Steward

President's Notes: by Scott Duvall

We are now approaching our 11^th frustrating month of CCAA. The members have done a great job keeping the workplace going forward while working with the stress, until a solution can be found to exit CCAA. As you probably have heard, the Court has ruled that Deutsche Bank will be the "stalking horse" or benchmark for all other bidders. To date there has been over 160 prospects with approximately 32 replies. The company will now go through the bids they deem serious, and will want the potential buyers to sign confidentiality agreements and go through a "due diligence" process and then binding offers will be received. Once this has been performed then the bidder may want to sit down with the Union and have discussions. We continue to work hard with Locals 1005 and 8782 opposing the company’s CCAA scam. Furthermore, we have agreed to unite with our brothers in Quebec and Alberta, to oppose the selling of Stelco, or its non core assets, unless it works within the Union’s 7 principles which were adapted at the last membership meeting.

The court’s decision to use Deutsche Bank as the basis for all other bidders, is disappointing to say the least. They do not work with "steel" but rather with "money" and have no vision for a restructured Stelco. Their answer is a win-win situation for the bondholders, sell off the non-core assets, inject some needed cash, leave the current management as is, and in return they are guaranteed to be first in line if Stelco walks down this road again. THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION.

The company brags about restructuring by reducing the salaried workforce, to the public and Court Monitor, but fails to tell them they had to actually rehire some as they were in essential positions and took the skills with them, the company did not have anyone trained to fill these positions. These people were hired back with more compensation. Courtney Pratt said this would be for only 3 months so they can train people. Stelwire management said they had to rehire, and cannot train as they have nobody to train. I think Stelwire Management should take some of their own advice "Lets do it right the first time".

Deloitte report: When the company claimed "the sky was falling", there were serious financial problems and they needed reductions in labour and legacy costs, we told them that we did not believe this was the solution, we believed it was due to mismanagement. Both parties agreed the Union would hire Deloitte to investigate the books and give us a written report of their findings. Deloitte cannot give us a detailed report as Stelwire Management has put a gag order on them. We understand that some things have to be confidential, but according to Deloitte they feel they would like to put certain items in the report that they consider not confidential, but the company will not allow this under the confidentiality agreement. Now this is completely contrary to what CEO Courtney Pratt has been saying publicly, he has noted that the atmosphere of mistrust that has developed over the years between Stelco management and its employees is a significant problem, which must be addressed if the restructuring is to proceed.

Quote "It takes sharing information. In my experience, this stuff all starts with being open and transparent. With labour Unions, if they believe you are not being open with information, they won’t trust anything you say".

He also said, "The only way we can win their support… is for them to basically see the information we’re using to come to conclusions about the situation the company is in"

What was the purpose of this exercise, if Deloitte is the only person to have this information? We are currently working on this impasse and hope to resolve the matter.

Locker Report: Due to the poor performance of Stelwire over the last few years, and with management’s inability to articulate to Locker Associates a long term winning strategy for Stelwire, Locker Associates is convinced that there must be a management change. They find that senior management is in a "wait and see mode" and with some exceptions, do not appear to have a real strategy or plan for Stelwire. Most importantly, the report states, and I quote, "Locker does not believe that the current management with its antagonistic history with the Union, will be able to work collaboratively with the local to achieve the operations improvements and cost savings which Stelwire requires". Without a sophisticated and well thought out marketing strategy, which Locker does not believe this management has developed, Locker believes that Stelwire will not be able to survive. They also recommend that we work with the company on work shop rules. We have always said we would do this on a department by department basis, however the company has never responded to our request. Locker believes we should work with new management on this matter to become a viable and profitable operation. The Locker report also has many recommendations that meet with some of the Union’s 7 principles. Since

Christmas is coming we can only hope that Santa Claus brings us a buyer that can fulfill Locker’s recommendations and the Union’s principles so that we can work for a company that will prosper in the future and respect the employees.

With only 7 ½ months remaining, your negotiating committee has decided to start preparing for a new collective agreement. We encourage your input.

