The Times (Munster, IN) articles from December 2001

The Times (Munster, IN) archives from December 2001

Bankrupt Bethlehem Steel Asks for $9 Million in Bonuses.
December 30, 2001... Byline: Andrea Holecek Dec. 30--Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s plan to give 87 top employees almost $9 million in bonus pay is being met with anger from steelworker union representatives and could cause the union to rethink its commitment to...

Munster, Ind.-Area Retailers Say Holiday Shopping was Strong.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Carmen McCollum Dec. 28--Despite dismal national predictions, Northwest Indiana retailers said merchandise practically jumped off the shelves as shoppers looked for more value for their bucks. Retailers also slashed prices to...

Laid-Off Chicago Steelworkers Travel to Washington to Ask Government for Help.
December 28, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 28--In 1973, three brothers from Texas lined up to apply for jobs at the LTV steel mill in East Chicago. Jamie, Steve and Joe Guerra, following in their father's footsteps, were hired as blast furnace workers....

Global Crisis Bankrupts American Steel Companies.
December 28, 2001... Byline: William Lazarus Dec. 28--A global glut has pushed steel prices to depression-era levels, putting 14 United States mills into bankruptcy in the last four years, with more than half those occurring within the past year. ...

LTV Steelworkers Blame Management for Company's Demise.
December 23, 2001... Byline: Kim Chiervue Dec. 23--Management decisions contributed to the demise of LTV as much as the bad market and high steel imports, said laid off LTV steelworkers. Steelworkers on a recent trip to Washington D.C. were happy to...

Munster, Ind.-Area Men Out Shopping at the Very Last Minute.
December 23, 2001... Byline: Carmen McCollum Dec. 23--Like many men, Nathan Stombaugh waits until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts. Stombaugh, 26, of Highland, said he began shopping for 10-15 gifts for family and friends a few days ago. Most...

Entrepreneurial Excellence Award Winners in Indiana to Compete at State Level.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Sharon Porta Dec. 22--Each of the five winners of the recent 2001 Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards, presented by the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, plans to compete at the state level. Winners of the...

Ohio Bankruptcy Judge Approves LTV Steel Deal.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Carmen McCollum Dec. 22--YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio--Anyone who is interested in buying the assets of LTV Steel Co. will be able to start from scratch with a new workforce. Plants in East Chicago, Cleveland and Hennepin, Ill. where the...

Downtown Valparaiso, Ind., Building Finds a New Lease on Life.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 20--VALPARAISO, Ind.--Glass beads and scented candles have replaced the nuts and bolts, but the old Wark's Hardware store on the city's main strip is still attracting a flurry of shoppers. The town landmark...

North Carolina-Based Steel Company Says Bailout Is `Corporate Welfare'.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Robin Biesen Dec. 20--One of the most vocal opponents of a proposed federal plan to relieve the oldest U.S. steelmakers of their killing legacy costs may be North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. Nucor recently placed high-profile...

Steelworkers Return to Washington.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 20--WASHINGTON -- Rescued from a weekend at home, about 150 LTV steelworkers boarded buses Wednesday to return to Washington. Bus captain Eddie Gonzalez, of Griffith,, said more workers would meet them at...

United Steelworkers of America District Appoints New Director.
December 20, 2001... Byline: Andrea Holecek Dec. 20--GARY, Ind.--Jim Robinson was sworn in Wednesday as director of District 7 United Steelworkers of America. Robinson, 52, succeeds Jack Parton, who resigned as director the same day rather than leaving...

LTV Steelworkers Make Their to Washington, D.C., to Push $250 Million Loan.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 19--As another group of LTV steelworkers rides the bus to Capitol Hill, the fate of their union contracts hangs in the balance. Hearings continue today in Youngstown, Ohio, on a motion by LTV to void its...

Steelworkers Laid Off by Riverdale, Ill., Mining Firm to Vote on New Contract.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Andrea Holecek Dec. 19--RIVERDALE, Ill.--Severance and bonus pay for steelworkers laid off from Acme Metals Inc. is being held hostage by the company, a union official claimed. Mike Mezo, United Steelworkers of America...

Small-Business Course Helps Hammond, Ind., Couple Finds Life after Steel.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Julia Versau Dec. 19--HAMMOND, Ind.--Steelworker Pete Giordano hasn't been handed any walking papers. But that doesn't mean he can't see the writing on the wall. The recent hard hits to workers in the steel industry were...

Publisher of Munster, Ind., Newspaper Switches Jobs.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Debra Gruszecki Dec. 18--MUNSTER, Ind.--William E. Howard, publisher of The Times, said Monday he is leaving the position to work full time as vice president of Howard Publications Inc. Howard Publications, which owns 15 U.S....

Fairlawn, Ohio-Based Firm, United Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Carmen McCollum Dec. 18--Republic Technologies International has finalized a tentative revised agreement with the United Steelworkers of America. Although the terms of the new contract won't be released until the agreement is...

LTV Steelworkers Plan Second Washington, D.C., Trip.
December 18, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 18--LTV steelworkers will return to Washington, D.C. this week to continue pressuring Congress on legislation they hope will save their jobs and the retirees' pension and health care plans. The workers will...

LTV Workers Appeal to Congressional Caucus.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 13--WASHINGTON -- Steelworkers spending the week in Washington tried to put a human face on their plight for the government on Wednesday by giving testimony at Congressional Steel Caucus hearings. Nearly 200...

LTV Steel Workers Rally on Capitol Hill, Demand Help for Unemployed.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 13--WASHINGTON--More than 300 steelworkers descended on Capitol Hill at high noon Wednesday for a showdown with a legislature reluctant to grant the concessions that might save steel jobs. On the side of the...

Steelworker Caravan Heads to Washington to Ask for Government's Help.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Kim Chievrue Dec. 13--Ninety men and women stood waiting in the parking lot of the McBride union hall just after dawn, stamping feet and trying to warm hands stung by the frosty Tuesday morning air. They were ready to board buses...

Steel Company LTV's Retiree Health Care Benefits Remain Safe for Now.
December 12, 2001... Byline: Andrea Holecek Dec. 12--Hundreds have been asking, but there are no firm answers on just when LTV Corp. will cut health care benefits to its 8,000 Indiana Harbor Works retirees. LTV could stop paying for retiree health care...