Herald Dispatch reported that about 25 United Steelworkers of America employees, currently working at AK Steel's coke plant in Ashland, will be returning to work at the company's steel plant in Ashland in the next week or so.
AK Steel said that "Within the next week or so, everyone currently on layoff status or misplaced at the coke plant will be returning to the Ashland West Works."
Mr Doug Campbell president of the steelworkers Local 1865 said earlier that a federal arbitrator's ruling means the steel plant's 750 jobs should be safe at least through the end of the year.
He added that "The USW International representatives along with our local representatives have reached an agreement to bring everyone back to the mill and some back pay issues will be taken care of as well. There is some hope of our number 3 coating line returning to operation, but we do not have a definite date of when that will happen. There are still a lot of things going on in the background, and as soon as that information is confirmed, it will be released to all of our members. The local representatives would like to thank every member for their patience and support during this time."
The company announced plans in mid May to idle the Ashland Works and its 750 jobs this summer and continuing through the end of the year. The Middletown, it idled the plant for more than two months in late 2008 through earlier this year. However, a federal arbitrator ruled that language in the collective bargaining contract with AK Steel prevents the shutdown. The union has a provision in the contract that says if there are orders for steel that the Ashland Works can produce, that work must be done there instead of at the company steel plant in Middletown, Ohio.
Employees at the coke plant are represented by a separate local. Those employees have continued to work and some of the employees at the steel plant took jobs at the coke plant. More than two dozen of those workers now will be returning to jobs at the steel plant.
(Sourced from www.herald-dispatch.com)