In closing I would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Since Jan 29th the grievance procedure has been put on hold while the company has been in CCAA . Your committee has been able to resolve some grievances at second step, but once they get past that point the company has been allowed a stay on the grievance procedure by Judge Farley. This means that the grievances will be put on hold until there is a plan of arrangement to exit CCAA and they are resolved at that time, or the stay is lifted and grievances will continue to be processed under the terms of the basic agreement. Our most contentious issue at this time is vacation scheduling. There are outstanding vacation grievances from last year, and the company has discontinued its past practice of meeting with all the chief stewards and department heads prior to issuing the vacation scheduling rules, to try and avoid grievances or misunderstandings. The company has unilaterally set the rules and allowed grievances to pile up, while they hide behind CCAA. Ignoring the problems the employees are facing is not the answer, your committee will pursue your grievances, whether it’s the grievance process or at the negotiating table. Again this could all be avoided if Stelwire followed their own advice, "Lets make it right the first time".

USWA Local 1005 opposes the November 29 decision by Justice James Farley of the Ontario Superior Court to extend Stelco's Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) bankruptcy fraud and accept the Deutsche Bank seizure of Stelco's assets. Any notion that the court's decision is a victory for the workers is a dangerous miscalculation. The workers must remain vigilant about the use of the courts to promote the CCAA fraud.

It should be remembered that when the local unions opposed the original application by Stelco, the judge had to invent a new definition for insolvency in order to accommodate the company. The aim of the entire exercise is to enforce monopoly right to deprive the workers of their rightful claim on the wealth they produce. Now we are to believe that Stelco needs the protection of the "stalking horse" bid to make the company "viable," not that it is to ensure that the vultures that the Stelco board prefers get the upper hand and their plan comes to fruition. The minimum "break-up fee" of $6 million -- which will be taken out of the social product the workers produce -- once again underscores whose interests are served.

What solutions are Stelco and the court proposing? All bidders are going to increase the debt and attempt to exchange the unsecured debt for secured debt at onerous rates of interest. All the deals are designed to ensure a quick return on their investments while the market is hot. This explains why so much emphasis is put on the pension funding and the legacy costs. Any money put towards that takes away from their bottom line.

Justice Farley, in his endorsement of November 29, stated: "While I note that DB (Deutsche Bank) indicated that it was not asking for any concessions from the active workers, it should be appreciated (as it was by the unions) that the pensioners are the most vulnerable of the stakeholders in this situation." The media picked up on this statement as a sign that Justice Farley and the CCAA court care about the pensioners. This in turn promoted an impression that the workers have already won. Far from having won, what Justice Farley means by his statement is very murky. Who should appreciate that the pensioners are the most vulnerable, Justice Farley?

Let there be no confusion about the CCAA process or what the business community is demanding. The Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS) issued a press release on November 23 which stated that "Stelco's cost structure remains uncompetitive with labour costs in particular. Most integrated U.S. steel producers have renegotiated their labour contracts with lower labour rates, the elimination or sharply reduced legacy costs, and the removal of restrictive labour practices. Stelco still has its old labour contracts with onerous rates and pension costs." This mouthpiece for the bondholders continues the refrain of calling the workers a cost of production and quite openly signals what outcome they expect from Stelco's CCAA fraud. Courtney Pratt in his November 30 statement to employees, commenting on Justice Farley's November 29 decision, said: "We've stated from the outset that our goal is to preserve pensions, not weaken them.... And we've stated that our goal is a Stelco that, among other things, provides certainly for our pensioners."

What is one to make of this? Everyone is concerned about the pensioners in words, but the spokesman for the bondholders states that Stelco has to get rid of or reduce its legacy costs and the spokesman for Stelco talks about "goals," not legally binding responsibilities and fiduciary obligations. This shows that the workers must remain vigilant. Local 1005 will continue to demand that the company meet its contractual obligations to fund wages, pensions and benefits as stipulated in the legally binding collective agreement. Members of Local 1005 will not accept any attempt by the CCAA court to tamper with their collective agreement and thereby set more "legal" precedent.

LAY OFFS 2004 –Darren Green

The new base crewing could look like this: 5,6,8; 19,20,21; 30,31; 32,33,34; 35,37 and possibly 53 & 54 becoming a 2 man 2.

The Union will be meeting with the company to discuss these changes.

We have also hired some vacation relief people. How this works out remains to be seen because some of our present members want the jobs these people will be working on (heavy continuous helper and bundling. The company doesn't want to train wire drawers because of the costs so they will use our members where their skills and seniority take them. As Scott said, we hope we can resolve this.

We feel that both of the above scenarios are not in the company's best interest because we will have people on jobs they don't want to be on, adding more stress to an already stressed workforce. How productive will that be?

We also have a new Salary/Management employee recently hired at Parkdale. He is taking over Production planning from Bob Pasket who has retired.

