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Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

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  • Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

    As many as 2,000 hourly workers at Tucson-based copper producer Asarco LLC are headed to the picket lines Sunday night at five Asarco mining operations in Arizona and Texas.

    Members of the United Steelworkers and seven other unions representing Asarco workers voted overwhelmingly to go on strike during meetings last week, the Steelworkers said Friday.
    Steelworkers District 12 Director Robert LaVenture said Asarco’s final, four-year contract proposal “insulted union members at all of the facilities” by including no wage increase for nearly two-thirds of workers, freezing the existing pension plan, and more than doubling the out-of-pocket contribution individual workers now pay for health care.

    “Working 12-hour shifts in an open-pit mine, smelter or refinery is difficult and dangerous, and Asarco employees have not had a wage increase in 10 years,” LaVenture said. “These workers deserve a contract that reflects their contributions.”
    https://tucson.com/news/local/unions...677eebeb2.html

  • #2
    Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

    Local 104 Asarco Teamsters on Strike

    (TUCSON, Ariz.) - There are 138 members represented by Teamsters Local 104 who are on strike as of 11:00 p.m. MST in Tucson, Arizona, on October 13. The unions involved held a strike authorization vote last week, with the result of 77 percent in favor of striking Asarco. ULP's have been filed and the extension that the workers have been under since December 2018 has been cancelled and notice has been served on the company.

    "I came from the Mission Complex and now I am their business agent representing my brothers and sisters at Asarco. I know first-hand how horrible the working conditions are and how unsettling it is sitting on the negotiation committee when the company will not bargain. I will stand with my brothers and sisters to ensure a fair contract," said Business Agent Kevin Hampton.

    The 138 Teamsters members work in mining at the Mission Complex located in Sahuarita, Arizona. Locations that will be included in this strike are: Silver Bell, Mission Complex, Hayden Complex, Ray Mine and Armarillo, TX with a total of 2,000 workers. The unions involved are: USW (United Steelworkers), IBEW (Electricians), IAM (International Associations of Machinists), UAW (United Automobile Workers), IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers), Boilermakers (International of Boilermakers) and Teamsters Local 104 (International Brotherhood of Teamsters).
    https://teamster.org/news/2019/10/lo...amsters-strike

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    • #3
      Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

      Another article on this story. This strike involves both teamsters and USW's as well as several other unions.

      Tucson: Copper miners on strike in Arizona

      USW District 12 Director, Bob LeVenture, called ASARCO’s four year contract offer “an insult to union members by including no wage increase for two thirds of the workers, freezing existing pension plans, and more than doubling out of pocket contributions individual workers already pay for health care.” LeVenture pointed out that most workers haven’t had a raise in years, but have sacrificed to sustain the company during the last economic downturn and now deserve a fair contract.
      ASARCO is a subsidiary of predator Corporate giant Grupo Mexico, which also owns mines in Mexico and South America, as well as rail roads and others industries. Grupo is also a notorious polluter found responsible by the Environmental Protection Agency for environmental contamination at 20 U.S. Superfund sites. In 2014 a Grupo owned mine in Cananea, Mexico was responsible for spilling millions of gallons of a sulfuric Acid solution into the Sonora River poisoning the drinking water of people and their livestock and farms for 150 miles, Mexico’s worst ever environmental disaster.
      https://www.peoplesworld.org/article...ke-in-arizona/

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      • #4
        US copper workers strike after decade with no pay rise

        Two thousand workers have been on strike for a week at four Asarco copper facilities in Arizona, and one in Texas, after rejecting a four-year contract that would see no pay rise for most.

        On 11 October, workers voted 77 per cent in favour of strike action at Asarco after rejecting the company’s “last, best and final” four-year contract offer, which includes no wage increase for nearly two-thirds of workers, freezes the existing pension plan, and more than doubles the out-of-pocket contribution workers pay for health care.

        Asarco, originally founded in 1888, is now a subsidiary of Grupo México. Workers are striking at the Mission, Silver Bell and Ray open pit copper mines in Arizona, a smelter in Hayden, Arizona, and a refinery in Amarillo, Texas.

        The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2009, and workers made sacrifices during the downturn to sustain the company. They have seen no pay rise for ten years, and the company has attempted to renege on paying bonuses linked to the copper price that it owes to workers. Read more....
        US copper workers strike after decade with no pay rise | IndustriALL

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        • #5
          Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

          Asarco Agrees To Pay Union Workers $10 Million
          The Tucson-based mining company Asarco has agreed to pay union workers about $10 million in disputed copper price bonuses.

          Workers have been on strike after walking off the job in mid-October.

          Asarco had been fighting the past several years against paying the bonuses but ultimately lost the battle last month.

          The Arizona Daily Star reported that Asarco was forced to pay after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling upholding payment of the bonuses.

          According to the United Steelworkers, Asarco’s lawyers sent an email to their lawyers promising payment. The payments will include interest and cover bonuses from the third quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2015.

          The union says Asarco has promised to begin making the payments Nov. 6. To check out the full release, you can find it on the
          https://kjzz.org/content/1282811/asa...ers-10-million

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          • #6
            Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

            Wow, there is a whole lot more to this story than what we have seen so far! These mine workers have not had a raise in over ten years and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Horrific!

            Teamsters Call on U.S. and Mexico to Act Now to Address Labor Law Violations
            For more than ten weeks, nearly 2,000 mine workers in Arizona and Texas, represented by the Teamsters, USW, IBEW, IAM, UA, IUOE, and the Boilermakers, have been on strike to demand that Asarco, the Arizona-based mining subsidiary of the giant Mexican conglomerate Grupo Mexico, stop violating federal labor laws and breaking international labor standards.

