what do they expect the province and feds to do? Start tossing larger amounts of money out whenever someone gets laid off? Are they honestly asking to get social assistance during strikes?? Here's an idea, quit being so hard-nosed and give up some consessions like most other steel workers and stop playing the union card whenever things don't go your way, and you'll likely have better employee- company relations. It seemed to work fine for other steel companies who are part of an even bigger global company. Come on, give me a break.

Aren't unions wonderful?

That is NOT the point! When an illegal immigrant comes into Canada they are entitled to welfare,prescription drugs and emergency dental care.They are NOT even Canadian citizens.We laid off CANADIANS who have paid taxes all our lives should have the same access to emergency dental care,and prescription drugs.Our plans were cancelled when we were illegaly laid off and locked out! WE are NOT on strike as you mentioned...we were locked out.Please get your facts straight before posting ridiculous comments.

You Jeda are 100% wrong, we did take accepted cuts in our contract and we were and are willing to talk with US Steel. Since August 3rd US Steel has not even tried to re enter bargaining with us. Since August 3rd close to 200 people have been locked out with nothing more than enough money to buy a cup of coffee for a day. Our union has been so open minded to taking offers from US Steel and in the past 30 years nothing has happened to us. US Steel has stolen our Canadian contracts, has stolen our Canadian customers and is currently stealing our Canadian made steel and shipping it to Michigan for Americans to roll.

Jeda I don't want you to feel sorry for me or the close to 500+ people on the verge of losing not only their families, their homes, and their lively hood. I just want you to take your head out of your ... and show some compassion for your neighbors and community.

To be clear, it is a myth that illegal immigrants get public welfare, drugs and dental. LEGAL immigrants can. Illegal Immigrants can pay for these services, but not publically.

As for the situation - this is a natural situation with capitalism. A company does not HAVE to sell their capital. As for the lock-out situation. I DO think that the both sides should be forced into binding arbitration. That being said, nothing would stop USS from simply mothballing the plant. Sad, but true.

i do feel compassion for those workers locked out. Trust me.
I'm just confused on what the government is expected to do? if they offer full social programs to every laid off worker (oh and the 200 locked out) do you know much more that would cost the taxpayer?
I agree 100% locked out workers should be entitled to help, however the article said:
" He said their biggest concern is that laid-off workers can't get any social assistance because technically their in the middle of a "labour dispute"."
Laid off workers was the major wording i didn't like, they can have unemployment and re-training if they choose to. So technically, this is all about 200 or so employees, since the others have been laid off and on unemployment.
I have feelings but don't try to tell me that your union has been open minded for the last 30 years, you know as well as i do that isn't true and that is why nothing happened to you.

To the first poster: are you for real? You have no clue do you?
For the third poster: my husband is a laid off worker of US Steel as well and we have already lost everything. Our house, our truck and our dignity. I feel for anyone who has to go through what we did. Best wishes to all the other laid off folks who are in the same boat as us.

I just would like Timber to be informed, I married a US citizen, he is classed as an Immigrant, We did however go through the correct process of immigration and he now is classed as being a permanent resident of Ontario. However when he was first in Ontario as an Imigrant HE WAS NOT allowed any of those things you stated in your post. Infact I am responsible in supporting him for so many years with out being able going on welfare, Not that I need to but if it ever came to that point. He was not given any kind of free dental care or drug plan or medical. He actually cut his had on a saw severly and I was going to have to pay but a certian Dr. in Simcoe a large amount of money to stitch his fingers up, but the excellent Dr. he is waved his fee for me. However I was charge for the hospital room. I had to show many documents that I was able to support him. We struggled for 2 years on One income until he was granted a work visa which was not handed out in a matter of weeks, The whole process took us 4 years. So please have your facts straight before you post.

Just to clarify what I meant to say and I apologize for it not sounding right. We would of had a huge Dr. Bill from that hospital visit and the Dr. was kind enough to waive his fee. I made the choice to marry a US citizen. I would never expect the government to support us during the process maybe make the process a little faster but not support.

Thank You Vaioschick for your well thought post. Amazing how "facts" can get twisted by those with small minds and an agenda.

whatever, sorry to say but people get laid off all the time, I've had it happen to me. I get off my A$$, go find some kind of work.. anything. Yes it can be tough, yes it can be destructive, but lets not sit and feel sorry for ourselves. Why hasn't anyone ever went to bat like this for any other employees who have faced layoffs? Did anyone protest or go to bat for the laid off workers in Caledonia at Georgia Pacific? No, a good majority of those workers went back to school and improved their chances to find jobs, they didn't sit and wait, and wait and wait and feel sorry for themselves and cry the blues. What about the Hilton workers that were out of work long before Nanticoke? Everyone at Nanticoke thought it was a great thing, they were safe, the ball was in their court.. ooops, wrong. I can be sypithetic, but I think making the steel workers out at lake erie a public charity is the wrong thing to do, it opens a huge can of worms and you do it for one you have to do it for all. This country can not afford that, not can we afford the mentality that would come with the pampering of laid off or striking workers. Like i said, locked out, yes we should assist them, they didn't always make the choice, but laid of workers can get EI benefits. Yes it might be tough but there are always ways to make it work.

