The United Steelworks have ratified a new four-year labor contract with ArcelorMittal.
The new agreement replaces an existing contract that expired on Sept. 1 and will remain in effect until Sept. 1, 2022, ArcelorMittal said in a Nov. 29 statement.
“ArcelorMittal is pleased the new agreement has been ratified by union membership,” ArcelorMittal said in a statement. ArcelorMittal announced Nov. 2 it had reached a tentative deal with United Steelworkers and expected the union to ratify the agreement within 30 days.
John Brett, president and CEO of ArcelorMittal USA said the company believes the new contract is fair for the company’s represented employees.
“We look forward to getting back to work after the negotiations effort,” he said. “We thank our employees, customers and the community for their patience and commitment during the negotiation process.”
Brett said the company was pleased there was no disruption of service or shipments to customers during the contract talks.
The United Steelworkers said the new deal will increase wages, bolster retirement provisions, improve benefits and strengthen contract language for roughly 15,000 hourly production, maintenance, office and technical workers who belong to 13 local unions at 14 facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“After years of hard work and tremendous sacrifice to keep these facilities running and the company viable while the domestic steel industry languished through wave after wave of unfairly traded imports, it is right and just for ArcelorMittal steelworkers to share in the company's success now that the market has rebounded,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.
