United Steelworkers (USW) District 9 Staff Representative Alex Perkins joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how the USW has struggled to sign a contract with Kumho Tire in Macon, Ga. for the last two years.
District 9 represents workers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina and the Virgin Islands.
Perkins described numerous union busting tactics the company attempted when workers attempted to unionize in 2017. Workers successfully voted to unionize in 2020. Although contract negotiations have recently made progress, the USW has yet to get the company to come to an agreement on its first contract, he said. The ordeal is a perfect example of how labor law is broken, he added.
Perkins also spoke about the frustrations Kumho Tire workers experienced getting proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer and adequate safety protections during the pandemic.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.