STRUTHERS Council addresses Astro Shapes strike

One striker estimates the city would lose $180,000 a year in income taxes.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
STRUTHERS -- Bearing American flags and posters, about 250 people -- striking Astro Shapes workers and their families -- marched to city hall Wednesday evening to plead their predicament to city council.
About two dozen of the striking workers filed into council chambers while the rest converged outside the main entrance cheering and chanting.
Although orderly and respectful, the striking workers recited their own version of the Pledge of Allegiance, adding two words to the last line of Francis Bellamy's composition: "... with liberty and justice for all, except scabs."
To ensure an orderly meeting, council decided to address new business near the top of the meeting rather than near the end, as is the usual order.
Councilman Bert Cene, who is related to the owners of Astro Companies but has never worked at or held any interest in the business, introduced motions to read aloud and accept a resolution supporting a peaceful, equitable and timely settlement of the labor dispute between Astro and striking members of the United Steelworkers of America Local 9401.
Thanks council
Dennis Brubaker, Steelworkers union field representative, and a handful of striking union members addressed council before the vote.
"I just want to thank you for the bipartisan resolution," Brubaker said. The resolution will help bring both sides back to the bargaining table, he said, "and the only way to get it resolved is to get to the bargaining table."
Striking workers echoed his remarks and apologized for the "2 or 3 percent" of strikers who caused problems on the picket line. "Ninety-eight percent of us just want to get it resolved," said a man who identified himself as a 16-year employee who's been working at Astro Shapes since he was 18 years old.
Robert Harris, a striking worker whose elderly parents reside in Struthers, said he is concerned not only about his livelihood and that of his co-workers, but about the city residents who count on city services paid for with revenues derived from workers' income tax.
Harris estimated that without the income taxes Astro Shapes workers pay, the city would lose more than $180,000 a year.
During a press conference earlier to announce a teleconference involving company and union representatives and a federal mediator, Mayor Dan Mamula said the city is losing $700 a day in income tax while the Astro Shapes workers remain on strike.
Overtime costs
The city is also incurring additional expenses because safety forces are working overtime to control crowds and ensure safety, the mayor added.
During the rally and march to city hall, six officers were working overtime; four others were working their regular shifts, according to police Capt. Ed Villone.
Councilman Jerry Shields expressed gratitude to Mamula "for opening the door" for negotiations to resume. The teleconference is slated for 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Council passed the resolution, and striking workers filed out of the room flashing the thumbs-up sign and nodding their approval.
"You make me want to move to Struthers," one worker proclaimed to council.
The crowd outside roared as co-workers filed out with news of the resolution.
Cheers continued to echo through the street and the halls of the municipal building for several minutes as the mayor reported on the brownfield conference he and council President Danny Thomas attended in Portland, Ore.
Mamula told council that significant changes have been made in federal laws to encourage brownfield redevelopment, including "innocent purchaser protection" that limits the liability of buyers. Assistance programs also have changed, he said.
Even more significant, Mamula said, was the opportunity he and Thomas had to participate in the White House Roundtable discussions regarding brownfield redevelopment.
kubik@vindy.com