This summer promises to be an interesting one for all the Stelco Locals...Stay tuned.

Why are workers angry?
by Ken Georgetti/CLC/CALM

Air Canada workers across Canada are being pressured to agree to severe cuts in pay and benefits. In B.C., the Campbell government is forcing 43,000 health workers to take a 15 per cent wage cut, longer work weeks and continued layoffs. From B.C. to Newfoundland, working people-in particular, those who work in the public sector-are being asked to carry the can for other peoples' poor decision-making. Those at the top make the decisions, but those at the bottom bear the burden.

Pensions ripped off by large companies
Update/OSSTF/CALM

Private sector unions are increasingly having to fight their huge employers, usually major multinational corporations, in an effort to stave off losing their hard-earned pensions.

Send a message...Vote NDP - Darren Green

On June 28^th Stelwire employees will join the many millions of Canadians who will vote for the party which will govern Canada for the next five years.

We make mention of it here because of the importance we place on the current laws regarding CCAA and the need to change them.

The current Liberal government has done nothing to aid the workers affected by CCAA.

They did nothing when the Steelworkers lobbied to have tariffs placed on imported steel. Even the sitting members representing the Hamilton area refused to help us.

Tony Valeri sat as the Chair of the Steel Caucus. He did nothing.

Sheila Copps whose riding included Stelco did nothing.

Stan Keyes says they have not been approached by the Company.

Paul Martin the Prime Minister of Canada can't help because Stelco owes his family money from their shipping business.

At the June membership meeting there will be a motion to cancel the July and August meetings.

If for any reason the President needs to meet with the membership, he will call a special meeting. Notice of such a meeting will be posted on the boards and our web site.

The Executive, Committeemen and Stewards would like to wish you a happy and safe summer. Please don't forget to include Labour Day (September 6^th) in your plans.

President's Notes: by Scott Duvall

CCAA:

In January, Judge Farley ruled that the Company was insolvent. The Union appealed this ruling, but in March the appeal was denied. The Union then appeals to the Supreme Court of Ontario, and this motion is also denied.

Since this time, several meetings with the Company and the three Local Unions have taken place including, Hap Stephens, Courtney Pratt, Colin Osborne and Ron McClure, along with their lawyer Steve Shamie and ours, David Jacobs, to discuss the current situation that Stelco faces. Unfortunately, at no time, has the Company given any indication of positive restructuring, their only solution is still monetary concessions from the employees, past, present and future.

We also met with the Premier, Dalton McGuinty, and his aides, who indicated that they wanted to help. When Local 8782 announced that they were ready to bargain, as their Agreement was to expire July 31, 2004, the Company said that this was prejudiced to their position of entering CCAA (Companies Creditor Arrangement Act). They stated that they would meet at the CCAA table and not the traditional Bargaining table. They went public and announced that it was their understanding under CCAA, that the Union was not entitled to any rights under the OLRA (Ontario Labour Relations Act).

Then the Ontario Labour Minister, Chris Bentley announced that he would appoint a mediator to help the parties start the process of talking at the table. The Union had requested a meeting with the Premier and the Labour Minister to inquire as to our rights under the Labour Relations Act and the Human Rights Code, as these departments had given us notice that they could not interfere once Judge Farley had made his ruling. The Government responded, quote, A we understand your problems, but we are not interested in meeting with you on these issues. After several complaints, through the media, about this treatment, the Government announced that they would forward a motion to Judge Farley on June 14^th asking the Judge if they could appoint a conciliator to the parties as Local 8782 requested under the OLRA.

Why would a Government go before a Judge and ask if they could use their own law? Why would the Government not enforce their law and let the company challenge it? Why do citizens of Ontario lose their rights under the OLRA when a company goes CCAA? Why does the Ontario Human Rights Code not apply to employees when a Company goes CCAA?

These are questions that I cannot get answers to, and the Government said they do not want to address them at this time. We have been told on numerous occasions, publicly, by our Liberal MP's and MPP's that they want to help, A we are watching very closely the Stelco situation , A we are very much concerned about the retiree's and employees . Yet where are they when the Union requests help? Nowhere to be seen or heard from. This is a disgrace, and you should be letting them know this by calling them, and expressing your concerns. An election has been called and the candidates will be at your door soon, ask them why they have not been assisting you. If they say that they have not been asked by the company yet, then ask, what about the Union, why have you turned your back on them?

