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
Domestic mill shipments slip in July: AISI
US steel shipments decreased month over month in July, but were up from last year, according to the latest figures from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
Nippon and USS drop litigation vs. USW and Cliffs
Another chapter of the Great U.S. Steel Buyout of the 2020s melodrama has closed, with all involved parties terminating the litigation disputes between them.
Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.
USS Clairton begins full production of batteries 19 and 20, 13 and 14 hot idled
U.S. Steel has activated batteries 19 and 20 at its Clairton Coke Works facility after pausing each “out of an abundance precaution” following an explosion at the site on Aug. 11.
Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.