Commissioners Asked To Help End Kaiser Strike Steelworkers Question County Approval Of On-Site Housing For Temporary Workers

More than 100 striking Kaiser Steelworkers and community members tried to persuade Spokane County commissioners Tuesday to help end the strike.

Several Steelworkers also asked commissioners why Kaiser Aluminum Corp. received permission from the county to put more than 100 mobile housing units for temporary workers on its industrial properties.

The county granted temporary permits for the units just days before the strike was called in September, but after the buildings had been moved in.

Kaiser went through the same procedures that any citizen would go through, said Commissioners Kate McCaslin and John Roskelley.

“It wasn’t swept through,” Roskelley said Tuesday. “We did not give any benefits to Kaiser that we wouldn’t normally give to anyone.”

Still, the commissioners said they would address some of the striking workers’ concerns, including renewal of the housing permits and potential health hazards from the plants’ industrial waste.

Several thousand replacement workers have come through Kaiser to fill in for the 2,100 Steelworkers on strike since Sept. 30.

But according to Kaiser officials no one is living in those trailers anymore.

“It’s a moot point now,” spokeswoman Susan Ashe said. “In an effort to return operations to as near normal conditions as possible, we have not been housing workers on site in the temporary housing trailers since the end of November to the beginning of December.”

Kay McGlocklin said she was speaking as a concerned citizen and asked commissioners to attend to the needs of families who haven’t been getting paychecks since the strike started.

“It’s not just 2,100 workers, it’s 2,100 families,” she said. “It’s time that all of us should get behind them.”

Gonzaga University professor Brian Jeannot told the commissioners it was important elected officials stand on the side of the community. “These are the people who live in our community. You are the public representatives,” he said.

“It looks as if the county government facilitated housing for scab workers,” he said later. McGlocklin and Jeannot asked commissioners to use their resources to pressure Kaiser into bringing the strike to a quick end.

Kaiser officials said Tuesday that they’ve done only what they needed to do so the company could stay open in the absence of its workforce.

“As unions have the right to strike, companies have the right to operate their businesses,” Ashe said. “The company is responsible for employees, community investors, customers and suppliers.”

On Friday, the Steelworkers will mark their 100th day on strike. Along with workers at the two Spokane plants, another 1,900 are on strike in Gramercy, La., Newark, Ohio and Tacoma.

The union and Kaiser officials have agreed to discuss a new contract next week in Chicago.