The Union,the Mining Company,and the Environment: Steelworkers Build a Multi-Stakeholder Model for Corporate Accountabilityat Phelps Dodge

Abstract

This is a case study of ongoing relations between the Phelps Dodge mining company, a United Steelworkers local representing 560 employees at the company's Chino Mines in New Mexico, and an array of other concerned stakeholders.

This case study shows that labor can be a full partner in environmental advocacy, and even take a leadership role in building a strong multi-stakeholder alliance for corporate accountability. While the case also shows that corporate jobs blackmail is alive and well in the global economy, the labor community-coalition that has emerged at the mining complex has broken some new ground. The approach taken attends to diverse stakeholder interests—cultural protection issues of Native-American and Mexican-American ethnic groups; conservation, groundwater and Right-to-Know issues of traditional environmental constituencies; and environmental liability and disclosure concerns of corporate shareholders. Among the key developments are:

A new approach to corporate reporting to shareholders as an enforcement and right-to-know tool;

The use of the internet as an information dissemination and action tool;

The potential for environmentally needed improvements to serve as a receptor for employment of workers at a mine during periods of reduced production.