Steelworkers to rally for wages, benefits
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With a Sept. 1 deadline looming for notching a new three-year labor deal with two of the country's top steelmakers, the United Steelworkers union is organizing a "week of action for fair contracts."
The 30,000 workers whose wages and benefits are being hashed out this summer in Pittsburgh hotel rooms will rally at a dozen or so sites run by U.S. Steel Corp. and ArcelorMittal USA LLC.
Both workers and the companies are struggling. Steel prices in the U.S. have tumbled more than 20% since Jan. 1 because of inexpensive imports, a sluggish economy and the collapse of oil prices that has hurt demand for steel pipes and tubes used in oil and gas drilling. Both companies have closed plants and laid off workers. U.S. Steel lost $261 million in the second quarter.
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"They want us to give concessions, yet they make millions," said a worker at a U.S. Steel facility, who declined to be identified for fear of losing his job. "So, yes, people are upset when you hear they want us to pay for insurance, change vacation structure and so forth."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/steelworkers-to-rally-for-wages-benefits-2015-08-15