Kaiser Aluminum Faces Big Week

Facing an Aug. 2 deadline, Kaiser Aluminum’s lead negotiators will meet with the United Steelworkers of America this week to negotiate the master agreement for 2,900 locked-out Steelworkers.

The talks begin today in Pittsburgh.

Last week, negotiators at five Kaiser plants, including Mead and Trentwood in Spokane, worked on local contract issues.

If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by Aug. 2, the contract will be decided by an arbitrator.

Kaiser investors will get a fresh look at the company’s financial performance when Kaiser releases second-quarter results on Wednesday. Kaiser CEO and President Ray Milchovich will join other company executives in a conference call with investment analysts to discuss the company’s performance.

In other events this week:

Monday

Gonzaga University and the Alcoa Foundation kick off a two-week mathematics and science summer camp on the GU campus.

Tuesday

The board of directors of the Washington State Fruit Commission meets from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Yakima Airport in Yakima. For information, call (509) 453-4837.

* The National Association of Realtors reports on existing home sales for June. Conference Board reports on consumer confidence.

Thursday

The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Network presents a workshop on “Helping Small Businesses Find Capital” at 7:30 a.m. at the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. No charge for chamber members; for information, call 459-4109.

* The Washington state Department of Agriculture holds a hearing on proposed revisions to the state’s standards for organic crops from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Room 259 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington, in Olympia. For a copy of the proposed rules, call Miles McEvoy at (360) 902-1924; information on the Organic Food Program is available online at http://www.wa.gov/agr/fsah/organic/ofp.htm.

* U.S. Commerce Department reports on durable goods orders for June.

Friday

The inaugural Pacific Northwest Wine Trade Conference is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pasco. Cost: $199 for subscribers to Wine Market Report, $225 for others; for information, call (707) 869-9266 or register online at http://winemarketreport.com.

* Commerce Department reports on second-quarter gross domestic product.