SOUTHEAST OHIO 1,300 workers authorize strike

A court has ruled that the company can break the labor contracts.
CLARINGTON, Ohio (AP) -- About 1,300 workers for bankrupt aluminum maker Ormet Corp. voted unanimously to strike if the company breaks labor contracts to get concessions that it says are vital for its survival, union officials said Friday.
The United Steelworkers also decided at six meetings Thursday to stop work Monday at the company's two plants in nearby Hannibal if the company does not delay a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing to receive approval for its reorganization plan.
Under the Wheeling, W.Va.-based company's reorganization plan, ownership is transferred to Ormet's creditors. The union wants the Tuesday hearing delayed so the court can rule on its motion to have the company consider bids to buy the plants, said Ronnie Blatt, grievance committee chairman for one of two union locals representing the plants about 115 miles southeast of Columbus.
Ruling
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Columbus ruled Nov. 2 that Ormet could break the labor contracts. The company wants to freeze workers' pension benefits, to require them to pay up to $90 a month toward health insurance and to change work rules, the union says.
Ormet CEO Michael Williams said in a letter to the union Wednesday that the company would not delay the hearing and would carry out its concession plan immediately if workers strike.
The reorganization plan calls for Ormet to emerge from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy by the end of the year.