Letter to Mr. Harvey, President and CEO of Alcoa Corporation - Lawmakers Call on Alcoa to Negotiate with Workers to Save Jobs at Intalco Facility

Letter

Dear Mr. Harvey:
We write in support of the 700 workers at Alcoa's Intalco facility in our home state who will lose
their jobs as a result of your decision to shut down the facility. This is the second time in 5 years
that Alcoa has announced that it would curtail operations at Intalco, and it is deeply distressing
that the company chose to make this announcement in the middle of a pandemic. The Intalco
plant is one of the largest employers in Whatcom county and supports many indirect jobs in
addition to the 700 workers at the facility itself.
We know that current market conditions are challenging for the aluminum industry and we have
consistently worked to address some of these challenges--including in 2016, when we worked
with Governor Inslee to support an agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration to
improve the competitiveness of Intalco.
We stand ready to explore options to help support the plant, but we ask that you work directly
with your workers' representatives at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace
Workers (IAM) to find creative solutions to save these 700 good-paying jobs.
While we recognize that companies like Alcoa have certain corporate responsibilities, they also
have a responsibility to their workers and communities. In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak
it is more important than ever to for companies like Alcoa to act as responsible corporate citizens
-- and we stand ready to work with you achieve this.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and look forward to working alongside
you to save the Intalco plant and its workers' livelihoods.
Sincerely,