You're right, people do get laid off all the time and it sucks. BUT as far as sitting home feeling sorry for ourselves, you are wrong. Maybe there are a few people that have decided to do that but not my husband. He has applied for hundreds of jobs and guess what - he had one call back. Luckily he got that job. Not great $ like USS but a job none the less. Even with this job it was too little too late - we lost it all. So, do me a favor, stop bad mouthing laid off USS workers.

Jeda...you have NO clue! We did in fact feel for those from Hilton works who were laid off.What does Georgia Pacific have to do with anything here? As far as the layoffs of US Steel go...IT WAS AND IS ILLEGAL! Perhaps maybe if you read a newspaper and kept up with current events you would know that. If it was not illegal then why would the Canadian federal government be suing them? Get with the facts! You have absolutely no clue what you are writing here! A lot of us were able to find employment elsewhere and some have not.Remember...some of these guys and and women have been there since they were out of high school and are now at the age where they have a hard time gaining employment elsewhere.Please do your research before putting your idiotic comments here!

Why would people be losing their families, houses, etc if this just happened in AUGUST? (as noted in another post) Mortgage companies don't pull the carpet when you first miss a payment, do they? People today live beyond their means, and what I mean by that is that is that if your debt is such that you need TWO incomes to SURVIVE, then you have stretched yourself too far. You should be able to go down to ONE income & be able to at least pull through tough times, at least temporarily. I do not begrudge anyone of having the best, the most, etc., and they are entiltled to everything they want and need as long as they can afford it. People today tend to live paycheque to paycheque & that puts them in a volnerable financial situation.

I believe that part of the issue here is that for "years and years" Stelco employees have been paid a wage rate that would be classified as "top of the class" for our community. It becomes very difficult for others that have had "regular" or "nominal" incomes over those years to suddenly have compassion for those that have been receiving high incomes & have not put away their nest eggs to compensate for hard times.

As a comparison, most people don't have a lot of sympathy for teachers when they don't get everything they want in contract negotiations. Reason? The general public does feel as though they already have good working conditions, good hours of work, good pay, good retirement funding, etc. When higher level needs are being met, most ousiders won't feel sorry that they don't get added fringe benefits. The employees' perspecitve, however, is completely different. It's our nature to want more & feel as though we've received an added level of gratitude, whether that be by salary increases, better benefits, etc.

That's human nature. You can argue it all you want, but you can't change it.

I know of many US Steel workers who have applied for other jobs. One of the big problems is that when a company that is hiring sees that you were layed off from US Steel, they don't want to hire you as they know that you will go back as soon as the plant re-opens. It appears that US Steel will keep the plant closed until Hamilton's contract comes up and then have both plants negotiate a contract as they do in the US. All US Steel plants are under one contract in the US ( where workers received a $6000 signing bonus last year).

you're absolutely right, I should be more compassionate. I know you did everything possible to cut back on spending, like most people do when their ncome changes. I agree that in tough times only the essential spending should be allowed, i see you somehow lost everything but dtill decide to spend money on the internet each month. so afraid to give up a luxury like the internet, then expect more money from the government.

You are so ignorant you have not even read what i have been saying. It's like this, laid off USS workers get the same benefits as any other laid off worker in the past 30 years. Why should they be treated differently then any other Canadian who has been laid off? I understand times are tough, but what makes USS workers so special they should all of a sudden qualify for extras that no other worker has been given in the past?

PS, tell your husband to apply for re-training, the government will help him apply and pay the tuition for schooling ;)

WOW, you really are clueless aren't you! For your information 90% of perspective employers would like resumes to be submitted via email, what we pay a month for internet is a quarter of what we would spend in gas to drive to Simcoe to use the job bank and the gas to drive from place to place to drop off resumes or apply for jobs. Don't you think we havn't weighed the pro's and con's of each move we make. I am obviously alot smarter than you take me for. As for re-training - thats an easy one - how can he go to school with me working and only one vehicle, not to mention the amount of $ we would have to pay for child care. So now you see things aren't as clear cut as one may think. Not to mention the fact these guys aren't just laid off and locked out, what the company did was ILLEGAL and that is why these guys and their families are so angry. I don't think I need to justify what I do to anyone - least of all someone over the internet - i'm just trying to make my point and get people like you to understand there is no right answer here.