East Chicago, Indiana Volume 19; No. 11st Qtr. 2008

LOCAL 1010STEELWORKER

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of 2007At Indiana Harbor East

To Be Continued...

The GoodAt #5&6 Blast Furnace, a new manager took over inearly 2007. At that time 5&6 was the worst in class.The new manager, Brian Black, started out by build-ing a relation-ship with theUnion griev-ancecommitteeman,Frank Deel,based on mutual respect, and working to solve issuesand not just taking positions.This manager’s approach was new at 5&6. Peopleon the shop floor were treated with respect anddignity. Safety became a core value and not just a

“Rock and Roll Mechanical Lunchroom” at IH5, IH6, #3 Sintering Plant. Photos: Dave Hudson

“What is your most important job today? Your safety.”Brian Black

buzzword.Well guess what? Five and six went from the worst inclass to the best in class.How did this happen, you ask? As Aretha Franklin

sung it so well:R.E.S.P.E.C.T.The managerworks with theUnion and

walks the walk. Pretty simple, if you think about it.Five and six is cleaner and safer and the lunchroom inthe maintenance shop is a real showplace.

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Joe passed away at the age of 88on October 14, 2007. In 1939 hewas active in the Union and helpedin collecting Union dues. Foryears he was the griever in theOpen Hearth. He wasa Rank and Filemember all of hisyears in the Union.Joe never missed apass out of literatureat the gates.He dated MaryOBradovich. She wasthe first female everelected at Local1010. Mary was theRecording Secretary.My father said in allhis years in the Union,she was the best re-cording secretary weever had. Mary wouldshow movies twice a month at theold Union Hall for the kids towatch. I went many times. Joemarried Mary in 1945.Joe was always slated against thetoughest person for a full timegrievance job at the Union Hall.Finally he was elected to Chairmanof the Grievance Committee. Inall my years in the Union, he putmore pressure on foremen in the3rd step hearings than any otherchairman we ever had. He was alittle hard of hearing and could bevery loud. When he was throughwith a foreman a lot of them didn’twrite the employees any more lettersbecause they didn’t want to faceJoe again.

JOE GYURKODuring one 3rd step hearing a plantofficer had a gun on him, and Joeasked him to take the gun out ofthe room because he was trying tointimidate our people. The sergeant

told him that he was leaving his gunright where it was. Joe told himthat he was giving him one minuteto take it out of the room or hewas coming across the table andtake it off of him. Labor relationsmade him take the gun out of theroom.At one delegate election to theInternational Union Convention,Joe was elected, but he never gotover the fact that his daughter,Darlene, got more votes than him.He took a lot of kidding over that.When we went to contractnegotiations, my wife had meroom with him because she knewJoe would keep me in line.

We roomed together many times.Joe had a curfew on me for whattime I had to be in bed. One nightI tried to get into the room aftermissing my curfew time. He had

locked me out andI had to go tosomeone else’sroom to sleep.Another time wewere roomingtogether and thetelevision wasacting up. He toldme to take care ofit. On the third dayit was still notworking right. Istarted to callthem. Joe grabbedthe phone out ofmy hand and toldthem we were on

the 22nd floor on the east side ofthe building. Also, he told them ifthe television wasn’t fixed infifteen minutes to look out thewindow because he would bethrowing it out. In ten minutes wehad a brand new television.When Joe retired he stayed activewith our S.O.A.R. chapter and laterbecame president of S.O.A.R.Joe was 200% Union and it willbe hard to find another person likehim. He is up there with Marylooking over us. Joe, I will neverforget you.Don Lutes

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UNION SAFETY COMMITTEE REPORT

Safety CommitteeSafety CommitteeSafety CommitteeSafety CommitteeSafety Committee398-3100 x120 or 121safety@uswa1010.org

Ivan Agosto - Chairman397-6934

Cell: 712-5631

Nick Valle - Vice Chairman(708) 891-2272Cell: 808-5377

John Gelon - Secretary690-1523

Cell: 406-4190

Don Jones - Safety Coordinator838-4210

Cell: 712-5610From left: John Gelon, Nick Valle, Don Jones, Ivan Agosto

We need to Learn fromour Mistakes!The New Year is always agood time to set our goals forthe year. The safety of all ourco-workers represents themost important thing that wemust do. The year 2007 stillshowed us some of the sametrends that we have seen overthe last several years. Ourcurrent data from most ofthe plant indicates that wehave had an increase inthe number of sprains and

