For the workers, caution with a dose of optimism

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.workers21feb21,0,3948379.story

By Hanah Cho | sun reporter
February 21, 2007

The Sparrows Point steel plant has had so many owners come and go during the past few years that workers joke about seeing a Wal-Mart sign appearing next.

But yesterday, when workers learned that yet another owner is in their future, they peppered uncertain reactions with a sense of optimism that this time the change could be for the better. With the right owner willing to invest in Sparrows Point, the plant could expand operations with the potential to become the premier facility for the new company, workers say.

"The guy who owns us right now, there is no money being put back into the plant," said Erin Kelly, 24, a cold mill crane operator from Baltimore who has worked at Sparrows Point for more than four years. "With a new owner, we may get more money, allowing us to grow."

"I'm hoping for the best," Kelly added.

Despite such hope from rank-and-file workers, leaders at the United Steelworkers union said yesterday they would challenge the U.S. Justice Department's decision to force the sale due to antitrust concerns. Union leaders argue the move would not protect Sparrows Point's future. And the Local 9377 president said the union would support the national union's move to reverse the order, noting that the outcome could be a "coin toss."

Such uncertainty has become routine for workers at Sparrows Point, who have faced various owners since Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt in 2001. Two years later, the company sold its assets to International Steel Group, founded by financier Wilbur Ross.

FULL story at link.