USW Members to Return to Work at Dow Chemical Plant in Deer Park

Company Agrees to End Lockout as Contract Negotiations Continue

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Jun 06, 2019, 13:10 ET

DEER PARK, Texas, June 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the United Steelworkers union will return to work at the Dow Chemical plant in Deer Park on Monday, June 10, seven weeks after the company made the decision to lock them out of their jobs.

After a series of calls from the union to end the lockout, and displays of support for the work force from the community and public officials, the company agreed to end the lockout and put the 235 skilled union workers back on the job at Rohm and Hass Texas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical. The workers will cease picketing and be back on the job by 6 a.m. Monday, June 10.

"It's good to see that the company has finally come to its senses and ended this unnecessary and destructive lockout," said USW District 13 Director Ruben Garza, who represents Steelworkers in Texas and three neighboring states. "This victory is a credit to the strength and solidarity of the USW membership, and to the support that the workers received from the community and from allies across Texas and around the country."

"This decision is good news not just for these workers and their families, but for the safety and economic well-being of the entire region," Garza said.

The union members voted overwhelmingly three times to reject unacceptable "last, best and final" proposals from Dow Chemical.

"The union disagrees with the company's claim that the two sides are at impasse," Garza said. "From the beginning, the workers have been committed to bargaining in good faith for a fair and equitable contract. We look forward to continuing to work with the company to achieve that goal."

The workers began bargaining with the company in February. The USW offered to continue working while negotiations continued, but the company responded by locking the workers out of their jobs on April 22.

The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.
For more information: www.usw.org.