strains type of injuries from the previous year, from 140 to 175. However, we did see a decrease in the numberof finger injuries from the previous year, from 80 to 69. Our hand injuries went from 48 to 37 and our eyeinjuries went from 90 to 73. Whatever the final data represents, we are still having too many accidents orincidents. On the average, at least one-a-day per calendar year, one of our co-workers may suffer an injury.In a joint effort between your Union and the company to improve safety and health in the work place, and also to learn frompast incidents, there has been safety committees formed to address the best practices across all of the ArcelorMittal plantsin the USA. We must learn from the unfortunate deaths and serious accidents that have happened in our Blast Furnaces,Basic Oxygen Furnaces, Electric Furnaces and other plant operations across the country.These committees will work in an effort to eliminate the hazards and to develop procedures that reduce risk that may beassociated to our work assignments. The job tasks that are being looked into may consists of proper personal equipment,protective glass & shielding, emergency preparedness & fist aid training, standard operations, abnormal/special or emer-gency operations, mechanical integrity, CO gas procedures/systems, EOT & mobile cranes, RC engine & railroad opera-tions, mobile equipment, conveyors, radioactive device prevention in scrap, housekeeping and auditing. The key elementof all of the above items will be doing audits. Once we make changes to our work practices and procedures we mustensure that we abide by them.We will be engaging our Department Safety Committees to use the data from the accidents and incidents to identifycommon trends within their own departments and our like facility’s here at the Indiana Harbor Plant and USA Plants. AsPresident Hargove has stated: We must change the Culture, we must change our mindset that safety is the way of life. Wemust not take risks and just because that’s the way we were taught is the safest way. We must learn from our mistakes andnear misses.Housekeeping improvements in our plant must continue to move forward to eliminate hazards and unsafe conditions; wewill need your help. We must drive this effort. Take some time every shift and survey your work area, asking yourself “whatcan I do to make the work environment safer for all our workers?” The effort you make for safety will help ensure that youand your co-workers return home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day. You work for your family and yourself.You owe it to them to return home safely every day.We continue the project of addressing antiquated and inaccurate lockout procedures that some departments are currentlyusing and will continue this project until complete. Always lockout and verify! You are the last line of defense on every job,always use extreme caution and verify everything!Make the job safe or don’t do it! Safety is about you!

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It is the company’s obligation toprovide a safe work place, but it isup to us to make sure they live upto their obligation. If the job isn’tsafe, make it safe!Buddy ReliefI’m being asked out in the shop“How does buddy relief work?”

Before You Start, Be Safety Smart

Joe PillerGrieverArea 4

SAFETY ADVOCATESDon Clintonx 5757Jim Spasoffx 2388Marvin Strongx 5743John Walkerx 8326

UNION REPSJoe PillerPager: 219-752-0020Shop: x1901Home: 708-478-1629Hall: 398-3100 x134Ernest MosleyShop: x2356Home: 980 0294

Dave LomellinShop: x1901Pager: 752-0012Cell: 805-0902Fabian MartinezShop: x5828Ruben VelezShop: x1262

The contract says,“Employees required to remain onthe job until relieved shall be al-lowed to relieve each other(“buddy relief”) in accordancewith procedures established be-tween the management and union,up to 30 minutes prior to thescheduled end of the turn providedthe Employee has worked theirscheduled total hours.”Lunch ReliefAnother common question is “AmI supposed to get lunch relief?”The contract says, “The company

will provide reasonable and appro-priate arrangements for lunch op-portunity and other personal needsfor employees during the courseof a shift.”Safety Shoe AllowanceOn October 1 of each year, eachemployee, other then a probation-ary employee, is entitled to newsafety shoes.ElectionsProtect our jobs and our standardof living, VOTE for candidatesthat support labor’s agenda.

LOCAL 1010

Local 1010 Scholarship Committee3703 Euclid Ave.

East Chicago, IN 46312219-398-3100

ESSAY COMPETITIVE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDFour $1,000 Scholarships

United Steelworkers Local 1010 will award four $1,000 scholarships for use in anycollege, university or technical school in the United States of America on July 3, 2008on the basis of a 500 word written essay competition on “Why Unions Matter”.

HOW TO APPLYSecure an official application form along with procedure and instructions beginningFebruary 25 through March 20, 2008 at Local 1010 Union Hall.

• No ACT scores required for eligibility• Must be a high school graduate, class of 2007-2008• Son, daughter, legal ward of a member, retired member, or deceased member of USW Local 1010• Application form must be completed and certified by an official of Local 1010 by 4 pm on April 4, 2008

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Represent!

