Steel Mills
Cliffs, UAW Ratify New Contract at Rockport Works
Written by David Schollaert
October 4, 2021
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has a new three-year labor agreement with United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 3044, which represents approximately 350 workers at the steelmaker’s Rockport Works near Rockport, Ind. The new contract is retroactively effective from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2024.
“Our union workforce is at the core of not just what we do but American manufacturing as a whole, and we are pleased to continue our commitment to good-paying, middle-class jobs with a new labor agreement at Rockport,” Cliffs Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said.
Cliffs and Rockport are major suppliers to the automotive industry. Rockport is home to an 80-inch-wide galvanizing line – the widest in the country – with revolutionary proprietary technologies, including induction transition heating, which provides rapid, accurate annealing temperature control.
“Our local team at Rockport is committed to the long-term health and success of our company, our country, and our environment, and as such we were able to get a deal done that is fair and equitable for both sides,” Goncalves added. “We embrace our unions as partners and allow for participation in our success. Our partnership is a powerful one, and with this latest deal, we will maintain our competitive cost structure in flat-rolled steel relative to any of our peers.”
Cleveland-Cliffs claims to be the largest flat-rolled steel producer and the largest supplier of steel to the auto industry in North America. Headquartered in Cleveland, the company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials and direct reduced iron to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling and tubing. It employs approximately 25,000 workers serving a diverse range of markets.
By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com
David Schollaert
Read more from David SchollaertLatest in Steel Mills
August US mill shipments slip but still higher than last year
The American Iron and Steel Institute reported a decline in the monthly shipments of US mills from July to August.
TransPod, Algoma, Supreme Steel linkup anchors Canadian steel in high-speed transit build
The three Canadian companies have announced a strategic partnership to support the development of an ultra-high-speed transit line from Edmonton to Calgary.
Metallus, USW agree to tentative four-year labor deal
Metallus and the United Steelworkers (USW) have agreed to a tentative four-year labor contract.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco resumes cokemaking after emergency maintenance
The Canadian steelmaker reported on Sept. 30 that “urgent maintenance” was needed in its coke plant off-gas systems. The work required coke oven gas from the No. 2 coke plant to be flared for most of that week.
AISI: Raw steel production ticks back down
US raw steel output declined last week after increasing the week prior, according to the latest data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Output has see-sawed from week to week since mid-August. Still, it has remained historically strong over the past four months and has held near multi-year highs since June. Domestic mills […]