October 12, 2008

USW in tentative pact for 400 members at Gerdau AmeriSteel

The United Steelworkers announced that tentative agreements have been reached covering some 400 USW members employed at Gerdau Ameristeel plants at Sand Springs in Okla and Calvert City in Kentucky.

The tentative agreement at Sand Springs was reached last week but USW Local 2741, representing 275 workers, delayed the ratification vote in solidarity with Calvert City workers to help USW Local 9447-5 reach an agreement covering its 135 members.

Mr Jim Stewart director of collective bargaining and lead negotiator for the union said that “These two contracts concludes a round of bargaining that began three years ago with labor agreements at 12 locations in the US and Canada. It was a long struggle but ultimately, we were successful because our membership at every plant stuck together and supported each other with extraordinary loyalty and solidarity.”

At the International union level, the USW Strategic Campaigns department organized a corporate campaign that reached across the US, Canada, South America and Europe. Representatives of Gerdau’s workers from around the world came together to share information and discuss strategy on how to develop mutual assistance. Many global solidarity actions followed with Gerdau getting the message that they would not be able to isolate any group of workers in any country.