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USWA to RMI: We'll Keep Up the Fight
NILES, Ohio -- Members of United Steelworkers of America Locals 2155 and 2155-7 rejected the latest concession-laden contract proposal from RMI Titanium by a margin of 59% to 41% in a secret-ballot election conducted yesterday, according to a USWA report. About 360 workers at the titanium plant have been locked-out since Oct. 26, 2003, after they rejected a previous proposal that included over $3 million in concessions, the report said.RMI Titanium is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RTI International Metals Inc.The local union negotiating committee held an explanation meeting on Aug. 26 at which members had an opportunity to examine the details of and ask questions about the company's latest proposal, the report stated. "Our membership has delivered a message loudly and clearly to RMI management," said USWA Local 2155 President Todd Weddell, "that they will not be starved into accepting a contract that does not afford them the basic protections they need to provide for their families."USWA International President Leo Gerard, president of USWA International, Pittsburgh, said RMI management should have known better than to expect the members of Locals 2155 and 2155-7 to accept a contract he called "a slap in the face to the generations of Steelworkers who built the company from the ground up."David McCall, USWA District 1 director, said union representatives are willing to meet with the company "whenever they're ready to sit down and bargain in earnest with us for a fair contract. However, the USWA will continue to pursue several existing charges with the National Labor Relations Board and file more if RMI management continues to flout federal labor laws."The vote demonstrates that there is plenty of fight left in the 2155/2155-7 membership, he said. "We will use the momentum from this vote to galvanize our members and supporters in the community. We have already laid the groundwork to step-up our outreach to RMI customers and suppliers in the United States and abroad, and we will continue to research and explore creative ways to create pressure for management to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith for a fair contract with us," he added."