BY MIKE FITZSIMMONS
NILES, Ohio - Spirits remain high on the picket lines as more
than 500 members of United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Locals
2155 and 2155-7 approach the fourth month on strike here against
RMI Titanium. "Our motto is `One day longer,'" said Rick Maine, a
maintenance grievanceman and member of the negotiating team with
18 years at RMI.
"I'm proud to be out here with these guys. Of course Íd rather be working, but I'll stay out until it's done," added Tom Taylor, a shearman for two years.
Pickets are quick to point to the importance of rejecting the company's demand to introduce a permanent $1.60 pay cut for new hires and the replacement of the company-funded pension plan with employee-funded 401K plans.
The union also demands a pay raise and pension increase to a comparable level with major steel producers like USX, the former owner of RMI.
Maine also pointed to the participation of 450 of the 500 members of the local in picket duty. Each picket is scheduled for two four-hour shifts per week, with some spending substantially more time than that.
The outreach and support work of the union committees also contribute to raising the morale of the ranks.
The Steelworkers' fight was recently bolstered by the victory of nurses at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in nearby Warren.
After a nine-day strike in November, according to striking Steelworkers, the nurses were able to return to work with the hospital's promise to reduce forced overtime.
A contingent of those nurses participated in a November solidarity rally organized by the Women's Action Committee of the striking USWA locals. The committee also organized a spaghetti dinner for strikers' families on December 12 at the union hall of USWA Local 1375 in Warren.
Members of this local, workers at WCI Steel, regularly visit the picket line and participate in other solidarity activities. Activists in the Women's Action Committee and the Strike Assistance Committee proudly point to their success in working with local pharmacists to ensure that strikers' medical needs are addressed during the strike.
For information on how to help, call USWA Locals 2155 and 2155-7 at 330-652-0288.