Can't believe ATI statements

Regarding the story “ATI claims operations, production meet expectations” (Oct. 5): Allegheny Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Rich Harshman and Executive Vice President Bob Wetherbee must be getting bad reports from our plants. Either that or their expectations bar is set ridiculously low.

Anything Harshman and Wetherbee say to the community, media and both United Steelworkers and ATI salaried employees must be questioned based on their past statements. Why would anyone — especially ATI customers, shareholders and this community — believe them?

In the past year, they decimated the salaried workers' retirement, health care and life insurance. Now, management is taking their private lives from them and their families, forcing them to work ungodly hours. And most realize when this labor dispute is over, their jobs will be over too.

ATI believes these people have an allegiance to the company. They are wrong.

Salaried employees inside our plants tell us how bad it is in there and want the USW workers back. They tell us many replacement workers are lazy and incompetent and they've fired lots of them because they lack the work ethic of our union people.

The salaried employees tell us the truth because that is how they were raised — to have a strong work ethic. It is obvious Harshman and Wetherbee were not raised like the honest, hardworking men and women of the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Neither live in the valley because this community would never put up with those two. Our expectations bar is set much higher.

Martin Febbraio

Harrison

The writer is a USW Local 1196 shop steward at ATI/Flat-Rolled Products in Brackenridge.