FLORIDA: Company officials and union representatives are negotiating in Pittsburgh through deadline for a new Steelworkers contract. While on the Iron Range, people are anxiously waiting and hoping for a resolution that does not involve a strike or lockout.The current contracts affect 30,000 Steelworkers across the country, and about 2,300 on the Iron Range.
U.S. Steel officials said in a statement Monday afternoon that the company “remains committed to operating our facilities and servicing our customers without disruption as labor contract negotiations continue.“We appreciate the United Steelworkers’ commitment to extend the contract negotiations to give the parties the fullest possible opportunity to resolve their differences and thereby avoid a work stoppage,” U.S. Steel said in a news release.
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A Friday statement from the USW sounded hopeful.“We are encouraged by the overall direction of our most recent discussions,” the union said regarding the bargaining for a new contract for ArcelorMittal workers.”Local 1938 President Lowell Carlon, who is in Pittsburgh for the negotiations, said, “We granted them an extension. We just keep plugging away and bargaining in good faith.”
While there is no time limit on the extension, Carlon said the USW will likely consider it in 48-hour intervals.Meanwhile, Steelworkers are planning to continue being vocal to keep their demands for a “fair contract” in the spotlight.There will be a “practice strike” in front of the gate of the ArcleorMittal plant in Virginia from 2 to 4 p.m. today. Major rallies are also being mobilized the same day at the company’s corporate North American headquarters in downtown Chicago.
