We had our Christmas Gate Collection for the Salvation Army last Tuesday and today. Thank you for everyone's generous donation. We were able to raise over $10 000.00 and 300lbs of food and toys. Usually Stelco kicks in funds but, unfortunately they did not this year. Thanks to Jamie Knowles and Sam Fitzgerald for organizing the event. Also, thanks to all those that came out to help.

Some members of your Executive will be attending the Annual Christmas Area Council meeting on Friday December 12th.  At that meeting many donation are made from the locals. One of the recipients is the Simcoe Food Bank. We were able to raise $2950.00 from them last year.

The OHSA has updated their Workplace Harassment legislation to include virtually harassing a person. The program reads, "Workplace Harassment means engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in the workplace, including virtually through the use of information and communications technology, that is know or ought reasonably..."

Algoma has moved their layoff notice up about a year blaming tariffs and a lack of sales. This will affect at least 1000 workers starting around March. They are bringing down their Blast Furnace and Coke Ovens early next year. Their EAF is currently not ready yet.

Sales for December have picked up. We have a current shipping number of 20 000 tonnes of pig iron each month for the foreseeable future. As more EAF's come online the need for pig iron will increase and hopefully as demands increase so will the price.

Rumour of the week...

"I heard an employee got walked off site for being late?" Fortunately, this didn't happen. Stelco is now looking into and tracking absences, in lates and out earlies and talking to workers in meetings. During these meetings, please ask for your union representation so we can make sure what is being said is documented.

Contract/ESA question of the week..

7.11(a) temporary vacancies. 

What seems to be happening in some circumstances, when trying to get people to come in on overtime a "deal" is being made to bump workers off their posted job and replacing that job with the overtime person. I believe we need stronger language in our CBA to prevent this from happening. Stelco is using clause 7.11(a)(i) "In the event that the Company is unable, due to operational need , to assign the senior qualified employee to such temporary vacancy, they will be paid at the rate of the job on which the vacancy occurred for hours worked on the shift in question."

Thanks,

John McElroy

President USW Local 8782