“Be not conformed to this world;but be ye transformed by therenewing of your mind”...Romans12:2“Do not conform” is difficult advicein a generation when crowd pressureshave unconsciously conditioned ourminds and feet to move to the rhyth-mic drumbeat of the status quo. Manyvoices and forces urge us to choosethe path of least resistance and bid usnever to fight for an unpopular causeand never to be found in a pathetic mi-nority of two or three.Ever certain of our intellectual disciplineswhich persuade us of the need to conform,some psychologists say that a mentaland emotional adjustment is the rewardof thinking and acting like other people,and philosophical sociologists suggestthat morality is merely a group consensusand the folkways are the right ways.Success, recognition, and conformityare the catch-phrases of the modernworld where everyone seems to cravethe anesthetizing security of beingdentified with the majority.I said that to say this:February is African-American HistoryMonth. African-Americans occupyapproximately 15% of the UnitedStates population. It is very ironic that15% also represents the number ofunionized people in United Statesworkforce. This in itself represents adefinite correlation! History tells us that

the labor movement andAfrican-Americans at one pointin time was not a marriagemade in heaven. In fact, in oraround 1866, when whiteworkers organized the NationalLabor Union, they did so with

the intent of being the representativeunion of the working people. However,African-Americans were excluded andnever were accepted on equal basiswith whites in the National LaborUnion. White workers felt that theAfrican-African of that time, so recentlyfreed from slavery, did not understandthe true principles of labor unions. Thusin 1869, the National Negro LaborUnion was formed. With the expresspurpose of advancing the cause, workersfinally succeeded in having anaffiliation with the National LaborUnion. Nevertheless, even with thecoalition alleging existence, the position ofthe African-American worker in soci-ety was not a highly desirable one, butused by manipulative employers. Theblack worker was often forced towork for lower wages in order to tohave a job at all. Thus, an often heardquote in the African-American realmis “LAST HIRED, FIRSTFIRED.”Our African-American ancestorswould exclaim: “What a tremendouscontrast, today we as African-Americansare represented at all levels of the unionsolidarity purpose and have been overthe years. The United Steelworkershas approximately 1,000,000 members.Leon Lynch, an African-American,(recently retired) was one of theVice Presidents at the InternationalHeadquarters, replaced by FredRemond, also a black man. BillAndrews (recently retired) was Staff

Rep for the International and formerPresident of Local 1010 for more thanthree terms. Mary Elgin, formerUnion Steward, former Financial Secretaryfor Local 1010 and an former ExecutiveBoard Member. Alexander Jacque,former Chairman of the GrievanceProcedure, is presently a Staff Rep forthe International. Melvin Adamsstarted as Griever for years at #2 CokePlant, was elected Treasurer thenFinancial Secretary of Local 1010 anda former Executive Board Member, aswas Seretha Woods. J.C. Porter,the late Walter Green, the lateWilliam “Bill” Gailes and the lateBobby Joe Thompkins were also of-ficers of the grievance procedure.Currently David Hunter, EnieMosley, Leonard Mosley andDuwayne Brown have taken on themonumental task as Union representativesfor Local 1010. We applaud theirefforts. I was elected as griever at #3CS, served on the Executive Board,elected Secretary of the GrievanceProcedure and now elected as ViceChairman Grievance procedure.We as African-American people haveexcelled in every possible category knownto man; religion, union, government, sports,television, education, computers, medicine,military and so on. But this in itself is amonumental accomplishment, since thetime of the European Slave Tradeinitiative which began the largest forcedmigration in the history of the world.Estimates of Africans removed from thecontinent range from 15 to 50 millionfrom 1482 to 1888. No more of atragic episode had ever been recordedin human history, given its continuingimpact on contemporary society.

Continued on page 6

Darrell ReedVice Chairman,Grievance Procedure

1st Qtr. 2008Page 6

At press time, an African-Americanhas made history once more! BarackObama, the senator from Illinois anda Harvard University graduate, won thefirst step in obtaining the democraticnomination for the presidency of theseUNITED STATES OF AMERICA,as he won the Iowa caucus over JohnEdwards and Hillary Clinton. Wecould wake up on November 4, 2008with a black man as President, staytuned! THESE ARE NOT THEBLUE STATES! THESE ARENOT RED STATES! THESE ARETHE UNITED STATES OFAMERICA!!

“JUST A THOUGHT”Although one may disagree on how theinterpretation was evaluated from theBible, which is God to the church or acollective bargaining contract book,which is from God to the union andthe company. There is a definite cor-relation between the two, whose foun-dations are built to obtain similar goals:fair and equitable, peace, justice, loveand a better way of life for all who fol-low rules.

Area 6 Reportby Darrell LabargeAssistant Griever

First, I would like to start off by sayingthat I hope everyone had a MerryChristmas. Second, I hope that ev-eryone has a very safe, happy andprosperous new year.

