Union Workers Strike at Constellium Alabama Aluminum Plant

(Bloomberg) -- About 400 United Steel Workers went on strike at Constellium SE’s aluminum factory in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, citing unfair labor practices and disagreements over health care demands that are on the table.

“They’re going on strike, the company has got health care demands on the table and all sorts of rollbacks,” Tom Conway, the president of the United Steelworkers of America, said in a telephone interview. “Most of those jobs have been decent jobs for a long time and this company is doing OK; there’s no need for what they’re asking for.”

Conway said the union is going to be on strike until Constellium “comes to their senses” on these matters. The company’s website says the plant employs more than 1,200 employees and mainly produces can sheet for the packaging industry, particularly for beverage containers.

“Constellium Muscle Shoals has offered a very competitive agreement,” a spokesperson for the company said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to resolving this matter for the mutual benefit of all our employees, our customers and the company.”

• The plant has the capacity to recycle nearly 20 billion cans per year, according to its website.
• The beverage industry has been experiencing a can shortage globally due to a demand spike from more people drinking at home during the pandemic and as more beverage companies substitute aluminum cans in place of plastic bottles.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.