            "Grupo Mexico is a rogue company that believes it can ignore U.S. labor laws, violate international labor standards, recklessly exploit the environment and abuse U.S. workers and their communities like they do in Mexico," said Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 104. "We are rallying to demand that U.S. and Mexican lawmakers intervene to stop the current violations of labor law in anticipation of the upcoming ratification of the USMCA.

            Grupo Mexico, ranked as one of the least ethical companies in the world, is owned by the Mexican Oligarch, Germán Larrea, the wealthiest person in Mexico, second only to telecom magnate Carlos Slim. Examples of Grupo's unscrupulous behavior include creating the worst ecological disaster in Mexico's history by releasing over ten million gallons of copper sulfate into a major watershed and refusing to recover the bodies of 63 mine workers killed in an explosion at a Grupo mine or adequately compensate the families for their loss.

            Larrea owns Asarco and several other mining companies in Latin America and Spain, along with the largest railroad in Mexico, energy companies, port shipping terminals and one of the world's largest movie theater chains, with locations across Mexico and the United States.
            https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...300975623.html

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            • #7
              Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

              Hoffa visited the striking miners at the ASARCO in Arizona on December 29, 2019.

              Big name boosts morale on ASARCO picket line
              Two holidays; Thanksgiving and Christmas, have come and gone since ASARCO workers went on strike.
              Even on the 77th day of striking, there were no new talks with the copper mining company in sight.
              But Sunday brought some “big name” support for the men and women fighting for what they believe is a fair contract.
              James Hoffa, the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (representing 1.4 million workers in North America), made a special visit to the picket line in Sahuarita.
              “This company is owned by a Mexican company that’s exploiting the American workers,” said Hoffa. “They haven’t had a raise in 10 years … and this is from a company; ASARCO, that made a billion dollars last year.”
              Teamsters is just one of seven unions involved in the ASARCO strike. More than 1,700 workers are currently on the picket lines in Arizona and Texas.
              https://www.kold.com/2019/12/30/big-...o-picket-line/

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              • #8
                Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

                After a 100 days on strike, these union people know to hold the line !

                ASARCO union: 'Not discouraged' after 100 days of striking
                For months now, union workers at Amarillo's ASARCO copper refinery have manned a picket line in front of the plant, refusing to work.
                The strike might be nearing 100 days – but the steelworkers are far from discouraged.
                “We're willing to sit out here until we until we can reach a mutual agreement, something that's good for both parties, you know, we, we don't have a timeline to fit,” said District 13 union representative Jose Loya.
                They said that community support helps them get through the strike when sheer tenacity isn't enough.
                These strikers said they want more than just the typical pay raise. They want protections like benefits for retirees and veterans and language that would ensure that active duty military persons will have a job to come back to when they return.
                According to Loya, the company has failed to provide those protections.
                But even after 100 days, strikers have one thing to say to the people of Amarillo.
                https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/...ke-at-100-days

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                • #9
                  Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

                  These men and women are still on strike.

                  USA: 2,000 workers at ASARCO copper mines strike over stagnant wages & alleged unfair labour practices
                  Since October 2019, some 2000 members of the United Steelworkers union have been engaged in ongoing strikes over stagnant wages and alleged unfair labour practices at five copper facilities in Arizona and Texas owned by ASARCO - a subsidiary of international mining firm Grupo México. Workers voted to strike after receiving ASARCO's latest contract offer, which includes no wage increase for nearly two-thirds of workers, no pension increases for workers hired before July 2011 and more than doubles the out-of-pocket contribution individual workers already pay for healthcare. Workers have not had a wage increase for 10 years. According to the union, ASARCO has failed to bargain in good faith and has threatened to hire, and has hired, permanent replacements to replace employees engaged in the strike.

                  In May 2020, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited ASARCO and Grupo México to respond to allegations made by the striking workers of unfair labour practices – including failure to bargain in good faith, stagnant wages and cuts to benefits. Both companies did not respond.
                  https://www.business-humanrights.org...eid=05ff150499

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                  • #10
                    Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

                    The NLRB has issued a complaint against ASARCO for violating workers rights. The strike has been on-going for over 250 days.

                    Please see the attached letter from Teamsters local 104, Tucson Arizona.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Unions representing 2,000 Asarco workers vote to strike

                      Wow this has been a long strike. This is a subscription site but there is enough here to tell us what is going on and this is something myself and fxstc have followed for months.

                      July 6, 2020, 3:38 PM

                      2,000 miners will return to work after 9 months
                      NLRB denies representation challenge

                      Nearly 2,000 workers for the ASARCO mining company ended a nine-month strike Monday, citing a recent National Labor Relations Board action against their employer.

                      The United Steelworkers union said ASARCO employees in Arizona and New Mexico would return to work after the NLRB determined it would prosecute the company for alleged unfair labor practices. The workers had been on strike since October, arguing that the Arizona-based company, a subsidiary of Mexican mining corporation Grupo México, was negotiating in bad faith over a new four-year contract.
                      https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-...-arizona-texas

                      And I just found another source that is not subscription:

                      Unions Offer to Return to Work at ASARCO, End Nine-Month Strike

                      PITTSBURGH, July 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the unions representing almost 2,000 workers on strike against ASARCO's unfair labor practices at five copper mining and processing facilities in Arizona and Texas have ended the labor dispute and offered to return to work.

                      "In light of the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) decision to prosecute ASARCO for alleged violations of federal labor laws," said USW District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, "the best strategy for the most bargaining leverage is to end the current strike and make an unconditional offer to return to work."

                      "The USW, other unions and the NLRB are bringing ASARCO to justice for breaking the law in its drive to avoid negotiating in good faith with the unions that represent its employees," Prescott said. "Now is the time for management to bargain for the fair contract workers have earned and deserve."
                      https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301088492.html

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