Mississippi Steelworkers Reclaim Jobs from China
Contact: Tony Montana – (412) 562-2592; tmontana@usw.org
PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that members of Local 7477 have ratified a new contract with True Temper Sports that will increase pay and improve benefits for nearly 200 workers at the company’s Amory, Miss., facility, which produces steel tubing for golf club shafts and other purposes.
The new contract will be effective through July 2020 and includes a provision in which True Temper has agreed to close a Chinese plant and move that production to Mississippi. The USW expects the move to create 50 permanent new jobs in the coming months and up to 100 over the contract’s term.
USW District 9 Director Daniel Flippo called the agreement a clear victory for workers, their families and the community.
“In the age of globalization with so many industries suffering the consequences of unfair and often illegal foreign trade, we cannot overstate the importance of our ability to reclaim this work and these jobs,” Flippo said. “In a time of uncertainty, the USW and True Temper together have made the future more secure for workers in Amory.”
USW Local 7477 President Dennis Fears praised the new contract and said that solidarity between workers is the key to success in bargaining.
“I’m proud of our union and what we have accomplished through the years, especially in these negotiations,” Fears said. “With the company’s commitment to our plant, we expect future generations of Steelworkers to continue this proud tradition.”
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.
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