The Judge ordered all council involved to meet and discuss the optimum process for engaging in meaningful discussions and submit a report to him of the status by June 3^rd. Council presented a proposal to the Locals and after several discussions, the Locals agreed to five principles that basically said we would discuss all issues of Stelco's problems, including restructuring under the terms of our Basic Agreements, and also that Stelco consent to a conciliator to be appointed by the Minister of Labour.

Since this proposal, the Company and Union have met three times in the past week, however, the company will agree only if the conciliator has no power or authority under the OLRA and that Local 8782 extend their expiry date further. The Company was looking for the end of year. Local 8782 responded that the maximum they would go was 30 days advanced notice of filing a No Board Report to the ministry. This was great movement on the Union's part, however, the Company's response was that they needed 90 days because of customer concerns, and that they would appeal to the ministry if we applied for a No Board Report, as it is their position that we are not entitled to a conciliator while under CCAA. The parties are still at an impasse and have agreed to hear the Government's motion on Monday June 14^th, 2004.

On some other issues:

The good news is that all of our laid off members have been recalled on a permanent basis at Parkdale Works. We have also hired six vacation relief employees at Parkdale and five at Burlington Works. There is a dispute over placement of these workers at Parkdale, and we are hoping this issue can be resolved soon. As summer approaches and with the CCAA on our minds, I would like to remind everyone to work in a safe manner.

I have had several complaints from members getting their prescriptions filled recently, it seems that 60 and 90 day supplies on some medicines have now been reduced to 30 days. We believe this is costing a large amount for dispensing fees. Your complaints have been forwarded and we are awaiting an answer from the Company.

Local 5328 now has a Retiree Committee. Over 120 retirees met on April 29^th and elected Joe Crugnale, Dan Butler, John Mc Laughlin, and Kevin Mullett to this standing committee. Their duties will be to communicate with the retirees on all upcoming events, CCAA and any other issues pertaining to Local 5328. Our retirees are important to us, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who are participating in this newly created organization.

I have attended Local 8782 & 1005 membership, retiree's and information meetings and they have expressed their thanks to me verbally and with loud applause for the strong support we have given each other in our fight with the company.

In closing, I would like to mention how very proud I was of the turnout by this Local at the Rally of May1, 2004

Have a safe and enjoyable summer.

We are almost five months into the CCAA process and we are no further ahead than we were on January 29^th, the day Stelco filed for protection.

We were in court again yesterday.

For the last month and a half Stelco has been arguing the point that they don't have to bargain with the Lake Erie local and that those members have no right to strike instead of sitting at the bargaining table to discuss restructuring under the collective agreement. Now they say they are running out of time and customers are getting nervous. (General Motors were in court yesterday with Justice Farley to get out of their contract with Stelco ). Now General Motors is echoing Courtney Pratt that Stelco needs a ninety day extension of the contract.

If Stelco doesn't have to bargain then why do they want to extend the contract? If the Union doesn't have the right to strike then why do they want 90 days notice before the Union goes on strike?

I give the three Presidents credit for sticking to their game plan. For being the first Union Locals to challenge the outdated CCAA process. I can imagine Courtney Pratt and his crew saying, A What have we gotten ourselves into? This wasn't supposed to happen!

Here at Stelwire not a whole lot has changed. Still no restructuring plan.

Bill Stenhouse has moved to Burlington Works and Craig Stevens has taken over the Wire Mill as part of his duties. One of his plans is to increase the wire mill crewing on continuous frames from 1 man 2 machines to 1 man 3, and from 1 man 1 to 1 man 2.

The new base crewing could look like this: 5,6,8; 19,20,21; 30,31; 32,33,34; 35,37 and possibly 53 & 54 becoming a 2 man 2.

The Union will be meeting with the company to discuss these changes.

We have also hired some vacation relief people. How this works out remains to be seen because some of our present members want the jobs these people will be working on (heavy continuous helper and bundling. The company doesn't want to train wire drawers because of the costs so they will use our members where their skills and seniority take them. As Scott said, we hope we can resolve this.

We feel that both of the above scenarios are not in the company's best interest because we will have people on jobs they don't want to be on, adding more stress to an already stressed workforce. How productive will that be?

We also have a new Salary/Management employee recently hired at Parkdale. He is taking over Production planning from Bob Pasket who has retired.

This summer promises to be an interesting one for all the Stelco Locals...Stay tuned.

At the June membership meeting there will be a motion to cancel the July and August meetings.

