Steelworkers file grievance over parking lot fire

United Steelworkers Local 2251, Algoma Steel's largest collective bargaining unit, has filed a formal complaint over what it says is inadequate security at employee parking lots.

The union local representing 2,243 hourly rated workers launched a grievance after a parked pickup truck caught fire over the weekend near the steelmaker's No. 1 gate off Patrick Street.

"They have a minimal security crew," Local 2251 President Mike Da Prat tells SooToday.

"They don't patrol the parking lots, and we get told: It's a private parking lot and it's up to you to pay."

Da Prat says about a dozen catalytic converters have been cut in recent months from employee vehicles parked in company-owned lots.

He's been trying to get Algoma Steel to address the issue since a Nov. 19, 2021 meeting of the joint steering committee, Algoma's senior union-management committee.

As SooToday reported on Monday night, a worker left the mill over the weekend and activated his truck's remote starter from a distance.

When he reached the vehicle, he found it engulfed in flames.

The truck was found to have had its catalytic converter removed with three cuts that also appeared to have severed a gasoline line, Da Prat says.

Brenda Stenta, Algoma Steel's manager of communications and branding, told SooToday on Monday evening that the steelmaker is concerned about the increased frequency of thefts from vehicles in its employee lots.

"We have invested in the installation of additional security cameras, more fencing, more lighting and a greater frequency of patrols to mitigate these crimes," Stenta said.

"As well, we are working with Sault Ste. Marie Police in continuing to look for other effective means to thwart criminals and enhance lot security," she added.

Da Prat says that's not enough.

He's demanding the parking lot be fenced and gated so only employees can access it.

Da Prat argues that a joint health and safety manual approved as part of Local 2251's collective agreement states employees have a right to be protected from things like theft, assault, vandalism and bombs or bomb threats.

"I filed the grievance on the basis that they're failing to provide a secure lot."

Catalytic converters are car parts, located between a vehicle's engine and its muffler. They convert toxic fumes in exhaust gases into less-harmful emissions.

Catalytic converters contain trace amounts of precious metals including platinum, palladium and rhodium.

Rhodium is the world's most expensive metal, selling this week for five times the price of gold.

Hanging from the underside of vehicles on every street (electric vehicles excluded), catalytic converters make easy pickings for thieves.

Equipped with a battery-powered reciprocating saw, a proficient prowler can relieve a vehicle of its main emissions control device in less time than it takes to brew espresso.

And most catalytic converters have no markings allowing them to be traced to a specific vehicle.

Sports utility vehicles and trucks are often targeted because they're higher off the ground and easy to slither underneath.

A stolen converter fetches hundreds of dollars from scrap metal dealers, but can cost thousands to replace, especially if other auto parts are damaged during removal.

That a fire resulted from a thief's handiwork came as a surprise to many Saultites, but some other fires have been linked to catalytic converter extractions.

In 2019, a fire that burned two vehicles in Coquitlam, B.C. was believed related to a converter theft.

Earlier this year, a Florida man experienced a similar incident.

Insurers and police agencies offer the following advice to reduce your exposure to catalytic converter theft:

• know if your vehicle is likely to be targeted, especially trucks, SUVs and hybrids
• park against a curb, wall or another lower vehicle to limit access to your vehicle's underside
• park in well-lit spots that are close to public entrances
• frequently move your car or park it in an enclosed garage
• consider buying a security plate or cage, or a special alarm system designed to protect your catalytic converter
• security cameras and motion-sensitive lights can be a deterrent to thieves
• a license plate number or vehicle identification number etched into the converter can make it harder to sell to scrap yards
• painted catalytic converters are less likely to be stolen