BURNS HARBOR, Ind.—With more than three months of contract talks failing to yield a deal, the United
Steelworkers have begun preparations for a possible strike against ArcelorMittal. Union representatives are asking the more than 7,400 union workers at the company’s Indiana Harbor and Burns Harbor plants in northwest Indiana when they’d be available for picket duty, collecting wood for fire barrels, and talking to plant managers about how to shut down equipment in a safe and orderly manner. “We were told to come home and prepare, and that’s what we’re going to do, Local 6787 President Pete Trinidad, a member of the Steelworkers negotiating team at Burns Harbor, told the Chicago Tribune. The union said in a memo to members Sept. 26 that ArcelorMittal is still proposing changes that “would have dramatic negative consequences for active and retired USW members and their families.” The company has declined to comment on specifics, but Trinidad said recently that its proposal would eliminate a bonus program and increase workers health-insurance costs and pension-fund contributions. Talks continue. Read more
