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| AK Steel to Recall Workers After Ending Lockout in Mansfield |
| Wednesday, May 7, 2003 12:34:32 PM - Middletown Ohio |
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MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE:AKS - News) has ended a 39-month lockout at its Mansfield, Ohio, plant and notified the International United Steelworkers of America that it will begin a recall of hourly production and maintenance employees.
The company has been operating the plant with temporary replacement workers since September 1999 after failing to agree on a labor contract with the 620 employees. The lockout period has been marked by alleged incidents of violence and harassment against the temporary employees.
In a statement Tuesday, AK Steel said it received notice from the International USWA that the union had agreed in principle to certain items previously in dispute from the company‘s proposal in July.
The union voted in September to ratify AK Steel‘s proposal, but the company maintained that the contract voted upon by the workers wasn‘t what AK Steel had agreed to.
The International USWA also filed at that time an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the company refused to execute the contract agreed to by the union in September.
That filing further stated that the company‘s conduct rendered the lockout illegal. The remedy for an illegal lockout under the National Labor Relations Act is full back pay from the date of the company‘s unlawful conduct.
The union said last week that the NLRB dismissed AK Steel‘s own allegations of unfair collective bargaining and found that the union didn‘t require reinstatement of workers who engaged in misconduct during the dispute.
An AK Steel spokesman acknowledged Tuesday that there are "still some issues to be resolved." He said the company believed the union was insisting that it recall 29 employees who engaged in misconduct, but the NLRB determined that wasn‘t the case, and International USWA has also indicated in writing that it won‘t require recall of those employees.
The spokesman said AK Steel expects to reach a complete agreement in the near future. However, he noted that the regional NLRB has referred the union‘s filing of unfair labor practices to the national office, and no ruling is expected on that filing for months.
The International USWA said it "welcomes" the recall of the Mansfield workers, which it said "respects the rights of our members in the contract that they have accepted and ratified."
The union noted that it expects AK Steel management to instruct the replacement workers now in the plant to "avoid antagonizing our returning workers as they have throughout the lockout." The union said it will urge its returning workers not to react to any such behavior.
"The union looks forward to building a constructive and much improved relationship with AK Steel as we continue meeting the challenge of saving steelworker jobs and saving the American steel industry," said USWA President Leo W. Gerard in a statement.
The AK Steel spokesman said the initial recall will involve about 30 employees. He couldn‘t provide an estimate for the total number of recalled employees but noted that it won‘t include the 29 workers who allegedly engaged in misconduct.
The Mansfield employees have never actually worked for AK Steel, because at the time the lockout began, in early September 1999, the plant was owned by Armco. AK Steel acquired Armco later that month.
AK Steel said that normally scheduled plant operations will continue during the recall transition period.
The company has about 10,700 employees at locations in Middletown, Coshocton, Mansfield, Walbridge and Zanesville, Ohio; Ashland, Ky.; Rockport Ind.; and Butler, Pa.
-Susan Willetts; Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5400
Dow Jones Newswires
12-10-02 1348ET |
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