"Kids of Steel" to Share Their Stories from Kaiser Aluminum Lockout in Major Rally at State Capitol
Sons, daughters and spouses of the 2,400 locked-out Kaiser Aluminum Steelworkers will gather for a rally on the Capitol steps. The "Kids of Steel," mainly school children on Spring Break from Spokane area schools, will describe the impact the lockout has had on their families and lives. The rally is in support of passage of a bill to extend unemployment benefits to workers who have been forced out of their jobs for over 18 months.
The rally will be at 12:00 pm. noon, Friday April 7, 2000 on the front steps of Capitol building, Olympia, WA. (In case of rain the rally will move inside to the rotunda.)Kaiser Aluminum has kept 2,400 Steelworkers in Spokane and Tacoma off the job by locking them out. This labor dispute has stretched over a year and a half, leaving many Steelworkers and their families in dire financial shape. For many of these families, their life savings have been wiped out and mortgage and medical payments missed. The State Senate has already passed the urgently needed unemployment benefits extension bill (SB 6368) and the House has the bi-partisan votes for passage, but Co-Speaker Clyde Ballard refuses to allow the bill to the floor for a vote. Under the bill, the company that locks out the workers would pay the cost of the benefits. Dozens of Steelworkers have been holding a vigil during the Special Session to protest this derailment of democracy.
Contact: Jon Youngdahl, USWA