A few things that stand out from 2007:

One is that when the Union andcompany go to arbitration, it appearsthat when the Union loses, thecompany wants to implement it rightnow. But, when the Union wins, nowall of a sudden the company wants toplay dumb! Yeah, right. They pretendthey don’t understand how it issupposed to work. Now they haveto check into it, and they will get backto us. Then it turns into yet anotherfight, which is why sometimes it takesso long for the issue to getimplemented!

Another issue seems to be man power.They are hiring, yet it seems to be tooslow a process and still not enough manpower for what is actually needed tocontinue to strive to make the millfunction. Another very serious issue isthat they are not hiring maintenancepersonnel. Instead, they are continuingto utilize outside contractors inpositions which should be held by ourmaintenance personnel. The UnionHall continues to fight this issue.The company is also trying to sneak incontractors. They fail to produce theorder or notification for these contractorstill after the fact, but our Union brothersand sisters are always on the alert.Please don’t ever stop contacting

your Union reps when you seecontractors inside the mill doingour work!

Also in regards to hiring, I have noidea where the company recruitssome of these NEW SUPERVISORS!WOW!! Some of these people whoare hired try to come into thedepartments to change the WORLD!They really have no clue about thedepartment and how it operates orwhat it takes to make it operate. Youwould think they would come into thedepartment and try to work togetherwith the Union people so departmentswill run more efficiently. I suggest thatsupervisors take some advice, es-pecially from the Union people whohave been around and know themill operations.

Now let’s talk about safety. I feel weare starting to make a little progress inour department. Some of the walk-aroundsare showing we still have a lot of workto do, but we can always use help! Asfar as reporting unsafe conditions, youcan always utilize the Unsafe ConditionReports. That way the Union will havea hard copy report. Also, instead ofcomplaining about the issue, we shouldtry and correct the unsafe condition.If you feel the problem is too big forone person, we in Area 6 have peoplewho can work on these safety issues ifthey become too big. You can talk tothem or a Union safety advocate! Asalways, you can contact any of yourUnion reps on any issue. We will defi-nitely address your problem, but al-ways remember some of these taketime to resolve but we won’t giveup on them.

Continued from page 5 Reed

Page 7Steelworker

A VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

By: Maria L.A. Garcia2

2007 COAT DRIVEBy: Maria L.A. Garcia

2

SALVATION ARMY

CHRISTMAS ANGELS

By: Maria L.A. Garcia2

WOS Calendar of Events 4

RECIPES FROM LOCAL 1010 4

FALL PROTECTIONBy: Donna T. Parker

5

HEALTH AND SAFETY(Crossword Puzzle, Cryptogram)

6

Puzzle Solutions 8

Volume 2, Issue 1 (1ST QUARTER) JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND MARCH, 2008

Inside This Issue:

WOMEN OF STEELLOCAL 1010

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Maria “LA” Garcia

Chair

Seretha Woods

Vice Chair

Gail Richardson

Secretary

Local 1010’s WOS Officers:

Article Courtesy of The Times Newspaper (Additional pictures taken by Seretha Woods on page 5)

1st Qtr. 2008Page 8

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cost to the Employee, effective pro-tective equipment in good workingorder when required by law orregulation or when necessary toprotect employees from injury orillness.The strong commitment by employeesto focus on safety, quality and the will-ingness on occasion to fill the openturns continues to make #2 Steel Pro-ducing a productive and profitable fa-cility. That commitment has lead to thecompany discussing possibly makingupgrades and expansions in our de-partment. These upgrades would en-hance our production. More informa-tion when it becomes available.As you all know, 2008 is a contractyear. Many of you have already heardof the rumors of upgrades in the de-partment. What that will entail yet, wedon’t know. As with any rumor,don’t believe everything you hear.Speaking of the contract, in Decem-ber the Local Union met with the In-ternational and other locals in order toformulate a plan. That plan will be aspring board to open dialog with thecompany in regards to the contract inJanuary. From there I know we willhave a sound-off at the Union Hall,where you will be able to speak out.Some people have approached mesaying they have heard of certain de-tails of the contract. I can tell you thatwhatever I know, I will share with you.So far, nothing has been stated. Cer-tain people get there information fromsalary personal. Caution! ExtremelyUnreliable Source! Hey, get a clue!Also, I encourage everyone to attendtheir Local Union meetings. Our meet-ing is the first Thursday of each month,beginning at 5:30p.m.Hope I can get some help with this

