Steelworker says Timet’s business up

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2000 | 11 a.m.

Sixteen hourly employees at the Henderson plant of Titanium Metals Corp. were reinstated to their former positions in the past two months because of a slight pickup in sales to the aerospace industry.

The Denver-based company, which currently has about 357 workers in Henderson after laying off 83 workers due to a weak market for titanium in aircraft production, recalled some 16 production workers to Timet's ingot melting and x-ray departments in Henderson, said Rick Taber, president of the United Steelworkers of America, Local 4856. The first worker cutbacks occurred in November 1998.

"There was a pickup in orders from Boeing Co. and we're hoping for more contracts with Boeing and Airbus," he said. Timet officials say the company's problems stem from its top customer, Boeing, having a stockpile of raw materials and wanting to renegotiate its contacts with all titanium suppliers.

Taber said the Steelworkers Union will soon start negotiating a new contract with Timet. Its current four-year contract expires on Oct. 2.

Local 4856 also represents 22 workers at Chemical Lime Co. in Henderson, while Local 5282 represents about 75 workers at Pioneer Chlor-Alkali in Henderson.

Local 711A of the Steelworkers Union represents about 1,100 drivers from Las Vegas cab companies including A-NLV Cab Co., ABC Union Cab, ACE Cab Inc., Las Vegas Taxi & Limo Drivers, Whittlesea Blue Cab and Vegas Western Cab.