News From USW: Steelworkers Confront ING Group Over Its Inaction to End Strike.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- News From USW: United Steelworkers (USW) strikers from National Wire Fabric (NWF) confronted the Dutch banking giant, ING Group, today at the headquarters of its US internet banking operations in Wilmington, Delaware to demand that the bank use its influence to seek an end to the 13 1/2-month long strike at the NWF facility in Star City, Arkansas.

NWF is a subsidiary of Gamma Holding NV, a Dutch conglomerate. ING Group is the single largest shareholder (26.19%) of Gamma Holding.

"We would like ING to recognize that this strike was a needless work stoppage and could have been prevented if NWF had bargained fairly with us," said Local 1671 Vice-President Dan Morrison. "We're seeking the bank's support to help end this conflict and get all of us back to work."

Since its acquisition by Gamma Holding in 2001, NWF has adopted a confrontational labor strategy. As a result, members of USW Local 1671 have been on strike at NWF's Star City, Arkansas facility since July 23, 2005. It is the longest strike in the history of Arkansas.

NWF has hired permanent replacement workers to destroy the union in direct violation of the International Labor Organization's convention on "freedom of association", and in contradiction to Gamma's own published policies. The USW has filed a formal complaint against Gamma with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.

In the past two months, USW President Leo Gerard and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka wrote letters to ING asking it to intervene in the conflict and assist in its solution. In a letter to Trumka, Aris Wateler, a member of Gamma's Supervisory Board and managing director of ING Parcom Ventures, defended NWF's actions and use of permanent replacement workers. He wrote that he could not help the union return its members to work.

The NWF strikers are leafleting ING bank locations in Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia this week, informing ING customers of the company's investment and business practices. The ING Group has been investigated in The Netherlands for insider trading. It has also paid $9.9 million in fines for alleged stock trading violations in the U.S. and has been charged for pension fraud in New Hampshire.

Tomorrow the strikers will be featured speakers at "Labor Speaks Out Day," part of Camp Democracy, on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

The USW is the largest manufacturing union in North America, with over 850,000 members in the U.S. and Canada.