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Workers at Precision Tube Begin Second Month of Strike on Labor Day;
Fighting to maintain full wages and benefits for young workers, stop mandatory overtime

For Immediate Release                                   September 4, 2009

North Wales, Pa. – Workers at the Precision Tube metals plant will begin their second month on strike on Labor Day, Sept. 7, as they seek to fend off giveback demands by management that would force new workers to accept lower wages and benefits.

Workers represented by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6816 at Precision Tube, a division of Mueller Industries Inc., say management forced the walkout of 60 workers here on Aug. 7 with unreasonable demands, and subsequently brought in a private security force, Asset Protection Inc., to intimidate employees, who maintain a 24-hour picket line.

“Workers at Precision Tube are fighting to maintain decent standards of living for working people in our community,” said Norm Hayman, a USW District 10 staff representative.  “A growing number of people in Eastern Pennsylvania and beyond are rallying to the workers’ cause here in North Wales. Working people are being squeezed.  Precision Tube workers are fighting back.”

Hayman said company demands at the bargaining table include mandatory overtime in the traditionally dangerous metal fabricating industry, reduction of vacation and personal days, more expensive family health insurance, and two-tiered wages that would have newly-hired workers making around $9 per hour instead of the current $15.09 per hour.

He said union workers at the facility have tried hard to work with Precision Tube management, even giving back hard-won pension benefits and vacation and personal days in contract negotiations three years ago, but the company seems to always want more. “Precision Tube management likes to bring up low wages they pay workers in China and Mexico, as if Philadelphia-area workers should accept the same,” Hayman said.

Local 6816 members hope management will revise their list of demands and bargain fairly, but in the meantime, they vow to maintain and expand their campaign in defense of living standards for Pennsylvania workers.

Contact: Norm Hayman, USW, 302 528-5648
              Howard Scott, USW, 412-562-2521

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