If for any reason the President needs to meet with the membership, he will call a special meeting. Notice of such a meeting will be posted on the boards and our web site.

The Executive, Committeemen and Stewards would like to wish you a happy and safe summer. Please don't forget to include Labour Day (September 6^th) in your plans.

President's Notes: by Scott Duvall

Since the company filed for CCAA on January 29, 2004, your Union executive has been very busy working with Local 1005 and Local 8782, preparing for our fight with the company and the courts, to maintain our hard earned gains. We have kept you informed, and up to date on the proceedings, as much as possible.

While I will not go over the past, of which you have been informed, I would like to comment on Judge Farley's ruling, which is more an opinion rather than a decision. This 42 page scribble is an insult and disrespectful to all Ontario citizens. He rules on the A balance of probability more than on facts or case law, that the company is insolvent. His behavior in court is rude and unprofessional.

If any lawyer had given Judge Farley a hand written affidavit or motion that was scribbled , I am sure he would have thrown the case out and chastised the individual for insulting the court. At the end of the ruling he scrawled, A subject to edit if typed up . Does this mean he can change his ruling if we can understand his penmanship? To get respect you must earn it, and this Judge in my books, has a long way to go.

After having discussions with our lawyer, David Jacobs, the three local presidents have agreed to appeal this decision. We are also asking for a date for the second part of our motion to be heard, in which the Union asks that our collective agreements stay intact.

As we go forward, a lot of this will be playing on our member's minds, let the Union do it's job and we urge you to focus on the task at hand, so that you will work safe. I want to assure you that all three Locals are working collectively for the best interest of you and our pensioners. Do not listen to rumours, we will keep you informed as quickly as possible.

 

On other issues:

Lake Erie Works will have available, approximately 14 summer relief jobs. The Company and Union have agreed to send out letters to our laid off members to make them aware of this situation, so that they can apply for these openings. To this date we have 29 members on lay off, 22 temporary and 7 permanent.

Our stewards and Chief Stewards are doing a great job in settling grievances with the Department Heads. Grievances not settled at this level will be put on record and heard on another date when the Judge lifts the stay.

Both Contracting Out Committees met in January at which time the Union forwarded proposals to try and save substantial costs, through the elimination of some contracting out work. We are waiting for the Company to respond.

Hamilton Fights Back May 1^st at Copps Coliseum. It is important that you attend, we also would like you to bring your family and neighbours. Lets have a strong showing from Local 5328.

We need your support for this Rally!!!

Monte Sonnenberg - SIMCOE REFORMER - Thursday March 25, 2004

Stelco's assets in the Nanticoke Industrial Park have been pledged as collateral against the company's emergency lines of credit.

Creditors registered Stelco's local holdings as security at the Norfolk registry office March 10. The documents, which are signed by company president and CEO Courtney Pratt and senior vice-president of finance William Vaughan, peg the value of these assets at $525,000,000. The stated rate of interest is 25 per cent per annum.

News of the filing caught the United Steelworkers of America off guard.

Since Stelco filed for bankruptcy protection in January, management and the union have been locked in a bitter dispute over the true value of the company and the actual state of its finances. The company claims it needs to restructure to avoid insolvency. USWA says the bankruptcy filing is a ploy designed to nullify Stelco's obligations under its assorted collective agreements.

USWA Local 8782 represents nearly 1,400 steelworkers in Stelco's Nanticoke facility. President Bill Ferguson, Jarvis, admits to being baffled by the documents filed at the Norfolk registry office.

Yesterday, Ferguson pointed out that, in its initial court filing, Stelco estimated the value of its Lake Erie holdings in the range of $300 million. As well, documents before the bankruptcy court say current lines of credits are secured with inventories and accounts receivable. There is no mention of real estate.

"It's absolutely insane," Ferguson said. "It certainly opens a new door for us. It's going to raise a lot of new questions as to exactly what's going on here."

Ferguson and his colleagues are astonished that the company would tell the bankruptcy court that Stelco Lake Erie is worth about $300 million and then claim assets there in the amount of $525 million.

"What's the reality here?" Ferguson said. "This deserves investigating. We're going to be turning over rocks on this. It really smells."

Ferguson added that Ernst & Young, the court-appointed monitor of the bankruptcy proceeding, should have made these documents available to all parties. Local 8782 has referred the security filing to accountants Deloitte & Touche for further review.

