Evraz Serves 72-Hour Lockout Notice to Alberta Workers

CAMROSE, AB, May 2, 2012 /CNW/ - Evraz Camrose Works has issued a 72-hour lockout notice to the CAW in an effort to extract pension, retiree benefits and other concessions from the workforce. The company intends to lockout the employees as of 9:00 am on May 5^th.

CAW Local 551 represents a bargaining unit of 105 workers at Evraz Camrose Works in Camrose, Alberta including trades persons, machine operators and labourers.  Major outstanding bargaining concerns include wages, benefits, pension contributions, and job security clauses. Few economic or language issues have been settled to date, with the company offering no general wage increases over a three year contract.

"It is completely unfathomable that workers in the oil and gas industry working in the hottest economy in North America are being attacked and threatened to give back long fought gains," said CAW National Representative Todd Romanow. "The company has begun an attack on these workers and the community, who have supported the plant for over 60 years and have helped make the company incredibly profitable."

The CAW contract with Evraz expired on February 1^st, 2012 and negotiations have been ongoing since November 2011.  The union has met with the company for over 9 days of negotiations with no success, with the company still intent on extracting major concessions from the workers.

Evraz located in Camrose, Alberta (previously known as OSM Tubular Camrose) manufactures tubular goods and line pipe for oil and natural gas. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., and its manufacturing facilities are located in Portland, Ore.; Regina, Saskatchewan; Pueblo, Colo.; Claymont, Del.; Calgary, Camrose and Red Deer, Alberta; and Surrey, British Columbia. EVRAZ North America is the No. 1 producer of large diameter pipe, the second largest producer of steel plate and the largest producer of rail.

EVRAZ North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of EVRAZ Group S.A., one of the largest vertically integrated steel and mining businesses in the world.

please contact Todd Romanow, National Representative at [phone] or email [email protected]