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http://www.news-register.net/editorials/articles.asp?articleID=8516Get Ormet Workers Back on Job Quickly
By the News-Register
The long, sometimes bitter strike at the Ormet Corp. in Hannibal is over — but that doesn’t mean the plant can resume producing aluminum. For that to happen, Ormet needs a contract for reasonably priced electricity.
Most of the hundreds of union workers who went on strike against Ormet in November 2004 will remain idle until and unless a source of electricity can be found. Aluminum production requires an enormous amount of power — and for Ormet to do the job effectively, the electricity must be available at competitive rates.
Members of United Steelworkers Local 5724 on Sunday ratified a new contract with Ormet. But only a few of them will be going back to work immediately, preparing the plant for resumption of production. Meanwhile, company officials are working to find the source of electricity needed to bring the other workers back.
Whether Ormet can accomplish that depends almost entirely on private utility companies such as American Electric Power. Reportedly, Ormet officials already have begun discussing the issue with AEP.