SALEM - With American Standard placing ads for temporary labor in local newspapers the next three days, United Steel Workers Local 1538 staff representative Joe Holcomb said it was clear the company is fixed on breaking the union.

"I don't know to take it any other way," he said Thursday.

The union and management have been deadlocked in a strike that the union calls an unfair labor strike and management said is an economic strike.

Ads were placed for skilled and unskilled positions in welding, small assembly and packing at pay ranging from $11.90 to $14.82 an hour.

Workers must be willing to work overtime and on Sunday.

Holcomb said after the company rejected an alternative union health insurance proposal that could potentially save the company $640,000, it became clear it was about a philosophy "to break us."

Union and management officials are farther apart than ever and a two-and-a-half hour union meeting on Wednesday failed to make progress in settling the strike that is three weeks old today.

On Tuesday, the company moved acrylic products and some steel bathtubs to a sister facility in Canada.

Holcomb expected the company to find replacements or to hire strike breakers, explaining there are companies that can be hired to do that at $30 and $40 an hour.

"So cost doesn't bother them," he said, "the company made it clear they didn't want $1.2 million in profit ... this is about concessions.

"The $1.2 million doesn't mean anything, they still want concessions."

A membership meeting has been set for 3:40 p.m. Tuesday at the United Steelworkers of America hall at 547 Prospect St.

Holcomb said the membership will be presented with three options: vote to accept the company's final proposal; stay on strike; or return to work and continue fighting labor law violations in the courts.

A message was left with the company spokesperson for comment on this story.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net