Steel Mills

USW and USS Labor Talks to Continue Past Sept. 1 Deadline

Written by David Schollaert

September 1, 2022

Contract talks between United Steelworkers (USW) and United States Steel Corp. (USS) will continue past the expiration of the current agreement on Sept. 1 at 12:01 a.m. EST.

USWBoth sides have agreed to extend the existing labor contract to continue negotiating a new deal, according to an Aug. 31 text sent to USW members.

“Our bargaining committee is heading home… even though [we] worked very hard to reach a fair contract, we are very far apart,” the USW said in the Aug. 31 bargaining update. “We’ve agreed to extend our contract.”

Under the extension rules, either party can terminate talks, provided they give a 48-hour notice. In the event the extension is terminated, a lockout or strike would commence, the update said.

Contract negotiations between the USW and the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker have been contentious, and the two sides appear to be far from working out a new labor deal.

“USS is not even in the same ballpark with their offer, and they need to hear from all of us,” the bargaining committee said. “We deserve a fair deal!”

During the extension, union members will continue working under the terms of the current contract for a negotiated period while bargaining continues.

US Steel did not respond to requests for comment at the time this article was filed.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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