riddle! How to get into the GoodOld Boy Club, or does managementwant to contract out. Recently inmaintenance, the company hired youngcollege educated individuals to super-vise workers. After being ostracizedby management, several of these main-tenance supervisors either quit ortransferred out of 2SP. Then, olderretired supervisors who are friends ofsomebody get rehired by the companyas a temporary (some have been hereover a year) but much costlier super-visor. Presently we have about four socalled temporary supervisors in main-tenance. Now we hear managementwants to start contracting out more andmore of our work in maintenance.Perhaps by not having permanent su-pervisors, the goal is to try and con-tract the work out, and then let yourtemporary costlier supervisors go, ornot! Then what do you do with themaintenance workers? What is thegoal?If you feel that someone is doing yourwork that is not a bargaining unitworker, or something you normallywork on is being shipped out, pleasenotify a Union rep. We have receivedsome good tips that are very helpful.United We Stand, Divided We Fall!Yours in Solidarity,Mike Bouvat

I would like to wish everyone a happynew year in 2008. I hope everyoneenjoyed the holidays. As we look backon 2007, I would like us to remembera couple of the employees who havepassed and are no longer with us. Theywill be missed. Thank you to theemployees who have helped out in theDepartment Steering Committee, andArea Safety Committee. Your involvementhas made a difference. Also, thanksto the workers who stood up for safetyand refused to do unsafe acts. Youalso have had an impact.I also would like to thank the Unionstewards; Lee Smith, BOF maintenance;Rodney Dinwiddie and ShawnShultz, furnace area, for their solidarity inrepresenting our brothers and sisters. Spe-cial thanks to assistant griever JamesHarris for his tenacity when dealingwith safety and contractual issues thispast year. Our unity is essential in or-der to adequately represent everyone.The Union reps, along with help fromthose on the safety committees, havebeen able to resolve some of your con-cerns about our locker rooms. Wewere able to solve a water leak by thelockers that had been there for years.New toilets, shower heads and a wa-ter heating system have been installed.New greens have also been provided.Remember, all employees have theright to proper protective equipment!Article 3, section D: The RightTo Adequate Protective Equipment:The company will provide without

Moving Forward in 2008by Mike BouvatGriever, Area 5

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Area 32 Reportby Steve ConnellAssistant Griever

Happy New Year to all our UnionBrothers & Sisters. The New Yearbrings in some new Area #32Union Rep positions: Griever,Larry McMahon - plant ph #5589, pager # 752-0030 & home# 219-956-4850; Asst Griever,Steve Connell – plant ph # 5589,pager # 755-7858 & home # 924-7945; Steward, Dan Rios - plantph # 8673, pager 738-8060 &home # 398-6929. Dan Luce &Steve Zisoff will retain their cur-rent Steward positions.The refrigeration group signed anew mutual agreement switching

them from Area #20 group to Area#32 and reaffirming the rights ofthe Central MaintenancePipefitters on page 127 of the cur-rent contract book. Thus Dan Riosretains his Steward job into Area#32. We welcome their expertise.We finally have a new overtimeagreement. It was an amazing 2year endeavor which finally cameto an end and will go into effect 1/6/2008. Another huge issue,which will be arbitrated 1/7/08 isthe MTM - MTE craft crossingCrane Repair Grievance. At theend of 2007 we met with manage-ment to insure that the propertraining is given to all the craftsdue to our increased job descrip-tions. Feel free to speak up if you

are not properly trained to do aspecific task and remember, do notwork unsafe. Those advocates areout there to help you when safetyproblems arise and do not hesitateto call Rodney Dobbins #7790,Ernie Gutierrez #4450, EddisClark # 8436, Dave Horn #7343or Joe Sarwacinski # 2236. Thenext retirement party will be Fri-day, April 4, 2008 at the K. of C.in Griffith. Please try to attend!A big thanks to the ContractingOut Committee (Max & Don) onthose contracting out payoutswhich we received on pay period#27.

Thanks for your Unity & Support,your Reps

4th Quarter 2007 Retirees

Local 1010 would like to wish our newest, and all previous, retirees

a long, happy and healthy retirement.

ALONZO, SANDRA K - 28 - FI-NANCIAL ACCTG & SVCSARAGON, JESUS - 31 - 80 INCHHOT STRIP MILLBURGAN, ANN E - 27 - 80 INCHHOT STRIP MILLCHENAULT, MITCHELL W - 32- 80 INCH HOT STRIP MILLCORNETT, CHARLES L - 36 -MEU FIELD FORCES-OPERATIONS

DIMOVSKI, NIKOLA - 34 - I N -TERMEDIATE - #3 CSWGARZA, ANTONIO D - 32 - #2STEEL PRODUCINGJACKSON, LINDA - 38 - NO. 2COLD STRIPKROLL, TRULENE S - 23 - IN-TERMEDIATE - #3 CSWMASON, ALBERT - 32 - 12 INCHBAR MILL

OPACIC, MIRKO - 32 - GALVA-NIZINGORELLANA, JOSEPH A - 33 -MEU FIELD FORCES-FIELD SVCSRANDOLPH, STEPHEN - 31 - INTLOG - TRUCK DRIVERRILEY, CHARLIE - 27 - GALVA-NIZINGSMITH, JOHNNY E - 39 - MEUFIELD FORCES-OPER PIPE

In retirement, every day is Boss Day and every day isEmployee Appreciation Day. ~Anonymous

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UNUNUNUNUNIIIIIONONONONON

YEYEYEYEYES!S!S!S!S!

