Workers returning to Kaiser

SPOKANE--Hundreds of union workers planned to return to a Kaiser Aluminum smelter here today, marking the end of a contentious two-year labor dispute.

Two hours after replacement workers end their final shift at Kaiser's Mead aluminum smelter, the plant gates will open for United Steelworkers of America members returning for their first 7 a.m. shift since they walked out Sept. 30, 1998.

Fewer union members will return than the 2,900 who walked out of five Kaiser plants in three states. A new five-year labor contract calls for cuts of more than 500 jobs, and power curtailments in the Northwest mean a half-dozen aluminum-making "potlines" remain closed.

The five plants include two near Spokane and one each in Tacoma; Gramercy, La.; and Newark, Ohio.

About 600 Steelworkers are expected to be called back at the Mead plant, down from about 950 who were working there when the labor dispute began, Steelworkers Local 329 President Dan Russell said.

The union members will return with mixed feelings, Russell said.

"There's relief; they're happy that it's over," he said. "But there are also some that are disgruntled and not necessarily thrilled about it. ... Personally, I'm glad that it's finally over."

Other Steelworkers were to begin returning to the other plants Monday, continuing through mid-November, Kaiser spokeswoman Susan Ashe said yesterday.

"We're anxious for the return of our skilled employees, and we are hopeful for a smooth transition," she said.

Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk said no special security measures were planned, but the department's 24-member riot squad would be available if the need arose.

Ashe said the replacement workers, hired when the company locked out the union in January 1999, have been given instructions on applying for unemployment-insurance benefits and potential job opportunities.

"They were told how very much we appreciate their service to the company," she said.

Still pending is a trial next month on a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charge that the company's lockout was illegal.

The company could be on the hook for $337 million in back pay, the union contends. An administrative law judge is scheduled to hear the NLRB complaint against Kaiser on Nov. 13 in Oakland.

Russell, a 32-year employee, said he anticipates some lingering hard feelings between management and returning Steelworkers.

"We want to make this as peaceful as possible, but yeah, there's probably going to be some hard feelings. I anticipate we're going to have some casualties," he said.

"For two years, they went through what they went through. If they get a chance to vent, I'm sure there are going to be individuals that will."

Steelworkers official Jon Youngdahl, who led a corporate campaign against the company, said the union will turn its efforts to making sure the company is profitable and regains customers lost during the labor dispute.

"Obviously, as the company gets back on its feet and regains customers, the numbers returning to work will increase," he said.

"It's in our best interest to try to get more of our workers back in the plants."