FAR EAST
This is where our jobs most likely will go with the Senate's failure to
support our industry.
The Senate overwhelmingly voted (83-15) to grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR)
to China in spite of the opposition from labor, the steel industry, and human rights
groups. This act by our government not only helped Wall Street, but also could get us one
step closer to becoming a service rather than manufacturing nation. This bill could
devastate the steel industry by allowing China to dump lower priced steel products in our
country.
COMMENTS ON THE PNTR:
- "We gave the Chinese a blank check. We will lose hundreds of thousands of jobs over
time…I think it is wrong for America. This is not about the workers. Our lawmakers
are supporting Wall Street and not the average citizens. Congress didn't stand up for
us." - Mark Glyptis, I.S.U.
- "The signal we send by granting PNTR now is a signal of abject weakness. It is a
signal of greed. It is a signal of ambivalence on the issue of nonproliferation"-Senator
Robert Byrd
- "A vote in favor (of normal trade relations) for China will allow us to deal
specifically with China on steel…The American people must understand this, China will
enter the WTO (World Trade Organization) no matter what Congress does." -Senator
Jay Rockefeller
- "Removing trade barriers has helped Ohio become the eighth largest exporter in the
U.S. Part of Ohio's export success can be linked to passage of the North American Free
Trade Agreement…I firmly believe that opening China economically to the rest of the
world can only help efforts to open up its political system and improve the lives of its
people." -Senator George Voinovich
THE PNTR VOTES:
Byrd-WV No
DeWine-OH Yes
Rockefeller-WV Yes Santorum-PA Yes
Specter-PA No
Voinovich-OH Yes
Support those who support YOU!!!
WEIRTON RECEIVES LOAN
Weirton Steel received $25.5 M Loan from the Emergency
Steel Loan Guarantee Act.
Company officials stated that this money certainly won't solve all of our problems but it
lessens the damage inflicted the past two plus years by unfair imports.
Mark Glyptis stated, "This loan would not be possible if not for the tireless effort
of Senator Byrd-WV. He is without a doubt one of the greatest legislators this country has
ever known. Senator Byrd is a lifetime member of the I.S.U., and we greatly appreciate his
unwavering support of the steel industry." An invitation has been extended to Senator
Byrd to attend a function in his honor.
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AROUND THE MILL
The following areas will be experiencing outages or reduction in
operations as relayed by management.
Keep in mind these dates are always subject to change.
Sheet Mill
No. 3 Galvanize Line will be down October 8th through
November 5th for tension leveler and conditioning mill.
No. 4 Galvanize Line - October 8th through October 21st and will
complete delivery end looping section.
No. 5 Galvanize Line is starting their conditioning mill without having business or
operating interruptions. Great work Sheet Mill employees!!!
Steel Works No. 1
According to Ed Scram, No. 4 Blast Furnace will be down from October 18th
through December 31st.
The B.O.P. will begin a 14 turn schedule starting October 22nd due to a one
blast furnace operation.
Strip Steel
November 5th to November 19th has been
established for repairs to the Hot Mill and Reheating Furnaces.
UNITED WAY
The annual Weirton Steel drive for United Way has begun.
The United Way has been a very important part of our community for a very long time. The
participating agencies are dedicated to helping those individuals less fortunate than us.
Many of our members' families have used these services offered at one time or another. It
is very easy to not give money to an organization that you may not be familiar with or
have not had to utilize their services. Your donations, regardless of the amount, are
important in the operation of their business.
I.S.U. members are approximately 83% of the workforce in Weirton Steel. If all bargaining
unit members gave $2 per month, we would be able to donate approximately $80,000 per year
to United Way agencies.
HELP SUPPORT UNITED WAY!!!!!
CONTRACT REMINDER
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