Region
June 18, 2026
USW crafts bargaining agenda for upcoming contract talks
Written by Kristen DiLandro
The United Steelworkers (USW) union said it’s currently crafting its bargaining agenda ahead of upcoming negotiations with Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel.
A text message sent from the USW on June 16 thanked members for identifying priorities the upcoming contracts with mills should address.
“The issue we heard most about is healthcare. You were loud and clear at every location and in the surveys that maintaining our healthcare benefits is a top issue,” the message said. “We’ll be making this clear to USS in negotiations.”
Tony Montana, the head of communications for the union, informed SMU that the union plans to begin sending regular updates about the status of negotiations with Cliffs beginning in July.
“Our Cliffs committee is still touring plants and meeting with the membership. We likely won’t have much to say until meetings with management start later in July,” Montana said.
On May 28, SMU reported that USW and USS local negotiations are scheduled to start at the end of June or beginning of July, and that master bargaining begins July 20 in Pittsburgh.
The current contracts expire Sept. 1.
