New Steelworkers Website Escalates "Take Backs No More" Campaign Against Crown Holdings

TORONTO, Feb. 3, 2014 /CNW/ - The United Steelworkers (USW) now has an official home on the web for its campaign against Crown Holdings Inc. at www.takebacksnomore.ca. 

After months without negotiations, USW and Crown representatives are meeting Tuesday in Toronto in the hopes of reaching an agreement.

But the USW is not relenting in its campaign. "With today's website launch, we are showing that we are as determined as ever to stop the take-backs this company has been forcing on workers for years," said Joe Drexler, USW Director of Strategic Campaigns.

Since the fall, the USW has mobilized thousands of people around the world through its Take-Backs No More Campaign to support the Toronto workers' struggle to obtain a fair deal from Crown Holdings.

Since its beginning, the campaign has focused intensely on Crown's directors, holding them responsible for Crown's unreasonable demands. Rallies were held at the headquarters of PPL, United Rentals and Carnival – corporations directly connected to Crown directors. Over 6,000 people sent letters to Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival.

The new campaign website continues to focus on Crown's directors. An interesting feature of www.takebacksnomore.ca is Millionaires' Row, a photographic record of the palatial homes of Crown's directors.

"Seeing the directors' homes helps illustrate the incredible unfairness of the company's demands," Drexler added.

"People who are truly living like kings want factory workers to permanently reduce already modest wages for new workers by 42%. That's what we're up against, that's what this campaign is all about –  fairness."

Crown Holdings, a profitable U.S.-based multinational packaging giant, forced 120 members of USW Local 9176 in Toronto on strike on Sept. 6, 2013, by demanding a two-tier wage structure that would permanently decrease new hires' wages, as well as other cuts.

Crown brought in strikebreaking replacement workers and security personnel to the Toronto facility in an attempt to resume production of steel food cans and aluminum beverage cans for Molson, Labatt and Cott. But with all of its experienced workers out on the picket line, the company failed to resume full production.

For more information about the campaign, as well as videos and other materials, see   www.takebacksnomore.ca.

SOURCE: United Steelworkers (USW)

Alexandra Eshelman, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-570-9984, [email protected]; Joe Drexler, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544-6009, 416-434-7907, [email protected]; Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]