Steel Market Update received a press release from Rolf Gerstenberger, president of United Steelworkers Union Local 1005 which represents the U.S. Steel Hamilton Works workers. We will let the union press release speak for itself:

“Local 1005 is calling on all active members and pensioners to attend an Information Meeting to consider the tentative agreement reached between Local 1005 USW and U.S. Steel on Monday, October 10.

This is the third Information Meeting held to inform steelworkers about the state of affairs in the negotiations with U.S. Steel for a new contract. Previous meetings have also provided the negotiating committee with guidelines on how to proceed in the Union's attempts to achieve a negotiated settlement.

As you know, the union has stood united as one behind its negotiating committee in its opposition to company attempts to dictate concessions and its refusal to take up its social responsibilities towards its Hamilton Works Labour force. Local 1005 has stood as one behind the steadfast attempts of the negotiating committee to reach a negotiated settlement with U.S. Steel which the workers feel they can accept.

Finally, on Monday, after eleven months of a phony lockout and repeated decreed "final offers," some headway was made and negotiations finally took place producing a tentative agreement. This will be provided to you for your consideration at the Information Meeting on Wednesday, October 12, 2011.

If this entire experience has given us anything at all, it is the confidence that today Hamilton steelworkers can proudly and confidently exercise an informed vote, fully aware of the situation they face and of their responsibilities towards not just themselves and their families, but also towards the retirees, the future generation of workers, their union and their community, as well as the plight of Canada itself whose steel industry is now in foreign hands. We are also confident that this experience has prepared us further for the challenges which lie ahead.

See you all on Wednesday so that together we can deliberate on whether or not this tentative agreement meets our needs at this time.” (Source: USW Local 1005 Press Release)