National

USW Officers, Locked Out Members Among 100K Protesting in Wisconsin


Pittsburgh, PA–(ENEWSPF)–February 27, 2011.  United Steelworkers (USW) International officers Stan Johnson and Fred Redmond on Saturday joined District 2 Director Michael Bolton, a young USW leader and hip-hop artist from Canada and a vans full of Steelworkers members locked out by Honeywell in Metropolis, Ill., at the ongoing massive protests of anti-union legislation in Wisconson. 

Local 6500’s Mike O’Brien performed his hit “One Day Longer,” orginally written during last year’s strike of Vale for the crowd of an estimated 100,000 in Madison. Protestors have been camped out around the clock at the Capitol since GOP Gov. Scott Walker has tried to ram through legislation that would strip public workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Two van loads of United Steelworkers Local 7-669 members traveled through the night to show solidarity.

“After all the support we have seen from around the country, it would be a disservice not to join our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and give some of that support back,” said Darrell Lillie, President, USW Local 7-669.

Lillie added, “Without collective bargaining rights, workers in both the public and private sector would be devastated and lose their voice in the workplace.”

The locked out workers will return to Metropolis on Sunday, February 27.  The 228 members of United Steelworkers Local 7-669 have been locked out of the Honeywell Metropolis uranium conversion facility since June 28, 2010, despite the unions willingness to continue to operate the plant with or without a contract extension. Support them by visiting www.experiencematters.usw.org and signing our online petition.

Source: usw.org

 


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