Churches Urge Kaiser Deal Christian Leaders Sign Letter To Both Sides Saying 100-Day Strike Has Gone On Too Long

The regional leaders of seven Christian denominations in the Inland Northwest issued a plea Monday for both sides of the Kaiser strike to end the impasse.

Declaring “100 days is too long!” the plea takes the leadership of the Kaiser Aluminum Corp. and the United Steelworkers of America to task.

Some 2,100 strikers in Spokane will mark the 100th day on the picket lines Friday. While the strike is sure not to end before then, both sides have tentatively agreed to meet Jan. 11-13 in Chicago.

The religious leaders who signed the letter said they hope to inspire both sides to commit to negotiating until an agreement can be reached.

Only once before have the seven denominations jointly commented on a local issue - the housing shortage of the early 1990s.

To weigh in on a dispute like the strike is unprecedented, said Monsignor John Steiner, who along with Roman Catholic Bishop William Skylstad, drafted the letter.

“There is a spirituality that moves these denominational executives,” Steiner said in an interview Monday. “Everybody is feeling victimized by the whole thing. There’s something about this that’s not good and that needs to be dealt with.”

Negotiators last met in San Francisco on Dec. 17 when Kaiser gave the union a proposal more than 1,000 pages long, the first contract offer from the company since the strike was called Sept. 30.

The union said Monday that the offer was “very disappointing” but also that it hopes to meet with Kaiser next week to offer a new proposal in response.

“We’re absolutely anxious to get to the table and do some real work,” said Dan Russel, president of the Kaiser local for the Mead aluminum refinery. “We would meet the company anywhere they would agree to meet and we would agree to stay there until the day is done.”

The company has tentatively agreed to the meeting.

“Included in the agenda will be a discussion of the company’s Dec. 17 proposal,” said Susan Ashe, spokeswoman for the aluminum company. “Kaiser’s full bargaining team, which includes representatives from each of the five plants, will attend the meetings.” A federal mediator will also attend.

While Kaiser and the union have been in frequent contact since the strike began, they’ve only recently gotten around to proposing new contracts.

What most concerns the clergy who signed the letter is the inability of local people to influence the negotiations. “The decisions are being made elsewhere, at some corporate headquarters,” said Episcopal Bishop Jeff Terry.

Meanwhile, the families of 2,100 local strikers, as well as the several hundred managers, are suffering.

“Posturing and power need to give way to resolution of the issues involved,” the letter says.

The clergy urge the Steelworkers to include more local members on the bargaining unit. Currently the presidents of the two Spokane locals are on the team.

They urge Kaiser to “affirm the productivity of the men and women who have staffed these two plants.” Embedded in Christian theology is a presumption that when God created humans, he intended them to work.

“By working, you are joining in the creative process” started by God, Terry said. “That’s part of your identity as a Christian person. If you don’t have meaningful work in your life, you are liable to go crazy.”

The strike has idled more than 3,000 workers at five Kaiser plants: Trentwood and Mead in Spokane; Tacoma; Gramercy, La.; and Newark, Ohio.

To that extent, the strike is about more than just making aluminum, the clergy said.

“They need to hear how the community feels. Both the religious community and the broader community,” said Bishop Walton F. Mize Sr., of the Christ Holy Sanctified Church of America. “We hope the business community will help to persuade them to get this over.”

The religious leaders end their letter by promising to pray for both sides.

“They are saying there is a responsibility on both sides to resolve it for the common good,” Steiner said. “Not just for the good of labor, or for the good of profit margins, but for the good of the community.”

TEXT OF CLERGY LETTER The seven religious leaders who called for an end to the Kaiser Aluminum strike are Flora Bowers, District Superintendent, United Methodist Church; James Burford, Associate Regional Minister, NW Regional Christian Church; Randy Hyvonen, Conference Minister, United Church of Christ; Bishop Robert Keller, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; Bishop Walton F. Mize Sr., State Overseer, Christ Holy Sanctified Church of America; Bishop William S. Skylstad, Catholic Bishop of Spokane; and Bishop Jeff Terry, Episcopal Bishop of Spokane.

Here is their letter:

100 days is too long! Jan. 8 will mark the 100th day of the strike between the United Steelworkers and Kaiser Aluminum. For three months now, families have gone without paychecks. Men and women who have been faithful employees of the two local Kaiser plants have not been engaged in productive labor. Administrators and managers at Kaiser have worked unnecessary overtime and lived in fear that the tender emotions surfaced could touch the peace and serenity of their lives, their homes and their families. The whole community is concerned! As leaders of some of the major religious denominational groups in Spokane, we implore all those involved to renew quick and principled bargaining of the issues involved. The time for settlement is now. Posturing and power need to give way to resolution of the issues involved. We urge the United Steelworkers to broaden the representation of local workers. Some 2,100 local workers and their families are involved. They are very committed to their jobs and also know how they can best do their jobs more productively and honestly. Arbitrary decisions about the size of the needed work force from union leaders outside the plants is not necessarily helpful. It is time for the local workers to have more say. The future of their jobs is on the line. They have been committed members of the Kaiser family, many of them for years. We urge Kaiser to affirm the productivity of the men and women who have staffed these two plants. When Kaiser was struggling with productivity and profit, they participated in building its new future. Today Kaiser needs to involve them in continued efforts to produce aluminum for critical world markets. They are well aware of the issues and can participate in the renewal of the productivity of their work. Strikes, picket lines, violence and media posturing are not viable tools in today’s marketplace. The issues are complicated, including personal respect and human interaction. Dialogue will not occur on a picket line. It is time to return to the conference table. It is time to add community leaders and others who are stake holders in the discussion. We commit ourselves to prayer for both sides. We offer any of our leaders for participation in principled negotiations. We urge both sides to set a deadline for completion of this task which touches the lives of everyone in the Spokane community. 100 days is too long!