Steel Mills

USW Encouraged By Renewed Contract Talks With ATI

Written by Sandy Williams

January 16, 2016

The USW and Allegheny Technologies continue to wrangle over issues in an attempt to find a contract proposal that will appease both parties. Meetings were held at USW headquarters last week with a mediator present and without.

The USW reports that there has been some progress on minor issues but ATI continues “to argue for some of their more onerous ones.” Health care premiums, scheduling and contracting out are still topics of contention.

The discussions are further complicated by the announced idling of Midland and the GOES operations, said the USW. ATI workers have been locked out since August 15 which the USW says “has caused tremendous damage and hardship to our members and communities.”

The USW states in its membership update that it “will not accept an agreement that is dictated by ATI on their terms.”

“We urge them to finally come to their senses and begin to try to find a way out of the problems they have created with this destructive behavior.”

The full bargaining committee is expected to head back to Pittsburgh soon to participate in discussions. Said the USW, “ATI can demonstrate its seriousness about ending the dispute that it caused by putting a meaningful proposal on the table, a proposal that is realistic and returns us back to our jobs with a good agreement and the protections we need.”

Sandy Williams

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