USW files federal complaint against ATI’s Allegheny Ludlum unit

According to a release from the United Steelworkers (USW), the union filed a complaint Monday in federal court against Allegheny Ludlum LLC over its announced decision to terminate insurance benefits for 95 office and technical (O&T) employees before their intended expiration date.

The USW’s complaint alleges the company, a unit of Allegheny Technologies Inc., breached a contractual agreement by ignoring a Nov. 30 “lag date” provision in an insurance agreement, and by refusing to submit the dispute to arbitration in accordance with long-standing dispute resolution procedures.

Insurance agreements covering employees in the basic steel industry typically include lag dates that extend insurance benefits beyond the expiration of basic labor agreements.

ATI locked out 2,200 USW-represented workers on Aug. 15 at 12 plants in six states in an attempt to force them to accept draconian and unnecessary concessions even though the union pledged to continue bargaining and never threatened to strike or conduct a strike authorization vote.

O&T employees affected by the insurance termination announcement belong to USW Local 1196-1 with locations in New Bedford, Mass., and the Pennsylvania communities of Bagdad, Brackenridge, Latrobe, Midland and Natrona Heights.