Steel Mills

Tentative Labor Deal Reached at Cliffs’ Middletown Works

Written by Laura Miller

April 26, 2023

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has reached a tentative labor agreement with Local 1943 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) at its Middletown Works in Ohio.

 Cliffs logo2.2Pending ratification by the union, the new four-year contract will be effective on May 15 and will cover 2,100 hourly employees. 

“The new labor agreement with our valued IAM employees at Middletown represents another win-win for Cliffs and our union partners. We have a strong and loyal workforce as a result of these great relationships. Continued healthy partnerships like this one are the backbone of our future success, and we look forward to accomplishing our shared goals together,” commented Cliffs’ chairman, president, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves.

A statement from the executive board of Local 1943 says the contract is “fair and equitable” and that, in addition to keeping wages in line with the industry standard, it “resolves several issues encountered” in the previous collective bargaining agreement. The board fully endorses the new agreement.

The union will hold a ratification vote on Thursday, May 4.

The integrated Middletown steelworks produces carbon and stainless steels and has an annual capacity of 3 million tons.

By Laura Miller, laura@steelmarketupdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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