Steel Mills

Face-to-Face Talks Resume Between USW and Cliffs, US Steel

August 19, 2022

The United Steelworkers (USW) union resumed face-to-face labor talks with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and United States Steel Corp. this week in Pittsburgh after a brief hiatus for the USW’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Aug. 8–11 in Las Vegas.

Current labor agreements with the two flat-rolled steelmakers are due to expire on Sept. 1.

USW

Cleveland-Cliffs Update

In an Aug. 19 bargaining update, the USW signaled continued positivity and optimism in its talks with Cleveland-Cliffs.

“At the table, negotiations continued this week, and we have resolved many local issues and issues related to contract language. However, we still have significant work to do on profit-sharing issues, pension issues and other economic issues,” the update reads.

A list of the locations covered by the master contract negotiations with the Cleveland-based steelmaker can be found here.

While not discussing specifics on negotiations out of respect for the bargaining process, “Cleveland-Cliffs and the USW have successfully negotiated agreements for decades based on our shared commitment to the middle class and our common goals,” a spokeswoman said in an email to SMU on Friday afternoon. “We are confident that our bargaining process will result in a fair and equitable agreement,” she said.

US Steel Update

Not as much optimism was expressed in an update on talks with US Steel.

“Many of the sub-committees report some progress,” the USW said in an Aug. 19 bargaining update. “While this is a positive development, most major issues are still being discussed, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Negotiations with the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker cover all of its locations except its Big River Steel Works, a non-union EAF sheet mill in Osceola, Ark.

“We’re optimistic about the progress made in bargaining thus far, and we look forward to continued conversations with USW as we work to reach an agreement,” a spokeswoman for US Steel said in an email to SMU.

Canadian Steelmakers Update

Strikes have thus far been averted at Canadian flat-rolled steelmakers Algoma and Stelco, although some ratification votes on potential labor deals are still pending.

USW Local 8782, representing workers at Stelco’s Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario, was scheduled to vote on potential labor deal on Friday, Aug. 19.

Stelco’s Hamilton, Ontario, steelworkers represented by USW Local 1005 ratified a new, five-year labor deal on Wed., Aug. 17.

USW Local 2251 representing hourly workers at Algoma’s mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has scheduled a ratification vote on a pending labor agreement from Aug. 29–31.

Algoma’s salaried workers, represented by USW Local 2724, ratified their new labor pact late in July.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. 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.