Steel Mills

Second USW Local at Stelco Authorizes Strike as Contract Expiration Nears

Written by Michael Cowden

June 28, 2022

A second United Steelworkers union local has voted to authorize a strike at Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco.

USW Local 8782, which represents the company’s steel mill in Nanticoke, Ontario, said 99.1% of its members voted on Monday in favor of the strike mandate.

USWThe moves comes after USW Local 1005, which represents Stelco’s Hamilton Works, earlier this month authorized a strike, with 96.1% of members voting in favor of the action.

Both votes come ahead of Hamilton, Ontario-based Stelco’s five-year agreement with the USW expiring on June 30.

Lake Erie Works operates a blast furnace and a hot strip mill. The blast furnace at Hamilton Works has long been out of commission. But the mill continues to operate its “Z-line,” which has capacity to produce 470,000 tons of galvanized and galvannealed steel sheet per year.

Recall that a strike authorization does not mean that the union will go on strike. It means that they can if they decide to.

Also remember that if negotiations are continuing, it’s not uncommon for union members to continue to work under the terms of a prior agreement even after that contract has officially expired.

Algoma, another Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker, will see its contract with the USW expire at the end of July. Deals between the USW and US mills don’t expire until Sept. 1.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden

Michael Cowden is editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He specializes in flat-rolled steel but has also reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube, and aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

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