WHEATLAND TUBE Strike continues; plant won't close, official says

The company sent some of its work to its other plants to meet orders.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
WHEATLAND, Pa. -- Wheatland Tube Co.'s chief negotiator said there has been no talk about closing the company's pipe plant here as a result of a 20-week strike by production workers.
"That's not even been discussed," said Bill Kerins, vice president of company operations.
Members of Local 1660 of the United Steelworkers of America rejected what was supposed to be the company's final offer for a contract during a secret ballot in a 230-184 vote Sunday.
Another bargaining session has been set for 1 p.m. next Tuesday.
Although the strike, which began April 28, has hampered production, Wheatland Tube remains committed to meeting customer orders and has sent some of its work to its other plants in Sharon, Warren and Little Rock, Ark., Kerins said.
The company has been able to resume some limited production and shipping at the Wheatland plant by using management employees to run the shops, a move that angered striking workers. Dom Vadala, chief negotiator for Local 1660, said Wheatland won't close the plant because it remains profitable.
The company told the union that, even running just four days a week at 60 percent capacity, the plant was making money, Vadala said.
The Wheatland plant is noted for the high quality of the pipe it produces, Vadala said, noting it is quite common for customers to specify that pipe they order from Wheatland Tube come exclusively from the Wheatland plant.
This plant and the Sharon plant are the only pipe facilities in the Wheatland Tube Co. that have their own galvanizing lines, he added.
The Wheatland plant produces about 280,000 tons of pipe a year, and the Sharon plant puts out about 160,000 tons, he said.
Kerins said the company was disappointed that workers didn't accept terms of a proposed contract Sunday.
Based on the vote totals, it appears that a lot of the employees want to return to work, he said, noting that the strike has hurt the local economy generally and the economy of Wheatland Tube families specifically, he said.
"They're not satisfied," Vadala said of the union membership, adding that health care costs and unequal treatment for new employees remain stumbling blocks to a settlement.