fired, in part, for calling replacement workers "scabs."

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060909045821645

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United Steelworkers union on Wednesday filed an unfair labor practice complaint on behalf of a non-union employee who was fired, in part, for calling replacement workers "scabs."

Union fights over worker's right to say "scab

By Steve James

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United Steelworkers union on Wednesday filed an unfair labor practice complaint on behalf of a non-union employee who was fired, in part, for calling replacement workers "scabs."

"It's in Webster's, it's purely descriptive and wasn't meant to be offensive," Stan Johnson, a USW International official, told Reuters.

He was speaking of an incident at the Nuclear Fuel Services facility in Erwin, Tennessee, where 370 USW members have been on strike for more than three months over a new contract.

Jim Carvin, a local union representative at NFS, said the union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against NFS management for firing salaried worker Kim Gordon for using the word "scab" to describe replacement workers at the plant.

She was one of several NFS clerical employees operating the plant, which supplies the U.S. Navy with nuclear fuel for submarines and aircraft carriers.

The union charges that the company action violates NLRB laws allowing non-supervisory employees to express opinions on labor matters. Other pending charges contend management has negotiated in bad faith, the union said.

An NFS spokesman said the privately held company had not seen the complaint and would not comment on speculation. The Erwin plant is located in northeastern Tennessee, about 50 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina. He said no new contract negotiations were scheduled with the USW.

In an August 17 letter to Gordon, obtained by Reuters, NFS said it was terminating her for "a work attitude not in keeping with the core values of NFS."
"You have recently demonstrated your lack of respect for your fellow employees by referring to the newly hired employees as 'scabs.' This term is derogatory and demonstrates your intent to try to intimidate and harass employees who have been hired to replace the striking union employees," it said.

Merriam Webster's Collegiate dictionary has several definitions of "scab": A worker who refuses to join a labor union; a union member who refuses to strike, and a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike.

In earlier complaints to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the USW alleged safety and production problems at the plant due to NFS use of inexperienced sub-contractors, the contamination of two security officers and exposure of salaried employees to nuclear materials.

Founded in 1957, NFS helped pioneer a process to convert weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) into enrichments suitable for use in commercial nuclear reactors. The process is at the heart of its activity, converting surplus HEU from the Cold War era into fuel for use by the Tennessee Valley Authority to produce electricity and by the Navy to run ships.

Members of USW Local 9-677 have been striking at the facility since May 16, seeking improved benefits and working conditions and stronger restrictions on sub-contracting. Union workers also oppose company demands to eliminate the defined benefit pension plan in favor of a 401(k) savings plan.

The union said it and residents in the Appalachian Mountain community are disturbed that the company uses inexperienced replacement workers in such a sensitive manufacturing process.

In an ironic twist, five days after Gordon was fired, she received a gift certificate and letter from NFS congratulating her on her fifth anniversary with the company. "Please accept your award as a token of our sincere appreciation for your continued loyalty and dedication to our common core values," it said.

USW Press Release:
http://www.uswa.org/uswa/program/content/3347.php";

[gratuitous]

1. Kim Gordon should have used a better term

I'd suggest no-good fucking low-life stab-your-neighbor-in-the-back goddam scab. Just so there wasn't any confusion.