Alcoa Master Agreement Highlights
The document below details some of the highlights of the USW-Alcoa Master Agreementthat was ratified on Oct. 12, 2001.It is posted in a pdf format. To view the documentCLICK ...... more

News From Cressona
More Than 700 Say "YES" to USW October 10, 2003 -- Over 700 Alcoa workers in Cressona, Pennsylvania joined the United Steelworkers (USW) this week after an independent arbitrator verified that 65% of the employees had signed Union authorization cards. After several years of losing benefits and changes in their working conditions, Alcoa workers in Cressona ...... more

About Unions
WHAT IS A UNION? A union is a group of people working together to improve their work lives through collective bargaining. WHO RUNS THE UNION? You do. The Union is a democracy at every level. You elect your negotiating committee and leadership for the local, district, and international union. Staff members work for you and provide you with expertise ...... more

About Our Union, the USW
HOW MANY ALCOA EMPLOYEES ARE UNION MEMBERS? The majority of Alcoa workers in the United States, over 20,000 people, are members of either the USW or other Unions. Around the world, thousands of other Union members also work at Alcoa. HOW MANY ALCOA EMPLOYEES ARE MEMBERS OF THE USW? With over 15,000 members working at Alcoa, USW members have been negotiating ...... more

About the Alcoa-USW Partnership
WHAT IS THE ALCOA-USW PARTNERSHIP? For many years, Alcoa and the USW have had a Cooperative Partnership Agreement that states: "The Company and the Union recognize the value of and commit to work together through a joint decision making process to develop a labor-management partnership which serves the interests of employees, consumers and stockholders ...... more

About Contract Negotiations
WHO NEGOTIATES OUR CONTRACT? After you and your coworkers win recognition as a Union, you elect coworkers to a bargaining committee. This elected bargaining committee distributes surveys to find out what you want in your contract. The committee then sits down with a Union staff person to draft a first contract proposal. The Union staff representative ...... more

About Dues
HOW MUCH ARE DUES? Dues are 1.3% of your earnings ($600 pay per week x 1.3% = $7.80 per week), plus 2 cents per hour for the organizing fund. Maximum dues for any month is equal to 2.5 times average hourly earnings ($15/hr x 2.5 hours = $37 per month). People who are employed before a first contract is signed pay no initiation fee. A one-time initiation ...... more

About Your Legal Rights
WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS? The United States government, through the National Labor Relations Act, gives you the legal right to: Help form or join a union; Bargain over wages, working conditions, and fringe benefits with your employer; Talk about the union at work as you would talk about any other subject; Distribute literature in non-work areas; Wear ...... more

About Scare Tactics
WILL ALCOA CLOSE OUR PLANT IF WE JOIN THE UNION? NO. At a time when Alcoa has been closing or selling unprofitable businesses, newly organized facilities in Hawesville, Kentucky, Auburn, Indiana, Texarkana, Texas, Danville, Illinois, Lebanon, Virginia, and Chandler, Arizona are not only still operating, but they have grown. WHY WOULD ALCOA GIVE US BETTER ...... more

About Alcoa Retirement
WHAT ARE MY RETIREMENT OPTIONS? Planning for retirement shouldn't wait until we are 65. Generally, a retirement plan could include a single employer defined benefit pension, a multi-employer defined contribution pension, a 401(K) savings plan, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), or some combination of the above. WHAT IS A SINGLE-EMPLOYER DEFINED ...... more

About Alcoa Health Care
WHAT IS FLEXCHOICE AND HOW DOES IT WORK? Flexchoice is one of the health insurance options Alcoa provides its employees. Each Alcoa business unit president chooses the options that will made available within their business unit. From these pre-selected options, employees then may choose their own insurance coverage. Each option carries a "price tag" ...... more

Alcoa-USW Locations
USW members at Alcoa work all across the U.S. and Canada: Arkadelphia, AR Warrick, IN Grove City, PA Hot Springs, AR Hawesville, KY Alcoa, TN Chandler, AZ Louisville, KY Point Comfort, TX Plant City, FL Lake Charles, LA Rockdale, TX Tifton, GA Frederick, MD Texarkana, TX Davenport, IA Hernando, MS Lebanon, VA Danville, IL Badin, NC Richmond, VA Auburn, ...... more