Kaiser Labor-Talks Deadline Looms

Today is the deadline set by Kaiser Aluminum and the United Steelworkers to complete bargaining on a labor agreement that will return hourly workers at five plants to their jobs.

Negotiators for the two sides have met in Las Vegas since Monday, attempting to wrap up the unresolved contract issues and end their two-year labor dispute.

At the talks are Kaiser President and CEO Ray Milchovich, the union’s chief negotiator David Foster, Kaiser attorney Jeremy Sherman and union attorney Paul Whitehead, plus officials from the union locals and each of the five plants.

The pace of the past two days has been intense, said union spokesman Jon Youngdahl. He said he wasn’t getting much detail from the talks and could not say how close the sides are to having a complete contract.

A spokesman for the company echoed his comments.

“I expect the talks will continue most of the day (Wednesday),” said Scott Lamb of Kaiser.

The labor dispute has idled 2,900 Steelworkers at the five Kaiser plants, including about 2,100 workers at Spokane’s two facilities. Other plants affected are in Tacoma, Gramercy, La., and Newark, Ohio.

Under the bargaining agreement, which the Steelworkers ratified with a 73 percent vote, Kaiser and the union will bargain a complete agreement by Aug. 2 - barring any further extension of the bargaining deadline - and bring it to the Steelworkers for a vote.

If the Steelworkers vote it down or if the company and the union don’t agree on a contract by the deadline, all unresolved issues will be decided by an arbitration panel.

The five arbitrators are scheduled to review the contract from Aug. 21-24 and issue findings early next month, choosing either the company’s or union’s last position on each unresolved issue.

The Steelworkers should be back on the job by late September.