Women of Steel to gather in support of economy

The public is invited to attend the demonstration at the Shenango Valley Mall on Halloween night..
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Women of Steel (United Steelworkers of America) District 10 aren't easily intimated.
When some of their members began receiving e-mail from unknown senders warning people against going to shopping malls Oct. 31 in light of the recent terrorist attacks, they decided to do something about it.
Linda Howard, an employee of the Werner Co. in Greenville and a member of USW Local 3713, decided to organize a stand against terrorism in the Shenango Valley Mall at 7 p.m. Oct. 31.
Howard said she got one of the e-mails herself and it made her angry.
"We decided we weren't going to be intimidated," she said, calling for a "show of support" at the mall.
"We feel this is just another attempt at hurting our economy," Howard said. If people believe those warning messages now, the same messages may appear again during the holidays in a further attempt to crush the American economy, she said.
Public invited: The Women of Steel District 10 will meet in front of the J.C. Penney store in the mall and lead a walk along the mall concourse. The public is invited to attend.
The organization was founded about 10 years ago to deal with workplace and other issues involving women steelworkers.