Utah, Illinois Bar Jobless Aid in Steel Dispute
Nearly 2,800 Utah and Illinois steelworkers engaged in a work stoppage with USX Corp. were ruled ineligible Friday for unemployment benefits.
The ruling against 2,000 workers at the company’s Geneva Works plant in Orem, Utah, was based on a finding that the stoppage was a strike rather than a lockout.
The ruling was in contrast to one made Thursday by Pennsylvania officials, who decided that the labor dispute is a lockout, allowing at least 6,200 steelworkers in that state to collect unemployment benefits. Earlier in the week, Minnesota ruled the dispute a lockout and granted benefits to 1,300 strikers.
Ruling Made by State
In Illinois, the ruling against 800 workers off the job at USX’s Chicago factory was made by the state Department of Employment Security. But that ruling was not based on the distinction between strike and lockout.
“Under Illinois law, there’s no difference between a strike or a lockout in this situation,” department spokeswoman Lynn Pierce said. “Workers are not eligible for benefits in either case.”
The company has called the work stoppage a strike because steelworkers had voted to authorize a strike if bargainers failed to reach agreement.
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