1899 BULLETIN! 1899 BULLETIN! 1899 BULLETIN! 1899 BULLETIN!

GRANITE CITY WORKS

TO REOPEN

EXACT START-UP DATE UNCERTAIN,

BUT IMMINENT

See President's Page >>

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UNITED STEELWORKERS - LOCAL 1899 meets every month at the

Tri-Cities Labor Temple - George Becker Hall - as follows:

(unless a special announcement is posted)

First Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m.

Third Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m.

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Ameren IP link could save you $300

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1^ST ANNUAL

STEEL CITY BLOCK PARTY

see President's Page >>

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Local Union Takes  Action to Halt Hair Testing; International to Arbitrate Case

See Local 1899 News >>

Transcript of Dan Simmons' Steel Caucus Testimony

Congressional Hearing Examines Steel Industry With Local 1899's President Dan Simmons Attending to Provide Testimony

June 11, 2009 By Christin Nance Lazerus, Post-Tribune staff writer

The Congressional Steel Caucus will hold a hearing on stabilizing the steel industry on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, is chairman of the caucus. The hearing will feature testimony from constituents in steel-producing regions across the country, industry experts and industry leaders with an emphasis on further efforts Congress can undertake to help stabilize the steel industry and preserve and create steel worker jobs. Jim Robinson, director of United Steelworkers District 7, said he intends to talk about the state of the steel industry and enforcing international trade laws. "We've built a strong industry, but you can't make steel without any demand," Robinson said. "As the global economy comes back, we need to make sure that China and some other countries don't decide enact recovery programs by dumping steel. So we need to be vigilant in the enforcement of our trade laws." Visclosky's spokesman Jacob Ritvo said two of the panels will include constituents of various members of the steel caucus, and they will focus on the real-life stories affecting steel workers in the recession. Speakers will address key factors in the suffering of the steel industry and suggest policy solutions to help stabilize the industry, Ritvo said.

Members of the USW employed at the shuttered USS facility in Granite City, Illinois gathered in support of Local Union 1899 President, Dan Simmons, who will travel to Washington, D.C. to testify at a Hearing called by the Steel Caucus of the United States House of Representatives.

 President Simmons was invited by Steel Caucus member, Congressman Jerry Costello (Democrat, 12^th District, Illinois) to testify at the Hearing.  The purpose of the Hearing is to examine ways to stabilize the steel industry which has been operating at less than 40% of capacity in the current economic crisis.

 The Hearing will include testimony from steel industry experts and industry leaders with an emphasis on further efforts Congress can take to preserve and create steelworker jobs. 

Simmons explained before a large media contingent that he plans to convey to Congress that the problems still exist in America which lead to the idling of Granite City Works; trade deficits that will reach a trillion dollars this year and trade laws that are on the books are not being enforced. 

 In addition, constituents of Congressional members of the Steel Caucus will relate how the crisis has affected workers and communities.  In his testimony at the Steel Caucus Hearing, Local Union President Simmons will explain what  caused the USS steel making facility in Granite City to shut down and how the resulting loss of employment for over 2000 steelworkers has affected them, their families, and the community.

 USW District 7 Director, Jim Robinson, will also testify at the Steel Caucus Hearing.  Mr. Robinson represents 85,000 active and retired USW members in Illinois and Indiana. 

USS Says No to Spousal Reimbursement

for Laid Off Members Losing Coverage

See Benefits/Contract Matters >> 

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LOCAL 1899 PREVAILS IN

CONTINUOUS SERVICE DISPUTE

COMPANY TO RESCIND LETTERS MAILED MEMBERS!

See Local 1899 News >>

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USS BREAKS EMPLOYEE

CONTINUOUS SERVICE

IN VIOLATION OF CONTRACT

See Local 1899 News >>

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See Benefits / Contract Matters >>

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STEEL SHARES CLIMB AS DEMAND RISES

See President’s Page >>

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ITC VOTE CRITICAL

May 22, 2009 USW Calls U.S. Trade Commission Vote on China Imports Urgent Step for Laid-Off Workers at Idled OCTG Pipe Plants Click on Steel Industry News for complete story _________________________________________________________________________

Chutzpah And Cheaters Partner To Keep American Tire Workers Unemployed

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Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products "made in china ", so they don't show from which country it is made.

KEEP IT MADE

IN AMERICA TOUR! SEE PHOTO PAGE >>

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Washington, D.C.  (Jun. 29) – The United Steelworkers (USW) applauded today’s vote by the International Trade Commission (ITC) for a tariff remedy in the union’s Section 421 petition against a surge of low-priced and market disrupting consumer tires from China.

