Locked-out Alcoa workers bring their protest to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Alcoa’s shareholder meeting Wednesday morning would have been the quiet, sedate affair that the aluminum producer’s management was hoping for were it not for the persistent, high-pitched whine of horns being blown outside the Westin Convention Center Hotel by locked-out union workers.
Nearly 100 Quebec workers clogged the corner of Liberty Avenue and 10th Street for about 90 minutes, protesting Alcoa’s decision to lock them out of an aluminum plant in Bécancour, Quebec, on Jan. 11. Pittsburgh-based Alcoa owns a 75 percent stake in the plant. The remaining stake is held by Rio Tinto, a London metals and mining concern.
The workers, represented by the United Steelworkers union, say Alcoa needlessly locked them out even though the two sides were close to an agreement. Union members had offered to move from a pension plan to a worker-funded retirement plan as part of the negotiations. Alcoa’s refusal to respect seniority rights is the only major sticking point, USW officials said.
They conservatively estimate Alcoa is losing $50 million a month by partially operating the plant with nonunion workers.
“This lockout is a costly and irrational decision from the company,” USW District 5 director Alain Croteau told Alcoa president and CEO Roy C. Harvey during the shareholder meeting.
Mr. Croteau asked Mr. Harvey whether he was serious about coming to an agreement when negotiations resume Friday.
Mr. Harvey said the company is coming back to the bargaining table “with the best of faith” and will “seek a conclusion that works for all of us.”
As they spoke, the horns of protesting workers outside the hotel provided a steady supply of background noise.
During the meeting, shareholders approved the election of directors, the selection of an auditor, a stock incentive plan and Alcoa’s compensation plan. About 40 shareholders attended the 40-minute meeting.
Following the gathering, Alcoa issued a statement saying that it respected the union’s right to demonstrate.
“We look forward to beginning new labor negotiations with the goal of reaching a multiyear, collective bargaining agreement,” the statement said.
Mr. Croteau said he was encouraged by Mr. Harvey’s response, but that the real test of the CEO’s sincerity will be how the company behaves at the bargaining table.
Alcoa shares closed Wednesday at $53.49, off 22 cents. They are down less than 1 percent this year.