PITTSBURGH, Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that members of Local 8565 have in good faith offered to unconditionally return to work, thus ending their year-long unfair labor practice strike at Rotek, Inc.'s Aurora, Ohio bearings plant while negotiations for a new contract proceed.
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USW District 1 Director David McCall said the strategic decision to end the labor dispute at Rotek, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp, is based on the union's belief that the remaining issues can and should be resolved at the bargaining table.
"The company's illegal behavior instigated and prolonged this labor dispute, and Rotek will soon enough need to answer for it," McCall said. "Rather than continue to wait for management, we have proactively offered to end our strike in the interest of getting these Steelworkers back on the job as soon as possible."
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has the authority to award backpay to strikers who are unlawfully denied reinstatement by their employer after an unconditional request for reinstatement has been made.
Region 8 of the NLRB has set a hearing for March 10, 2014 on an Amended Consolidated Complaint (Complaint) against Rotek before an administrative law judge in Cleveland.
In the Dec. 31, 2013 Complaint, NLRB Region 8 Director Frederick Calatrello alleges that Rotek failed to bargain in good faith by refusing to provide information relevant to bargaining and by unilaterally implementing its final contract offer without bargaining to a good faith impasse.
The Complaint also alleges that Rotek illegally engaged in surveillance of employees engaged in activity protected by federal labor law. The Complaint further alleges that Rotek illegally fired an employee and did so to discourage other employees from engaging in protected union activities.
The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.
Contact: Tony Montana - 412-562-2592
SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)