Alex Morrison of Ernst & Young is monitoring the bankruptcy proceeding as an officer of the court. His role is to assist Justice James Farley with the restructuring process. Yesterday, Morrison says there is nothing unusual or unexpected in the registry documents.

"People are making more of these documents than they really deserve," he said.

In proceedings such as this, Morrison says it is normal for creditors to register security against their loans. Since Stelco filed for bankruptcy protection, several firms have extended lines of credit in the amount of $525 million.

Morrison says it is standard for creditors to inflate the stated value of collateral. The $525 million, he says, represents inventory, accounts receivable, and the value of Stelco real estate in Haldimand.

Morrison added that the 25 per cent interest rate represents a floating rate in a worst-case scenario. Creditors have been mindful, he said, of high interest rates since they topped 20 per cent in the early 1980s. The actual interest Stelco is paying, he said, is closer to prime plus a markup of 2.5 percentage points.

Stelco Lake Erie is the one division of the giant steelmaker that is profitable. In documents filed with the bankruptcy court, Stelco says multi-million dollar upgrades to the Nanticoke plant are key to returning to financial health.

Yesterday, Don Belch, Stelco's director of government relations, couldn't say whether the company plans to draw on its credit lines for these investments. However, he did say that the Lake Erie plant "is certainly the cornerstone we intend to build around."

USWA recently challenged Stelco's resort to protection under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act.

Monday, Justice Farley ruled in favour of the company. Farley said Stelco's limited cash resources coupled with its current rate of "cash burn" make the company a good candidate for bankruptcy protection. Stelco says it would be insolvent by the end of the year if it didn't have protection from its creditors.

The security registration documents list CIT Business Credit Canada Inc. as the creditor of record. Other parties to Stelco's $525 million credit line include Fleet Capital Canada and GE Capital Canada.

---

 

Court in Contempt of Workers' Right to Due Process

On March 22, 2004, the union received a handwritten 42-page photocopy of Superior Court Judge James Farley's decision on the motion filed by Local 1005, Local 8782 and Local 5328 on February 13. The original motion asked to have Stelco's January 29, 2004 Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) application rescinded on the grounds that there is no evidence that Stelco is insolvent. The locals are opposing the use of CCAA as a method to legally deprive the workers of their wages, pensions and benefits.

From the moment the decision was released, we have been inundated with requests for comment. We have spent a great deal of time and effort in trying to transcribe Judge Farley's ruling, since his handwriting is almost illegible. We were able to transcribe the last two pages of his document so that we could read his conclusion, but we have been unable to decipher more than half of his 42-page document. It has finally struck us that this manner of handing down a decision is arrogant to say the least. In our opinion, it reveals utter contempt for the workers whose lives and futures could be decided by what happens in this court. We also think it holds in contempt the right of the workers to due process.

Are we to believe that the Superior Court has no resources to get a decision typed? Is the judge to be praised for being thrifty when he writes his decisions on stationary from the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam? Are the workers supposed to tolerate being held in contempt on the grounds that these are mere technicalities?

The Superior Court of Ontario is financed with our tax monies. Where does the money go when an appointed judge is not even held accountable for this arrogant lack of professionalism? Are there no facilities in this day and age to be able to dictate a decision if the judge is too busy? Or are there no computers and secretaries available to have the document properly prepared? The workers are facing a rule of law in the form of a massive machine and machinations. The first day of hearings there were 57 law firms listed on the service list. There are court appointed monitors who are paid large sums of money. Stelco has a Chief Restructuring Officer who was paid more than $65,000 a month to do restructuring at Algoma in 2002 and rumour has it that this has been increased to some $80,000 a month to handle the Stelco case. We already wasted our precious time and money to "discover" his affidavit to which he could attest nothing. With all these resources against the workers, are we to believe nobody is responsible for the conduct of this judge and that it is impossible to get a legible copy of the decision?

The lack of professionalism in this CCAA process, which the entire legal profession seems to accept as par for the course, speaks volumes about what is wrong with the CCAA process. From the outset, our attempt to seek justice is treated in a frivolous manner. We are simply told time and again to get down to the serious business of discussing with the company what part of our wages, working conditions, pensions and benefits we agree to give up!

- Darren Green

Here at Stelwire we are trying to continue as we had prior to the CCAA filing. The relationship between the Union and Company has been cordial in that we are trying to resolve issues without the use of the grievance procedure. For the most part we've been successful although there have been a few suspensions and discipline reports which have been grieved.

 Hamilton East B Stoney Creek

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