'Wright is Still Wrong' is the
message hundreds of Machinists Union members employed at Alcoa
aluminum plants in Wenatchee and Ferndale delivered to the Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA). These determined workers embarked
on a cross-state trek aimed at preserving these family-wage jobs.
Their target was Bonneville Power Administration Director Steven
Wright, who has proposed a 15 percent rate increase that would
ensure the demise of aluminum manufacturing in the Northwest.
This increase is on top of the 45 percent increase imposed at
the height of the energy crisis in 2001.
Members first stopped at the State Capitol to hear from Washington
State legislators, who also opposed the rate increase. Just minutes
before the aluminum workers arrived, state lawmakers passed House
Joint Memorial 4021, which petitioned President Bush, the U.S.
House and Senate, and BPA to abandon the rate increase and use
other tools to manage costs. State leaders again came together
across party lines to oppose the rate increase and demonstrate
they understand the importance of preserving every job in this
tough economy.
From Olympia, the Union members traveled to Portland to attend
BPA's public hearing on the issue. Members lined up to testify
in opposition of BPA's proposed 15 percent rate increase, which
would make power too expensive for Alcoa to produce aluminum in
this state. Heart-wrenching stories told of life-long careers
that would be lost, families that would have to move from the
region, and the devastating effect on the communities left behind.
The BPA proposal is especially frustrating since the Wenatchee
plant has been idle since the energy crisis in 2001. The Ferndale
plant also was idle for a year during the 2001 energy crisis and
only recently resumed production. The idle time in the plants
has left workers eager to get back to their trade - producing
aluminum.
Although production at the Wenatchee plant has stopped, the company's
390 employees remain on the payroll thanks to a contract with
Chelan County PUD. The PUD sells Alcoa's 23 percent share of power
produced at the Rocky Reach Dam in exchange for Alcoa agreeing
to keep jobs at the plant. In February, the PUD agreed to extend
the contract until at least January 1, 2004.
These employees had the plant in tip-top shape and completed every
maintenance task imaginable long ago. Since last fall, Alcoa employees
in Wenatchee have been working on community service projects with
non-profit organizations. Employees have contributed more than
14,500 hours of community service. Despite the tremendous community
service they have provided, Union members are anxious to know
if there is a real future at Alcoa or if they will eventually
be looking for a new career.
If the increase is approved, it will mean the advantage that cheap
federal hydroelectricity brought to the Northwest economy and
supported generations of Northwest workers in a multitude of industries
will be eliminated. And it's not just the aluminum industry that
will be hit. Boeing's power costs have already doubled, and this
would affect their rates, as well. BPA has gone from offering
competitive prices to being one of the higher cost suppliers in
the nation.
BPA accepted public comment on the proposal through May 1 and
will announce their decision this fall.