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EDITOR OF SOCIALIST NEWSPAPER, SUED BY FORMER
WCI OWNER RENCO FOR DEFAMATION AFTER ACCUSING
RENCO OF "ROBBING WORKERS' PENSIONS."
TO SPEAK IN WARREN AND PICKET WITH STEELWORKERS.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 22, 2006

Deirdre Griswold is editor of Workers World newspaper, a socialist
newsweekly, and the daughter of a steelworker.  She is currently on a
speaking tour in Ohio and Michigan about the pension crisis now facing many millions of workers, and about a lawsuit against her newspaper initiated by Renco, the former owner of WCI Steel. The case is now before the New York State Supreme Court.

On Thursday, August 24, from 2 PM until 3:30 PM, Ms. Griswold will join the weekly picket line of WCI steelworkers held outside WCI,1040 Pine Ave. SE. This will be followed by a reception and a discussion on the case and the fight to save pensions at 4 PM at USWA Local 1375, 684 N. Park Ave., Warren. Ms. Griswold will be available for interview during the picket line and before and after the meeting.

Renco is charging WW newspaper with "defamatory" statements because it published an article in February 2006 entitled "WCI Steel bankruptcy robs workers' pensions." At that time, according to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., there was a "shortfall" in the WCI Steel pension fund of $117 million.

"This is truly a David vs. Goliath struggle," states Griswold. "Renco is
owned by multi-billionaire Ira Rennert, whose $185-million mansion in the stylish Hamptons on Long Island, N.Y., is worth much more than the amount that was lacking in the workers' pension fund.

"This lawsuit has made our newspaper even more determined to speak out about the way big corporations are ripping off their workers through the bankruptcy process. Right now, workers at Delphi, as well as in the airline industry, are being told they have to take drastic cuts in pay and benefits or the company will fold. But at the same time, top executives can retire with 'golden parachutes' worth tens of millions of dollars.

"They say it's all perfectly legal. And who writes these laws? Industry
lobbyists and corporate lawyers. We say such gross injustice is in truth
just as criminal as slavery and the apartheid system, and cries out for a
militant, mass response by the whole working class."

For more info contact Workers World Ohio bureau,
216-531-5188, 216-481-6671, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .
For more about the Renco case go to www.workers.org.
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