Some of Algoma Steel's 1,000 planned layoffs will be postponed
Local 2724 includes front-line supervisors, office and technical workers as well as shift co-ordinators and planners.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The axe will fall on Monday for hundreds of Algoma Steel employees, but work extensions are being granted to some of them, company and union officials tell SooToday.
The Sault steelmaker announced Dec. 1 that it would issue layoff notices on Monday, March 23 to approximately 1,000 of its 2,366 employees.
'I think because of some training requirements and other things, there's going to be some extensions,' Bill Slater, president of United Steelworkers Local 2724, told us.
'So not everybody will be laid off on Monday. The majority will, and a few will have an extension so that they can provide training and other things necessary,' Slater said.
With the planned layoff date approaching next week, 'workforce reductions are proceeding in phases as the company transitions away from its integrated operations,' said Laura Devoni, Algoma's vice president of human resources and corporate affairs.
'A number of employees have already voluntarily departed since the announcement in December, with additional reductions occurring in the near term and over the course of 2026,' Devoni added.
Slater's Local 2724 is Algoma Steel's second-largest bargaining group, representing 413 workers as of the most recent count last month.
Local 2724 includes front-line supervisors, office and technical workers as well as shift co-ordinators and planners.
Local 2251 is Algoma's biggest unionized group, representing 1,846 employees: all of Algoma's hourly workers.
Mike Da Prat, who has served as Local 2251's president for the past 23 years, is on vacation and was unavailable for comment on Monday's layoffs.
Da Prat is known, however, to be concerned about any attempt by Algoma to use contractors in place of laid-off workers.
He's asked all of his members to report any contractors seen in the plant.
Local 2724's Bill Slater says the layoffs are likely to affect a greater proportion of his membership than Da Prat's local.
'Mike's 2251 is based on senior seniority alone. While ours is based on seniority and skills and ability.'
Slater said some of the 1,000 expected layoffs will be avoided by retirements or other attrition.
'Some of those 1,000 have already found other employment and resigned, and some have retired. But that's a small amount.'
As for the 500 new jobs promised within one year by federal industry minister Mélanie Joly, Slater said Algoma is nowhere near starting to hire for the anticipated new enhanced plate and beam divisions.
'When we're looking at those 500 jobs, we're years away from that because until you start to see them building a new mill or announcing that they're going to build a new one, those jobs are going to be past that time.'
Are some workers bumping others out of their jobs?
Yes, Slater says.
'The bumping process is probably more so in [Local] 2724, because it can't be done solely on seniority because, you know, an accountant can't do an IT professional's job.
'So the people with seniority do have a collective agreement right to train for a certain period of time to see if they can fulfill other jobs. And then it depends if they're successful in their training, whether they get to bump the junior person out,' Slater said.
'This is a difficult situation for everybody involved, so we just ask everybody to know that our door is open. If there's help needed, bang on our door, and we will do the best to help or direct people to the right places for their specific needs.'
Speaking for the company, Laura Devoni added: 'We recognize the impact of these reductions on our employees, their families and the Sault Ste. Marie community. And we remain committed to working closely with union leadership, government partners and community agencies to provide transition assistance.'
Courtesy: www.sootoday.com