PITTSBURGH, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a Sept. 12, 2012 decision that affirmed previous findings that Carey Salt (also known as North American Salt) violated federal labor law numerous times in its ongoing negotiations with United Steelworkers Local 14425.
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"North American Salt acts like a rogue employer," said USW District 13 Director Mickey Breaux. "It's time for the company to obey the law and work with us to obtain a fair agreement that is good for both sides."
North American Salt (NAS) is a subsidiary of Compass Minerals, a mining and materials company headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., with operations in the U.S., Canada and the UK.
Local 14425 is engaged in contentious negotiations with NAS at its Cote Blanche mine in Louisiana. The union represents about 100 workers.
The NLRB affirmed that North American Salt (NAS) violated the law when it implemented its final contract offer on March 31, 2010 without reaching impasse. Local 14425's contract expired on that date.
The NLRB determined that Local 14425 members engaged in an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike, which began April 7, 2010 and continued until June 15, 2010 when the workers gave an unconditional offer to return to work.
Other violations include the company's failure to bargain in good faith; its unilateral implementation of new operating procedures; regressive bargaining; its refusal to bargain unless the USW agreed to the company's demands; along with its implementation of another final offer without reaching impasse.
The NLRB also determined NAS violated the law by threatening to permanently replace ULP strikers; failing to reinstate former ULP strikers promptly upon their offer to return to work; changing the seniority-based recall procedures when it recalled to work former ULP strikers; honoring job offers it made to replacement workers after the ULP strike; and unilaterally changing the time period the ULP strikers had to accept an offer of re-employment.
The NLRB ordered NAS to "cease and desist from" these violations. It also ordered NAS to bargain in good faith with the union, to restore the terms and conditions of employment that existed prior to March 31, 2010 as requested by the union and to continue those terms until a new agreement or a valid impasse is reached.
NAS also must reinstate the ULP strikers and make all the employees whole for any losses they have suffered because of the company's illegal conduct.
The NLRB decision can be seen by clicking HERE.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America and has 850,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. It represents workers employed in the metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, energy, government and service sectors.
Contact:
Lynne Hancock, USW, 615-828-6169, [email protected]
Adam Lee, USW, 412-243-4236, [email protected]
SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)
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