Steel Mills

No Resolution in USW/ArcelorMittal Negotiations

Written by Sandy Williams


Still no contract agreement for USW workers at ArcelorMittal who continue to work under terms of the previous labor contract that expired on September 1, 2015.

In a text message update on March 18 the USW said the Committee was still bargaining over a few remaining important issues committee and that “unfair ArcelorMittal demands still persist.”

Job classification and health care benefits continue to remained unresolved issues, according to a union official for USW Local 6797 at Burns Harbor.

SMU asked a representative of ArcelorMittal over the weekend what they were being told within the company. We were told the main sticking point is healthcare. There is an agreement between the union and ArcelorMittal that the union will not be locked out by the company. In the meantime, the union continues to work off of the old contract (which is where they are being asked to make concessions). We asked if this promise to not lock out the union has an expiration date and our source did not know the answer to that question. At this time there does not appear to be any incentive for the union to make any further concessions since they are already working off a contract that would be better than whatever new one is eventually signed.

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