Company locks out workers

Trenton tube maker in union labor dispute

A North Georgia maker of steel tubing has locked out its unionized hourly workforce in a labor dispute and plans to keep the plant running with use of salaried workers, officials said Wednesday.

But the United Steelworkers union condemned what it called “the reckless decision” by Bull Moose Tube in Trenton, Georgia, to lock out the members of USW Local 13679.

Scott Roy, executive vice president of human resources for Bull Moose Tube, said the lockout that began Wednesday affects 56 hourly positions.

“It will continue until the acceptance of a proposal,” he said. “We hoped for a quick and speedy solution. We hate to have people on the street. We want to bring them back.”

Roy said federal mediation with the union over the disputed issues, which involve wages and benefits, is scheduled for Sept. 10-12. However, he said, the parties have already met with a mediator twice.

Roy said there was “very little movement on behalf of the union.”

“The offer we’re making is very good,” he said.

Steelworkers District 9 Director Daniel Flippo said the company would rather force its own employees out on the street than negotiate a fair contract that meets fundamental needs.

“We have held more than a dozen bargaining sessions with the company, and we had every intention of continuing to bargain in good faith,” he said. “Then the company made this destructive and disappointing choice to lock the doors on its own workers.”

Flippo said putting 56 people out of work doesn’t simply harm those individuals, but it creates a ripple effect that causes economic hardship for families and businesses throughout the community.

According to the company, the most recently expired contract included an hourly-plus incentive wage rate from $20-$24 per hour. Employee contributions for health care coverage included $21 per week for single coverage and $38 per week for family health care coverage.

In the company’s final proposal to the union, Bull Moose Tube proposed an hourlyplus incentive rate range from $22-$26 per hour. The company said most workers would receive a $3,000 wage increase by the end of the three-year contract.

Also, the employee contribution for health care level for single coverage would rise to $24 per week starting January 2019 and be locked in for three years. The contribution level for family coverage would go to $41 per week starting in January, the company said.

The union said it has been and remains willing to continue bargaining an agreement that is fair to both sides.

“Unfortunately, the company has other ideas,” Flippo said. “We call on Bull Moose Tube to immediately reverse this ill-advised decision, put these hard-working people back on the job, and return to the bargaining table to negotiate a new

“We call on Bull Moose Tube to immediately reverse this ill-advised decision, put these hard-working people back on the job and return to the bargaining table to negotiate a new agreement that treats these workers with the respect they deserve.”

agreement that treats these workers with the respect they deserve.”

Bull Moose, headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri, has more than 500 employees nationwide.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.

– DANIEL FLIPPO, STEELWORKERS DISTRICT 9 DIRECTOR