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.
The 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
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Mills
Ternium swings to Q3 loss, eyes 2026 recovery
Ternium closed the third quarter with steady shipments and improving margins. But trade policy uncertainty and subdued demand in Mexico weighed on the Latin American steelmaker’s results.
Algoma’s losses widen in Q3 as tariff troubles continue
Algoma Steel’s net loss more than quadrupled in the third quarter on trade woes and its EAF transition. Separately, the company announced a change in leadership, as CEO Michael Garcia will retire at the end of the year.
Cliffs, POSCO announce MoU for ‘transformative’ partnership
Cleveland-Cliffs on Thursday said it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with POSCO to forge a strategic partnership, one Cliffs bills as "transformative."
Cliffs touts steel stamping solution to replace aluminum in automotive
Cliffs said it successfully completed a defect-free trial production of exposed steel parts using aluminum-forming equipment in collaboration with an unnamed OEM,
Nucor navigates mixed flat-rolled markets with strategic muscle
Nucor entered the fourth quarter with clear forward momentum: stronger-than-expected results, solid sheet and plate demand, and construction progress on a major new mill that should add capacity next year.