Alcohol or Drugs a Problem?Alcohol or Drugs a Problem?Alcohol or Drugs a Problem?Alcohol or Drugs a Problem?Alcohol or Drugs a Problem?

A Members Assistance Committee member is at the Hall everyThursday and is available to help with Substance Abuse or Be-havioral Problems. Or you can call them at the numbers listedbelow.

Nationwide consultation is available 24/7 from Value Options at800-332-2214. Value Options is the Care Administrator for allSubstance Abuse and Behavioral issues. Referral and certificationby Value Options can substantially reduce your out-of-pocketcost.

Local 1010 Members Assistance CommitteeDave Lomellin (219) 397-0902 Paul Johnson (219) 364-1284

9

It was just another day at theArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor East Plant(formerly Inland Steel) when a crewof pipefitters were lined-up to installsome new piping for an oxygen line atthe Pugh Ladle Repair Area. Since thenew contract, the term “pipefitter” hasbecome old hat. Those on the mechani-cal side of the business such as thecarpenters, fabricators, machinists,mechanics and even the pipefitterswere all put into one group called theMaintenance Tech Mechanic(MTM). The MTM’s are supposedto be able to do any mechanical typejobs in the mill with a promise of train-ing in the future. Luckily, on the PughLadle Repair assignment, there wassome experience to avoid a catastro-phe.The installation crew of WillieVerduzco, Steve Hadt, GeorgeKesely, and Roger Snyder had justwelded some piping in place when theynoticed that the pipe had a flare-up andfire was inside the pipe. Since this wasan oxygen line installation, the crew im-mediately stopped and reported thecondition to their Impact Planner, TonyHarris and their Supervisor, Ira Kirby.

Experience Must Count For Something!by Ernie A. Gutierrez

Safety Advocate, Field Forces

At first, the supervisor thought the crewwas kidding but they were very seri-ous and concerned so he informed theImpact Planner to follow-up.The Impact Planner contacted the sales-men of the supplier and was instructedthat the piping was pickled and cleanedfor oxygen service. The installationcrew was informed and returned towork. However, they were still havingproblems with flare-ups and fire insidethe new piping. Therefore, theystopped the job for the second time.Due to their pipefitting experience (over120-years combined), they would notrelease the pipe to be energized withoxygen until their immediate contactsre-checked with the supplier.The supervisor realized he had a veryexplosive situation, if the crew wascorrect and the oxygen was introducedinto the new line. He instructed theImpact Planner to obtain some assur-ance from the supplier that the new pipewas processed properly.The Impact Planner contacted the sup-plier warehouse and explained the situ-ation to their expeditor. She dug throughall the paperwork and finally found the

problem. The supplier admitted to send-ing our plant the wrong pipe instead ofthe specialized pickled pipe. The plan-ner also discovered that the pipe wasshipped from China with caps installed.The supplier arbitrarily thought thatsince the piping were shipped with caps,it must be cleaned and pickled. Thecaps on the pipe were to restrict anyinsects and such from being shipped toour location and not for any special in-stallation.Before the new installation pipe couldbe used it had to be flushed to rid allthe oil solvents from the internal pip-ing. If the oil was left in the piping whenthe oxygen was introduced it could havebeen very volatile and unstable.If any of the above mentioned peopleinvolved would’ve ignored the hazard-ous signs that were seen or communi-cated, the Pugh Ladle Repair areawould have become a ticking timebomb. Their persistence, outstand-ing craftsmanship, attention to de-tail, and concern for the health andsafety of all employees is why weapplaud them.

