Steel Mills
Union to Vote on Tentative Deal at ArcelorMittal Mines Canada
Written by Sandy Williams
June 8, 2021
ArcelorMittal Mines and Infrastructure Canada have reached tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers on a new labor contract following government-mediated negotiations. If ratified, the four-year collective labor agreement will cover 2,500 members in five union locals working at ArcelorMittal mining operations in northern Quebec.
Workers launched a strike on May 10 after voting to reject a previous tentative agreement and a follow-up offer by the company. The Canadian government stepped in, assigning a mediator from the Ministry of Labor to smooth negotiations between the parties. The President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, Mapi Mobwano, took part in the latest negotiations.
“We are pleased with this outcome, which is the result of the efforts of both parties at the negotiating table and the work of the conciliator. We leave it to the executives of the five local unions to present to their members the details of the agreement in principle to be ratified and we are hopeful to be able to turn the page on this conflict,” Mapi Mobwano said in a statement.
Details of the agreement will not be released until union members have a chance to review and vote on the new contract. ArcelorMittal indicated that it intended to increase its commitment to actively support the communities of Fermont, Quebec, and Port-Cartier, Quebec, as part of its Transformation project launched in 2020.
Workers called for more of ArcelorMittal’s “astronomical profits” to be used to support the region’s economy. Last month, Nicolas Lapierre, the union’s coordinator for the North Shore region, stated, “The economic situation is excellent, and the price of iron ore is reaching record highs. A portion of this success must come back to the region, back to Quebec, to benefit the regional economy, rather than going into the pockets of shareholders in London.”
By Sandy Williams, Sandy@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.
Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.
ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).
Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!
AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).