A Press Release is Not a Contract

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Nippon talks a big game, but at the end of the day, a press release is not a contract. Even as it pays lip service to one of the union’s ongoing concerns, Nippon continues to duck the USW’s input. Now, USS management is once again lying to USW members, telling our local union presidents it “can’t” reach President McCall. They could not reach him, because they did not try.

But we know that these are the same managers who broke the commitment to invest in the Mon Valley and instead bought Big River, who have shut one USW operation after another, and have broken trust with its workers throughout Dave Burritt’s reign.

We can’t trust in what USS and Nippon are telling us, but the truth is still clear: Nippon is still trying to hide behind its North American shell company to shield itself from its contractual obligations to retirees and our communities, and it still needs to answer to pressing concerns regarding our critical supply chains and national security. This is just more of what we’ve seen all along: lots of words, no real change.

Mike Millsap
District 7 Director & Chairman of the Negotiating Committee

David McCall
International President