US Steel has sent a letter to employees at its pickling operations in Nanticoke, Ontario telling workers to not interact with locked out picketers at the company's Lake Erie Works plant.
The letter from US Steel, posted on the USW Local 8782 website, read: "We appreciate that at this time it is a difficult situation at the plant, but we expect all employees to refrain from any interactions (including conversations, phone calls, texting, etc.) with the Local 8782 picket line employees during their scheduled working hours."
"While at work, employees should have no contact with the picket line employees during their shift, including their lunch breaks, etc."
"The only exception would be when employees are entering the plant prior to the start of their shift and/or exiting the plant at the end of their shift."
On April 28, US Steel Canada locked out unionized workers at its Lake Erie Works flat rolled mill in Ontario after the union and mill did not agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.