Kaiser, Union Return To Bargaining Table

The full negotiating teams of Kaiser Aluminum and the United Steelworkers of America are scheduled to continue talks today in Denver.

The two-day bargaining session began Monday afternoon, with no comment from either side on progress. The union is expected to submit a new contract proposal during the talks.

The aluminum company is nearing the eighth month of a labor dispute with its union work force. About 3,000 union workers, including 2,100 at Kaiser’s aluminum smelter at Mead and the Trentwood rolling mill in Spokane, went on strike Sept. 30. Steelworkers have been locked out since January, after the company rejected their offer to return to work under the expired contract.

The company has said strike-related costs so far total an estimated $60 million. All five plants are operating with replacement workers, although the number of potlines has been curtailed.

The talks include the presidents of the five local unions and David Foster, chief negotiator and District 11 director for the Steelworkers. Jeremy Sherman, Kaiser’s chief negotiator, is being joined by labor attorneys and representatives from each of the five plants.