Related articles:

Asarco's former parent, Grupo Mexico, plans bid to regain controlAsarco gets court OK for enviro payoutsAsarco legal drama to unfold shortly in 2 courtrooms in Texas

Other articles by Tim Steller:

Mountain lion wipes out farm's petting zooWoman held in 2 slayings an outcast, activists say Mother says alleged ringleader had 'a strong drive to be famous' Crime doesn't seem to fit 'nice guy' Arivaca wonders if 'live, let live' let girl, 9, die Dual-killing suspect studied in Calif. cases Murder suspects tied to supremacists AZ wanted a jaguar collared despite 2 deaths in SonoraPermit for jaguar's capture questionedWho gets the booze? How the liquor-license lottery works

Construction
West-Press
Printing Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic

Grupo Mexico may be estranged from its former employees in Southern Arizona, but the Mexican mining conglomerate is still hoping for a reconciliation.

The company announced Friday that it plans to make a bid at auction for Tucson-based copper producer Asarco LLC.

Grupo Mexico is completing a proposal that will "guarantee the fair valuation of Asarco LLC's assets and re-establish its control of the company," the Mexico City-based company said in a statement. Details of the proposal weren't disclosed.

Grupo Mexico bought Asarco, which has three mines and a smelter in Southern Arizona, in 1999, but it lost control of the company in December 2005, when a bankruptcy judge appointed an independent board.

Asarco ranked 20th among Southern Arizona employers in this year's Star 200 survey, with 2,185 full-time-equivalent positions.

Many Asarco workers don't want Grupo Mexico back. The United Steelworkers, which says it represents more than 2,000 Asarco workers, issued a report this week concluding Grupo Mexico "would not be a responsible steward for a reorganized Asarco."

On Friday, Manny Armenta, one of the leaders of a 4 1/2-month strike against Grupo-Mexico-led Asarco in 2005, echoed his union's objections.

"When they took over in 1999, basically what they did was run these properties into the ground," said Armenta, a subdistrict director for the United Steelworkers.

"Counties were not getting their taxes paid, which hurt the school districts. The equipment was not maintained. They didn't pay their creditors, their suppliers. There were incidents where the suppliers were demanding cash because that's the only way they could expect to get paid," Armenta said.

A U.S. public-relations representative for Grupo Mexico, reached Friday night, could not immediately comment.

Asarco management has also fought its former parent company hard in the bankruptcy case and outside of it. A federal trial is scheduled for May in Asarco's suit against Grupo Mexico, accusing the parent company of fraudulently stripping Asarco of copper mines in Peru.

Bids for Asarco are due Wednesday. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Richard S. Schmidt in Corpus Christi, Texas, is allowing Asarco to select a lead bidder. Other potential bidders include bond-holders Citigroup Global and Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I.