USW Ratifies New Four-Year Labor Pact with ATI

“As we return to work, we need to maintain our solidarity and enforce our contract,” the USW said in a text to members on Tuesday, July 13.

The USW and the specialty metals and components maker had reached a tentative agreement eariler this month.

ATI hailed the new accord, which the company said would result in union workers returning to active employment in the week of July 19. Production will ramp up in the weeks after that, the company said.

“We look forward to resuming operations with our employees in place,” said Kim Fields, executive vice president of Advanced Alloys & Solutions and High Performance Materials & Components. “We appreciate the efforts of our salaried workforce and the temporary replacement workers who helped maintain operations during the work stoppage.”

The USW’s new contract with ATI covers approximately 1,300 employees and runs from March 1, 2021, to February 28, 2025.

ATI’s primary business is titanium, stainless and specialty steels as well as forgings and castings for high-end applications such as aerospace, defense and medical devices. The strike was of interest to the carbon flat-rolled steel community because ATI’s Hot Rolling and Processing Facility (HRPF) in Brackenridge, Pa., has been toll rolling slabs for third parties – such as JSW Steel USA.

ATI had been operating its facilities, including Brackenridge, with salaried staff and temporary workers.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com