USWA: Oregon Steel Must Stop Soliciting Employees to Assist in Its Bid to Win Contracts.

Business/News Editors

PUEBLO, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

According to the United Steel Workers of America (USWA), Oregon Steels subsidiary CF&I (operating as Rocky Mountain Steel Mills (RMSM)) has agreed -- under threat of prosecution -- to settle charges that

"The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) told RMSM last week that absent settlement, the NLRB would prosecute RMSM for illegally soliciting its employees to sign an anti-USWA petition that RMSM later presented to the TriMet Board," said Terry Bonds, District 12 Director of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA). According to the USWA, the NLRBs action is the latest in a string of legal setbacks for Oregon Steel in its battle with USWA. The USWA says in March 2001, RMSM was required by the NLRB to stop pressuring injured employees who have workers' compensation cases to give up their rights to back pay as unfair labor practice strikers in return for settling their injury claims. In May 2000, RMSM was found guilty by a federal administrative law judge of massive violations of federal labor law, and ordered to reinstate and make back-pay restitution to approximately 1,000 formerly striking members of the United Steelworkers of America, according to the USWA.

"Oregon Steel is suing TriMet because it awarded its rail supply contract to a more reliable RMSM," said Bonds. "The NLRBs action against RMSM shows that the only party that violated the law in the TriMet contract process was Oregon Steel itself."

Members of United Steelworkers Locals 2102 and 3267 went on strike against Oregon Steel's CF&I Steel subsidiary on Oct. 3, 1997, to protest RMSM's alleged unfair labor practices and substandard contract offer. When they ended their strike three months later, management allegedly refused to reinstate the vast majority of Steelworkers to their jobs.