Alcoa gets tough with union by threatening to idle Quebec plant

After 18 months of often contentious labor talks with the United Steelworkers union at an aluminum smelter in Quebec, Alcoa has threatened to idle the entire facility if workers don’t sign what it’s calling a “final offer". Aluminerie de Bécancour, a joint venture in which Alcoa controls a 75% stake and Rio Tinto Group owns the rest, made a proposal that expires on July 5. If it’s not signed, the already-curtailed production will be totally suspended, Pittsburgh-based Alcoa said Wednesday in a statement.