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Continued from page 11 Wagner

of us are preparing for the new chal-lenges that await us on the job. Yetothers are preparing for life after weretire from our mill careers. It reallydoesn’t matter what your reason forlearning is. If you have a need or de-sire to improve your skills or learn anew skill, JobLink is there for YOU!While some JobLink participants arepursuing college degrees, many othersare taking classes to satisfy personaldevelopment to improve their ability toperform their current jobs or preparefor new careers and retirement. All ofthese initiatives enhance a variety ofskills including math, reading, and com-munication skills. Our Career Devel-opment Program helps prepare us forthe future challenges of our jobs, ourpersonal & family lives, and ultimatelyin retirement.Anyone interested in a specific classmay contact JobLink with the type ofclass desired to begin an interested list.Don’t take classes for granted.Classes may not be repeated, soenroll in a desired class when yousee it offered as soon as possible.All JobLink classes must be in accor-dance with the Career DevelopmentProgram Guidelines.Local 1010 members can use theirTuition Assistance Program (T.A.P.)monies to access any accredited learn-

ing institution. T.A.P. benefits are avery flexible part of our contractuallyfunded educational benefit. T.A.P.funds are subject to funding limits andare available annually on a first comefirst serve basis. Participants’$1,800.00 maximum annual benefitcan be used to cover tuition, book,and course related fees at nearly 100approved learning institutions. Classeswith the primary purpose of recreationor personnel enjoyment are not eli-gible for tuition assistance funding.Stop by JobLink to apply for tuitionprogram funding or pick up a list ofT.A.P. Vendors. A list of these edu-cational institutions is also available onJobLink’s website.We have developed reciprocal par-ticipant arrangements with the otherCareer Development Cites here inNorthwest Indiana. The availability ofcustomized classes at other sites issubject to specific agreements that wehave for each class. Those classes areavailable to active members fromeach of the sites involved. Due toscheduling, some classes are not putin our course catalogue. Please con-tact JobLink or check JobLink’swebsite for more information.Don’t forget that active 1010 mem-bers now can combine the Tuition As-sistance $1800 annual limit with theCustomize Class $2000 annual limitto provide a more flexible totalamount of educational assistance -

$3800 per year to Local 1010 mem-bers. This combination of limits is avail-able to individuals who have clear ca-reer goals to develop vocational ex-pertise and may be approved in ac-cordance with Institute for CareerDevelopment’s guidelines.Congratulations to all who participatedin one of our newest classes. Our firstWeight Watchers Class had 46 peoplelose a whopping 531.8 pounds in ap-proximately 4 months. Our next classhas over 60 people signed-up. Get-ting healthy is gettingcontagious…good luck to all!If you have a computer at home, checkout the JobLink Website at http://bkJobLink.org . You will find nextsemester’s course lineup with coursedescriptions and other pertinent infor-mation.Attention new hires…stop byJobLink and see what educationalopportunities your union negotiatedfor you!Any questions regarding JobLink canbe directed to the JobLink Staff (219)399-8136. Anyone else who needsadditional information can call me atthe union hall (219) 398-3100 x113or e-mail me atswagner@uswa1010.org. If you callwhen I am not available, please leavea message on my voice mail and I willget back to you as soon as possible.

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Sound-OfSound-OfSound-OfSound-OfSound-Off Meetings!f Meetings!f Meetings!f Meetings!f Meetings!At Local 1010 Union Hall

Feb. 27 - 8 a.m. & 4 p.m.

Page 19Steelworker

Executive BoardTom Hargrove, PresidentTom Hargrove, PresidentTom Hargrove, PresidentTom Hargrove, PresidentTom Hargrove, President

Steve Wagner, Vice PresidentFidel Azcona, Recording Secretary

Rosa Maria Rodriguez, Financial SecretaryJoe Piller, Treasurer

Dan Mosley , GuideJim Gogolak, Inner GuardLuis Aguilar, Outer Guard

Ivan Agosto, TrusteeDorine Godinez, TrusteeJerry Strauch, Trustee

Grievance CommitteeGrievance CommitteeGrievance CommitteeGrievance CommitteeGrievance CommitteeDennis Shattuck, Chairman

Darrell Reed, Vice ChairmanMatt Beckman, Secretary

GrieversGrieversGrieversGrieversGrieversKermit DeelJoe Piller

Mike BouvatOtis CochranDon SeifertJesse RamosDavid HunterDan Mosley

Ernie BarrientezFrancisco GodinezLarry McMahon

Wil RiveraTim Trtan

LOCAL 1010STEELWORKER

The Bernard KleimanJobLink Learning Center

by Steve Wagner, Vice President

Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: The opinions of the authorsexpressed herein do not necessarily state orreflect the opinions of the Local 1010Executive Board or the Editor.

Joe Woessner, EditorJoe Woessner, EditorJoe Woessner, EditorJoe Woessner, EditorJoe Woessner, Editor

The Local 1010 Steelworker is the officialpublication of the United Steelworkers - Local 1010,AFL-CIO. It is published to circulate informationof use and interest to its members. Submissionsfrom members are welcomed and encouraged.This publication is free of charge to all active andretired Local 1010 members.

