Steelworkers union accuses RTI of breaking the law

Steelworkers union accusesRTI of breaking the law
EDITOR:
For decades, the hard working men and women represented by United Steelworkers of America Locals 2155 and 2155-7 at RMI's Niles Titanium plant made sacrifices and trade-offs to secure their futures, the welfare of their families and the promise of a profitable employer for future generations.
RMI/RTI management has declared war on these workers and their families by locking them out of their rightful jobs, despite the union leadership's offer to remain on the job while negotiations for a new contract continued. In the seven months since, the USWA negotiating committee has repeated its offer to management many times, but management spitefully continues the lockout in an attempt to starve our members into accepting its demands for concessions.
The USWA takes pride in all of its members, especially the leaders in which our members place their trust to negotiate the contracts that will determine their wages, benefits and general conditions of employment. Being a leader usually means accepting responsibility and often making tough decisions.
Unfortunately, RTI management has taken the decision out of the hands of the 2155/2155-7 negotiating committee. By failing to show even a modest amount of good faith at the bargaining table, management has attempted to eliminate the committee from collective bargaining.
By unfairly insisting on concessions from our members and refusing to provide proof that the company cannot remain competitive without these concessions, management has broken the law, and the USWA is actively seeking a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board.
By proposing a contract that does not guarantee even half of the currently locked-out employees will be recalled to their jobs, RTI management has made it all but impossible for our members to ratify the contract without signing their jobs away.
Unfortunately, no individual on the USWA negotiating committee has the power to end the lockout. The only person who can singlehandedly stop 360 families suffering the effects of the lockout is RTI's top executive, Tim Ruppert.
However, our union's strength is its members, and we will not allow RTI or any other company to dictate terms of employment to them without a fight. We understand that many of our members and their families are frustrated, and the USWA has taken steps to make sure that they have ample opportunities to channel that energy into creative and constructive ways to make their voices heard.
We are thankful for the tremendous outpouring of public support for our families. The union hall has a job board where local employers post open positions for USWA members who are interested in employment to help make ends meet during the lockout. Local 2155 also has a family support committee that all of our members' families have been invited to attend.
The union also has accepted donations of food, money and clothing to distribute to our members and we will continue to do so in order to help make sure our families have what they need to keep groceries in their cupboards and food on their tables.
DAVID R. MCCALL
USWA District 1 DirectorColumbus
Vietnam-era generationmust rank as the worst
EDITOR:
They're called the "greatest generation," a title well deserved. They were honorable, determined, courageous, and patriotic. On Memorial Day, I heard one of them disdain the title and instead apply it to the very first American generation, so I guess you can add another descriptive accolade to the World War II generation: humility.
But what about the "worst generation" - my own generation - often referred to as the Vietnam generation? Over the years the worst of the worst generation has gravitated to the Democrat Party and the entertainment and news media, and they have come to represent the most vocal critics of the current war on terrorism. Perhaps it's because they view everything through the prism of Vietnam.
They cry out for more troops in Iraq while at the same time demand a politically correct war in which our actions must be governed by the United Nations. They don't want us to be too aggressive, and don't even think about offending anyone or embarrassing captured terrorists. In other words, they want Iraq to be fought just like Vietnam.
They also lack perspective and common sense. The greatest generation knew that the Japanese, Germans, and Italians represented a single threat. The worst generation refuses to draw a similar conclusion when faced with worldwide Islamic terrorism. The greatest generation knew that the troops fighting in the Pacific and European Theaters were fighting the same war. The worst generation is unable to make that connection in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Fortunately, President Bush is the antidote to the worst generation. A throwback to the greatest generation, he exhibits the same grit, honor, courage, and patriotism that brought us victory in WWII. He will not succumb to the lunacy of the worst generation, and he definitely will not allow us to succumb to the threats of our enemy.
JOSEPH K. WALTENBAUGH
New Castle

Columnist challengedon ideas on global warming
EDITOR:
In a May 27 article, columnist James K. Glassman does a serious disservice to George W. Bush and his declaration in 2001 that the Kyoto global warming treaty was "fatally flawed" and required "more research." This raises the question: Was it "more research" that accounted for "the severe doubt on the climate change?"
I'm afraid that Glassman, as well as those he represents, is in danger of earning a nomination for ecoterrorist.
Photographic evidence, spanning 100 years by no less than the U.S. Geological Survey, documenting disappearing glaciers, was published by the Sierra Club. Glassman's article tries to make the case that alternatives to oil, the source of serious carbon dioxide global warming gas, are too expensive. With this information we invite all in global coastal areas to be the judge.
Tony Blair has been quoted as saying "How can we be secure when coastal regions of the planet are in danger?" It is a matter of national security with the British.
NORMAN D. DUNCAN
Vienna