US Steel, union agree on pact for 16,000 workers
PITTSBURGH (AP) - U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers announced a tentative agreement Sunday on a three-year contract covering more than 16,000 workers at domestic facilities.
Details of the contract were not announced. The union said members will vote after reviewing details over the next few weeks. The two sides had been negotiating since June on a contract to replace the existing pact, which expired Saturday.
US Steel said the talks covered employees at domestic flat-rolled and iron ore mining facilities as well as tubular operations in Lorain, Ohio and Fairfield, Ala.
"We believe that this agreement is in the best interests of our company, our employees and all of our stakeholders," John Surma, U.S. Steel chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The company separately announced a tentative agreement with the union covering about 1,000 workers at a welded tubular products facility in Lone Star, Texas.
The union said health care for retirees and how best to deal with the rising cost of that coverage was one of the most significant issues in this year's talks.
"Both sides worked hard to come up with a solution that continues to provide our current and future retirees with access to high-quality, low-cost medical care," said Tim Conway, USW International vice president, who led the union negotiating team.
The union has still not reached agreement with two other companies, ArcelorMittal and Cliffs Natural Resources.
The United Steelworkers said talks with Cliff's Natural Resources had broken off but would resume "at a future date not yet determined." In the meantime, a rolling contract extension would remain in place under which terms of the old contract would be renewed every 48 hours unless one of the parties indicates otherwise.
The union told ArcelorMittal workers to continue to report for shifts despite expiration of the contract Saturday, although officials said they had not sought a contract extension and the company had not offered one. The union said in a membership update that workers would continue to work under the terms of the current agreement while talks continue and "we continue to urge them to improve their current proposal."
Details of the contract were not announced. The union said members will vote after reviewing details over the next few weeks. The two sides had been negotiating since June on a contract to replace the existing pact, which expired Saturday.
US Steel said the talks covered employees at domestic flat-rolled and iron ore mining facilities as well as tubular operations in Lorain, Ohio and Fairfield, Ala.
"We believe that this agreement is in the best interests of our company, our employees and all of our stakeholders," John Surma, U.S. Steel chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The company separately announced a tentative agreement with the union covering about 1,000 workers at a welded tubular products facility in Lone Star, Texas.
The union said health care for retirees and how best to deal with the rising cost of that coverage was one of the most significant issues in this year's talks.
"Both sides worked hard to come up with a solution that continues to provide our current and future retirees with access to high-quality, low-cost medical care," said Tim Conway, USW International vice president, who led the union negotiating team.
The union has still not reached agreement with two other companies, ArcelorMittal and Cliffs Natural Resources.
The United Steelworkers said talks with Cliff's Natural Resources had broken off but would resume "at a future date not yet determined." In the meantime, a rolling contract extension would remain in place under which terms of the old contract would be renewed every 48 hours unless one of the parties indicates otherwise.
The union told ArcelorMittal workers to continue to report for shifts despite expiration of the contract Saturday, although officials said they had not sought a contract extension and the company had not offered one. The union said in a membership update that workers would continue to work under the terms of the current agreement while talks continue and "we continue to urge them to improve their current proposal."
U.S Steel realized Romney doesn't stand a chance. Might as well settle.
@Klondiko Why? do you suspect Romney of being an even bigger coporatist then Obama? Is that even possible? Obama cut GM worker's pay by 50%, gave trillions for bail outs and bonuses to the financial sector, made "to big to fail" even bigger, gave the insurance sector 30 million new paying customers without a word of cost contaiment, runs a bigger military indistrial complex then anyone, still hasn't uttered a word about his boy, Eric Holder over there at the Justice Dept giving Jon Corzine his free pass for steaing 1.6 billion from the personal accounts of MF Global clients and thus Pedegrine took this as a huge green light to do the same to its clients accounts. No arrests, warrants, supeonas, or indicments after 10 months. Let BP off the hook with his phony cap of 75 million dollars of damage in the gulf while spraying dispersant that only sinks the crude to the bottom so it would look cleaned up. Out of all the money given in corporate welfare and corporate entitlements not one dime has been spent bailing out the very folks that the money was stolen from in the first place. Romney is a puke also be he couldn't possibly give more of our money to corporate america then what obama has.