “specifically what it would take to reach a new competitive agreement.” Read More...
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