Mail to: USW Local 1010Attention: Editor3703 Euclid AvenueEast Chicago, IN 46312

Phone: 219-398-3100 ext.140

email: editor@uswa1010.org

www.uswa1010.org

Change of AddressIf you have moved please mail this form, with the mailing label on the back page to Editor,Local 1010 Steelworker, 3703 Euclid Ave., East Chicago, In. 46312

Name_________________________________ Check No._________New address ____________________________________________________

City/State/Zip___________________________________________________

Do you know that there has never been an easier way to register for class?Please be aware that during registration periods….There are now 4 ways to register:

1. Online at www.bkjoblink.org2. Phone in at 399-8135 or 81363. Walk in starting at 9:00 am Mon.- Fri.4. Mail in using the form in the JobLink Catalog

Effective January 1, 2008 recent retirees may use limited Tuition Assis-tance Funds for up to one year following their retirement date. Please notethat this is a major change from the current ICD policy on expenditures forretired members. This pilot program is limited to the unspent TAP Fundsunder the 20% cap from the previous year, in this case 2007. The good newsis that our Local Joint Committee has agreed to participate.The guidelines for this pilot program are:

1. Retirees will be allowed to use up to $1800 in Tuition Assistance for a period of one year following their retirement.2. Funding for this retiree TA benefit will come from JobLink’s ap proved but unused TA funding from the previous calendar year. (Example: if JobLink budgets $25,000 for TA in 2007, but ex pends only $15,000; $10,000 is then available to be spent on re tiree TA in 2008, provided that the total amount spent on retiree TA in 2008 does not push the 2007 amount spent on TA over the 20% limit.)3. Since there is a natural limitation on funds, retiree requests will be met on a first come/first served basis.

More details will follow…check in-plant informational flyers and the JobLinkWebsite for procedural information.Now how about the rest of us?Are you using your negotiated Career Development Program benefits? Many

Continued on page 10

11

1st Qtr. 2008Page 20

PPPPPRESIDENTRESIDENTRESIDENTRESIDENTRESIDENT’’’’’SSSSS R R R R REPORTEPORTEPORTEPORTEPORT

November 2November 2November 2November 2November 2

3703 Euclid Av.East Chicago In. 46312

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE PAIDEAST CHICAGO, IN.

PERMIT NO. 228Safety First!

Make the Job Safe,or DON’T DO IT!!!

Pre-planning and Prepairingfor Bargaining

In Solidarity,

12

Dave McCall, Chairman ofArcelorMittal negotiations andDistrict 7 Director Jim Robinson,Secretary of negotiations, have scheduledplant tours and membership meetingsprior to the commencement of bargaining.The presidents from all the localsinvolved in bargaining are urged toattend as many tours and meetings aspossible. Beginning February 12,2008, we will be touring our 16locations: Sparrows Point,Conshohocken, Coatesville, Steelton,Cleveland, Lackawanna, Warren,Weirton, Cleveland, Georgetown,Burns Harbor, Indiana Harbor West,Indiana Harbor East, Riverdale,Hennepin, and finishing with MinorcaMine March 3, 2008.The membership meeting for Local1010 will be February 27, 2008 atLocal 1010 Union Hall. The meetingswill be at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.Please attend this meeting. It is anopportunity for you to hear from DaveMcCall and Jim Robinson and the

Local Union Presidents that willconstitute the Bargaining Committee.The main purposes of membershipmeetings is for the NegotiatingCommittee to hear from you. This isan opportunity for you to be heard.Don't let it pass!We are now part of a Master Agreementthat covers all of ArcelorMittal USA.In the past, Inland was a single plant,and we bargained locally. We will stillhave Local 1010 issues and itemsunique to our plant, which we will dealwith singly.As in every round of bargaining, nomatter where it is, steel, aluminum orauto, the major issue is health care.One day soon, we must have NationalHealth Care or call it Medicare for all.Fourty-six million Americans with-out health care is unacceptable anddespicable, while we can spendbillions on a war that the vast majorityof Americans say we should not be in.There are steelworker retirees who losttheir health care, due to no fault of their

own, just because a company wentbankrupt. This just isn't right!I will keep you informed and updatedonce bargaining has started. This willnot occur until we get the okay fromUnited Steelworkers InternationalPresident Leo Gerard.Recently we had three fatalities. Oneat Conshohocken and two at IndianaHarbor West. Our prayers andcondolences go out to the families ofthese three men.We must work even harder to re-duce and eliminate hazards andmake the workplace safer.ArcelorMittal World Safety Day,March 6, 2008February is Black History Month.Join me in recognizing African-Americans’contributions to thiscountry and this union.