Workers at recycling company’s Atlanta location vote in favor of joining Teamsters.
Workers at an Atlanta location of Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling LLC have voted in favor of joining International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 728. According to that union, drivers and other employees “reached out to the Teamsters in early September seeking improved working conditions, higher wages and better benefits.”
Liberty Tire Recycling is owned by Summit, New Jersey-based ECP Management LP, which purchased it from New York-based investment fund The Carlyle Group in a transaction that was announced this April.
As of October 19, there is no comment or reaction from Liberty Tire Recycling or ECP about the Teamsters campaign or the outcome of the vote. A Teamsters news release says the vote to unionize passed “by a more than 3-1 margin.”
That same news release quotes Luis Herrera, identified as a 25-year driver for Liberty and a member of the facility’s organizing committee, as saying, “This win means a lot to me and my co-workers. We fought hard for this day, and we are very happy to be Teamsters. Now that we have our union, we will continue fighting to address the issues that the company has been ignoring for years. It's time for this company to treat its workers right.”
According to the union, Herrera and his co-workers reached out to the Teamsters after “they had gone more than a decade without a raise.” The vote for union representation in Atlanta marks the first group of workers at Liberty Tire to join the Teamsters, says the union.
OSHA awarded the association with a $160,000 grant from its Susan Harwood Training Grant program.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has received a $160,000 grant from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to fund fire safety education and training for recyclers.
According to the award, ISRI plans to use the funding to provide four hours of fire safety training to 500 employers and workers in the scrap metal and municipal recycling industries. ISRI reports that its targeted audience includes limited-English speaking, temporary and hard-to-reach workers. Training topics will focus on fire safety hazard recognition and will be offered in both English and Spanish.
ISRI says the course is free to anyone in the recycling industry and is being offered virtually on several dates over the next few months.
ISRI did not provide Recycling Today with details on when this training will be available and if it has an associated cost.
The grant is part of OSHA’s 2021 Susan Harwood Training Grant program. ISRI reports that it will use the funding to revise its existing Susan Harwood Training materials.
OSHA reports that it has awarded more than $11.6 million in grants through the Susan Harwood Training Grant program to 93 nonprofit organizations nationwide. The grants fund education and training on hazard recognition and prevention. ISRI also received this $160,000 grant as part of the Susan Harwood Training Grant program in 2020, which it used to form a “Hazard Recognition in Shipping/Receiving and Loading Dock Areas” safety training program.
The company says the facility will produce recycled polyester pellets.
Teijin Frontier Co., a fibers and products converting company based in Tokyo, has announced the launch of a recycling facility that will convert polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET) bottles into recycled polyester pellets. The facility will be operated by Teijin Polyester Ltd. (TPL), a subsidiary of Teijin Frontier, and will produce pellets for polyester filament manufacturing.
According to a news release from Teijin, the facility will open in early 2022 and is expected to produce 7,000 tons of recycled polyester pellets annually by fiscal 2025.
Teijin Frontier will install cleaning equipment and the latest pelletizing machinery to remove foreign substances from the recycled PET bottles before they are extruded into pellets. TPL will use Teijin Frontier’s proprietary quality control technologies in its system for turning plastic bottles into recycled polyester pellets. The company says the raw yarn produced at TPL will be used in Teijin Frontier's Ecopet recycled filament yarn.
Teijin Frontier, guided by its Think Eco environmental initiative, says it aims to improve its environment by developing environmentally friendly materials and products for applications ranging from clothing to industrial materials.
Eric Steiner joins AF&PA from Elanco Animal Health, where he served as senior director of government affairs.
The Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has announced Eric Steiner as its vice president of government affairs. Steiner will help lead the paper and wood products industry’s legislative agenda and drive advocacy efforts before Congress, the Biden administration and state governments. Steiner becomes vice president for government affairs Nov. 1.
Steiner joins AF&PA from Elanco Animal Health, where he served as senior director of government affairs. In this role, Steiner led policy development, directed lobbying efforts, oversaw legislative and regulatory strategy and advocacy. He also built external coalitions and led internal cross company teams.
Before Elanco, Steiner worked in government affairs for Kraft Foods and served as senior professional staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He also served as a senior executive political appointee at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and helped lead government affairs for the National Association of Wheat Growers.
“We are excited to have Eric bring his notable experience to our outstanding government affairs team,” says Heidi Brock, CEO of AF&PA. “His previous work experience in the U.S. Senate, USDA, a trade association and two publicly traded companies will be key to communicating our industry’s essential role in manufacturing renewable and recyclable paper and packaging products while contributing to a more sustainable future.”
Steiner earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education from Purdue University and a Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law.
“I am pleased to join AF&PA’s talented government affairs team, as well as an industry that deeply values safety, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion,” Steiner says. “I look forward to building on these efforts in advocating for a strong and sustainable paper and wood products industry.”
Sebastian Wellnitz brings 14 years of experience in the mineral processing industry.
Canada-based McCloskey International has announce the appointment of Sebastian Wellnitz to the position of dealer manager, where he will be responsible for the company’s brand and sales operations in the northern European market.
Sebastian joins the McCloskey International team with 14 years of experience in the mineral processing industry, previously as sales representative for one of the largest dealers of processing equipment in Germany. His time collaborating in-market with customers to deliver solutions for their application requirements will provide a strong foundation for his new role with McCloskey International.
Given Germany’s competitive environment within the European market, one of Sebastian’s key roles will be to continue to strengthen and expand McCloskey in Germany and Northern Europe, leveraging the strength of the brand globally as a market leader.
According to McCloskey, Sebastian will use his deep knowledge of the market to strengthen and support the established dealers, while also bringing new dealers on board in regions with room for expansion in the global dealer footprint.
“In my first days at the factory in Northern Ireland, I experienced a dynamic environment with a lot of passion for the product. The complete range of products for all aspects of processing –screening, crushing, stockpiling, shredding and washing—offer many strong details that will be attractive for the end customer in a competitive market. I look forward to the opportunities ahead as we continue to expand our presence globally,” noted Wellnitz.
Sebastian Wellnitz’s appointment is effective immediately.