Leo W. Gerard, USW international president, declared: “Today’s remedy vote by the ITC is a great victory for the USW, its members and for all U.S. tire workers.  The tariffs voted by the commissioners should remedy the market disruptive surge in Chinese tire imports that have caused harm to the domestic industry.”

The USW president says he anticipates when President Obama receives the final recommendations from the U.S. Trade Representative on Sept. 2, he will agree with the findings and support enforcement of the recommended tariff levels. “It is time for the promise of enforcing U.S. trade laws to be fulfilled,” Gerard said.

Tom Conway, USW international vice president and chair of bargaining at Goodyear Tire and Rubber, said: “Both our own economic analysis as well as that of the ITC show that the recommended tariffs will have significant beneficial effects for the domestic industry.  We applaud the Commission’s decision and look forward to working with the Obama Administration to see that it is fully implemented.”

All four commissioners who found that Chinese imports caused market disruption voted unanimously today in support of recommending the President impose tariffs for three years on imports of Chinese tires that have been found to cause market disruption to the domestic tire industry.  The trade commission recommended the President impose tariffs of 55 percent ad valorem (the value of the item) in the first year, 45 percent in the second year and 35 percent in the third year, in addition to any other applicable tariffs. 

The Commission’s economic analysis indicates that the recommended tariff will provide significant beneficial effects to the domestic industry and its workers, while having relatively insignificant costs to consumers. 

U.S. law requires that when the ITC finds market disruption to a domestic industry and its workers, it must recommend a remedy to the President which will address the market disruption. 

The President will have until September 17 to decide what, if any, relief will be provided.

The USW filed a petition with the ITC on April 20 that sought relief under Section 421 of the Trade Act of 1974. Section 421 is a temporary country-specific safeguard that China agreed to as part of its bilateral trade negotiations with the United States leading to its 2001 membership in the World Trade Organization.

The USW petition claimed that imports of consumer tires from China increased from 2004 to 2008 by 215 percent in volume and 295 percent by value. In 2008, China exported nearly 46 million consumer tires with a value of more than $1.7 billion to the U.S., making it the largest source of consumer tire imports. While imports nearly tripled by value during the surge period, domestic production of consumer tires declined by more than 25 percent.

During this period, nearly 5,100 U.S. tire workers lost their jobs as a result of massive erosion in the domestic production that coincided with the skyrocketing increases in imports of consumer tires from China. About 3,000 more jobs are slated to be lost by year’s end as three plants are threatened to close.

For more information, including background, testimony and video related to the tire case, visit
www.usw.org/tires/.

Click here for background on the U.S. International Trade Commission's remedy and the USW's recommendation.

STEELWORKERS AND WIND TURBINES READ ABOUT HOW WE CAN BENEFIT

Click on Steel Industry News for wind turbine info >>

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Local 1899 Main Business Offices - 2014 State Street Granite City IL located in the Tri-Cities Labor Temple, the historic "Home of Organized Labor"

The Oldest Continuously Operating Steel Mill in the United States

A New 1938 Chevy Placed to

Demonstrate the Size of the

90 Inch Hot Strip

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Welcome to the United Steelworkers Local 1899 web site - dedicated to informing our members and building solidarity. We try to update this site regularly to keep the membership informed.  If you have information you would like displayed, please contact the Local Union Business Office.  

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Local (www.local1899.org) is a non-profit internet site protected by copyright law and owned and maintained by USW Local 1899 for the use of its dues paying members. Access by the general public is also welcome.

NOTICE OF LEGAL USAGE


Notice to Salaried Employees, Officials, Staff Members, Contractors, or any other type of Agent of U.S. Steel Corporation.

Information from this site is NOT intended for the free use of salaried employees, officials, staff members, nor any other agents of U.S. Steel Corporation.

If you are a salaried employee, official, staff member, or any other agent of U.S. Steel Corporation and you wish to access copyrighted information within local1899, then you must purchase an annual subscription on a single user basis. A single user subscription costs five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year and may be obtained by sending a check or money order payable to the United Steelworkers - Local 1899.

If you access any page of the material managed and owned by USW 1899, without a subscription, you agree by that access to pay five hundred dollars ($500) per page per incident of access. You further agree to waive all rights to contest collection of any debt thereby incurred, and enter into this agreement on behalf of the entity on whose computer or through whose internet account your access was facilitated.

By accessing the copyrighted material of USWA Local 1899 you agree to allow USW Local 1899 or it's agents to inspect the hard drive of your computer to determine the number of times the site was accessed according to the terms of this contract to enable assessment of amounts owed.

You further represent that by confronting any member of this local about any copyrighted material appearing in loca 1899.org you have willingly entered into the above agreement.