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November 11, 2010 - No. 192 Stelco Hamilton Shutdown and Lockout Keep Stelco Producing! Locked out Hamilton steelworkers are joined by pensioners and supporters from the community outside U.S. Steel's Hamilton Works facility, November 10, 2010. • Keep Stelco
Producing! SUPPLEMENT Stelco Hamilton Shutdown and Lockout Keep Stelco Producing!U.S. Steel has once again shut down steel production at Hamilton Works and since November 7 has locked out steelworkers to force concessions, destroy the Stelco pension plan and create conditions to smash steelworkers' union Local 1005. The U.S. monopoly is also spreading rumours that the venerable Hilton Steel Mill is "unproductive" and a "bad fit" within its global empire and instead of investing in its productive capacity may crater the plant, an act that could only be seen as one of aggression against the economic well-being and sovereignty of Canada. To find excuses for this invasion, takeover and destruction of what Canadians have built with their blood and sweat and what they need for their security and well-being, U.S. Steel is spreading disinformation and doubt about the just stand of Local 1005, the people of Hamilton and others who are militantly resisting the wrecking of Canada's steel industry. U.S. Steel has recruited and paid U.S. global accounting monopoly Ernst & Young (E&Y) to prepare a document in the government lawsuit against U.S. Steel for violating its commitments under the Investment Canada Act. The document tries to rationalize U.S. Steel's violations of Canadian laws and its sworn commitment to uphold employment, production and pension agreements. E&Y was the accounting firm representing the bankruptcy monitor during the Stelco Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) fraud from 2004-06. The intent of the present E&Y document, which has been submitted to the federal court, is to prettify the motives of U.S. Steel in not meeting its employment and production commitments under the Investment Canada Act. U.S. Steel soon reneged on the signed and sworn
commitments it made upon seizing Stelco in 2007, a fact it admits
publicly in such a way as to humiliate Canadians for ever believing the
monopoly would be true to its word. Those commitments now appear as a
façade of an egocentric monster that has
no principles, and lies and cheats as a way of life. U.S. Steel sees
such signed and sworn agreements as non-serious window-dressing or a
con to fool the "northern colonials" into holding a faint hope that
U.S. Steel's word means something and that U.S. imperialism and
neoliberal globalization are not as bad as they
have been shown to be in practice around the world. Within this situation, the government lawsuit against U.S. Steel for violating its commitments under the Investment Canada Act is set to resume in federal court with a hearing in Ottawa on Monday. November 9, 2010   On November 9, steelworkers awaited the arrival of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty outside JNE Consulting where he was to announce a new solar panel assembly plant. Not only was McGuinty late but he secrety bypassed the workers (bottom right). The premier later blamed his security detail for taking him in the back way to avoid the steelworkers. Afterwards, Local 1005 president Rolf Gerstenberger said the workers had two demands of the premier: that he "step up to the plate and stop foreign multinationals from coming in and riding roughshod over people" and that the government stop U.S. Steel from smashing their pension plan, which is under provincial jurisdiction. Paul Miller, MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek pointed out that JNE is a major Ontario Liberal Party donor. He added that following the job losses at the Siemens turbine plant and Lakeport Brewery, the premier's priority should be to keep those jobs already in Hamilton. "Workers at U.S. Steel deserve better. They helped build this community. They deserve a premier who will fight to protect their hard-earned pensions and benefits," he said. November 10, 2010     On November 10, Hamilton steelworkers were joined on the picket lines by pensioners, community members and other supporters, including Ontario NDP Leader and Hamilton East MPP Andrea Horwath and MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Paul Miller (centre right). "You are fighting a fight that is the right fight, not only for yourselves, but for thousands of pensioners as well," Horwath told the workers. "U.S. Steel is doing what multi-national corporations are doing across North America, trying to drive workers into the ground," she said. "Ensuring a secure retirement for workers is one of the values Local 1005 has always stood for. Standing up to this campaign is something we can say was worth the fight," she added. Voice of Steel Productions Presents
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