Strike looms at Wise

LISTERHILL - Without a last-minute reversal, picket lines will go up at the Wise Alloys plant today, threatening to shut down production at the company's Colbert County operation.

Labor contracts expire today for most, if not all, of the 11 unions that represent the nearly 1,000 workers at Wise Alloys.

"We're hopeful the company will sit down with us and bargain in good faith, but I don't see any movement in that direction at this point," said Charles Lamon, assistant business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 558. "I really don't see a way to avoid (a strike) at this time. We have no desire to go on strike, but we're left with no options.

"The ball is in the company's court. All they need to do is come to the table and negotiate in a sincere manner."

Union officials say the first picket line could go up as early as 3 p.m. today when the contract with security guards expires. Many of the maintenance workers are expected to set up a picket line at 4 p.m. when their contract ends.

The effectiveness of the strike could be determined just after 11:59 p.m. when the Steelworkers' contract is scheduled to expire. The Steelworkers, with about 330 workers at Wise, provide most of the production jobs.

Wise officials have been negotiating with the Steelworkers local on a new contract and those talks will likely continue through today.

A new contract could keep the Steelworkers on their jobs, while the other unions are on strike. If the new deal is not finalized and the Steelworkers join their union comrades, a work stoppage - or at least a slow down in production - would be likely, according to numerous sources at the plant.

"At this point, our full efforts are focused on reaching a fair and equitable outcome for all parties involved," said Wise Alloys spokesman Wayne Travers.

Negotiations are apparently going on with the operating engineers local as well. Lamon and other union labor representatives, however, say Wise officials are not negotiating with maintenance workers.

Travers said company officials would not address any specific issues under discussion or speculate on any future developments or events at the plant in Listerhill.

Wise officials have previously said they need to out-source the maintenance jobs in an effort to compete in the global aluminum market. The process involves using contract workers to perform the duties held by longtime Wise employees.

"To compete in a global market, you do it by producing world-class metal, not by doing away with the workers who have proven they produce at a world-class level and who have sacrificed time and again to help your company survive here," Lamon said. "The union workers here made a lot of sacrifices that allowed Wise to buy Reynolds (on April 1, 1999) and to operate successfully. Now, this is how they are repaying the workers and our community. Tell me what's right about that? This is not the unions' fault. "

ABB Inc. has been hired to provide workers for most of the maintenance jobs at the plant on River Road. Other companies will provide workers for other duties.

From the company's viewpoint, the people filling the 200 maintenance jobs are, in essence, being laid off and replaced by workers representing the private companies like ABB and Guard Mark.

ABB representatives have told maintenance workers at Wise that they can submit applications to continue in their positions at Wise - but under ABB management. They also told Wise workers that they would provide similar wages or better and would work with unions should the new work force decide to organize.

Dave Biros, director of business development with ABB, said the company has been hiring since September and still has several openings. He said anyone in the current Wise maintenance work force is welcome to apply.

"We have been encouraging them to apply since early September," Biros said. "A number of salaried Wise employees have applied with ABB. We've had two hourly employees apply."

ABB plans to hire 126 people to fill the maintenance jobs at the plant, Biros said.

"The existing work force at any ABB full-service site always has first dibs when ABB begins hiring," he said. "These employees have the skills and the understanding of their workplace. We always want to combine our professional maintenance management expertise with their shop-floor experience."

Biros said it's not true that workers who transfer from Wise's payroll to ABB's will see their wages and benefits cut.

"ABB has offered new employees the same pay rates as the rates Wise employees currently make," he said. "We even assured the Wise maintenance employees that they would continue to receive their current pay rate plus enhancements to some of their current benefits."

Biros said ABB offers complete benefits, including health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance. The company has said it will provide 12 paid holidays, up to five weeks of vacation and up to $10,000 a year in education assistance.

"All of our employees are salaried, which means they are paid even if they are off sick. And yes, employees still get paid overtime when they work it," Biros said.

Lamon said the building and trades unions that represent workers at Wise have asked what's needed for current labor contracts to continue so their workers could remain at Wise and under local union representation.

In an Oct. 19 letter of response from Sandra Scarborough, vice president of human resources at Wise, 11 concessions are listed as musts for the maintenance workers. Among those is waiving of seniority rights in job assignments and reductions of forces, elimination of arbitration if grievances and consolidation of all maintenance jobs.

"We freely acknowledge that the council will find many, if not all of these terms, unacceptable," Scarborough wrote.

Lamon said the letter shows that the company is unwilling to negotiate in good faith with the building and trade unions. Local unions have filed two complaints to the National Labor Board accusing the company of not negotiating in good faith. A ruling on those complaints has not been made.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick toward a possible labor showdown today.

Ernie Kilpatrick, business agent for the Steelworkers local, said his organization is trying to negotiate a fair deal and remains hopeful that can be achieved.

"If we don't get a contract, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next," Kilpatrick said. "We're making progress. We have several issues to work out."

He declined to list those issues.

Several workers say they are prepared to strike, though. Lamon said all 96 workers represented by the IBEW have voted to strike.

Ken Crowson, a member of the Steelworkers local, said the company appears to be negotiating with his union but he wonders why other unions are not being considered.

"They're supposed to negotiate with us, but they said they're not negotiating with maintenance," Crowson said. "I don't know how they can do that. I think they should negotiate with everyone. We all just want to be treated fairly."

Heath Ayers, another Steelworkers member at Wise, said he will join the picket line after midnight today.

"It will shut down our operations for a week or maybe the whole year," Ayers said. "I'd rather see the plant shut down than to not have a union operating here."

Sammy Smith, a crane operator and IBEW member, said he would be one of what he expects to be several hundred union employees picketing later today.

"We'll come out at 4 p.m. and picket if negotiations in good faith aren't made," Smith said. "We'll negotiate with Wise and Wise only."

Smith said he has been told that the Steelworkers will honor the groups' picket line and some have said they would join the picket if contracts are not renewed.

Lamon said the strike can be avoided.

"It's our hope that they will realize that this plant has been successful for 65 or 66 years because of the workers here," he said. "We hope they realize that they need these workers who have helped make them successful. All we're asking for is a fair shake."

Kenda Williams can be reached at 740-5720 or kenda.williams@timesdaily.com.

TimesDaily Managing Editor Mike Goens contributed to this report.