Steel Mills

USW Local 8782-03 Votes in Favor of Strike Mandate at Stelco LEW

Written by Laura Miller

July 14, 2022

Members of the USW Local 8782-03, responsible for Canadian steelmaker Stelco’s pickling operations at its Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont., have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike authorization, according to a USW update.

The strike mandate vote revealed 98.6% of Local 8782-03 in support of their negotiating committee, which is currently in collective bargaining talks with the steelmaker. Stelco workers have remained on the job despite the expiration of their previous collective bargaining agreement on June 30.

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

Earlier this week, Local 8782-03 announced it is seeking the assistance of a Ministry of Labour conciliator in the labor negotiations, making it the third USW Local representing Stelco workers to do so.

Local 8782 representing workers at Stelco’s steel mill in Nanticoke, Ontario, and Local 1005 representing workers at Stelco’s Hamilton processing and finishing operations previously voted 99.1% and 96.1%, respectively, in favor of a strike mandate.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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