REPRESENTATIVES of United Steel Workers (USW) trade union members who are locked out in Massachusetts, USA, by National Grid, lobbied the parent company’s AGM in Birmingham, UK yesterday.
A couple of the representatives went into the AGM to ask questions and call for assistance in their struggle. At the lobby outside Birmingham International Conference Centre, John Buonopane President of USW local 12012 told News Line: ‘I represent about 4,000 gas workers employed by National Grid.
‘Back home they only invest in what they can make money from. The company wants to create a two-tier benefit package for new hire employees. On health care, they want to shift some of the cost onto employees, they want to make it cheaper for them and more expensive for us.
‘The new hire package would take away their defined contribution pension plan, it would cut their life insurance, eliminate retiree health insurance for new hires and disability pension for new hires. Ours is a dangerous and responsible job. We go to work in all conditions 365 days a year.
‘The company on June 25 said that they were done bargaining with us and gave us a final offer. They said that if the committees of both unions didn’t recommend it to their members they were going to lock us out. We offered to extend negotiations but they just locked us out on June 25.
‘Then they sent a letter about cancelling everyone’s benefits that day. Health insurance was cancelled for 1,200 people and their families the next week. The company is a big company with a lot of money, trying to push the employees around. We are into the sixth week of lock out. We are concerned at public safety. There is no regulation and they are using inexperienced people to do dangerous work.’
Members of the British union Unite in the West Midlands joined the AGM lobby. Unite West Midlands regional officer Brian Rickers told News Line: ‘We are here today in solidarity with the USW steel workers and their local unions, supporting the end of the lockout by National Grid in the US.
‘National Grid are gambling with public safety by attempting to perform dangerous gas works with inexperienced management personnel and outside contractors. We are lobbying the National Grid AGM today to bring to their attention about what is going on in the US.’
