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Layoffs coming at Dofasco: union

The Canadian Press
Thursday, November 15, 2007

HAMILTON — The United Steelworkers union says an undetermined number of employees have been laid off at steel maker Dofasco Inc., where the union is trying to be certified as a bargaining agent.

“We don't know how many are affected,” Wayne Fraser, the union's Ontario/Atlantic director, said in a phone interview.

“We heard that people were escorted out of the plant this week. They were handed white envelopes and told to clean out their lockers. People are terrified about what's going on.”

Earlier Thursday, the union said its organizing campaign among employees of the ArcelorMittal subsidiary had recently moved into a more intense phase.

“Employees are telling USW organizers that recent ArcelorMittal actions are angering many,” Mr. Fraser said in a release. “They say layoffs, terminations and cost-cutting are being initiated unfairly and without true, independent input from employees. Many workers report concerns about their future.”