The United Steelworkers Union and the U.S. Steel Corp., announced Saturday that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor contract which covers 18,000 workers at more than a dozen facilities across the country.
Neither side revealed details about the pending ratification, but a released statement reveals that the workers' demands have been met, according to the World Socialist Web Site.
"We are pleased that we have reached a tentative agreement in the best interest of our company, our stakeholders and our employees," Mario Longhi, president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, said in a news release. "We believe this competitive three-year contract further supports the mutual success we have had with the USW."
Negotiations for this new contract started in June with their most recent one expiring at the beginning of September, reported ABC News. At the time, the USW ordered workers at U.S. Steel to continue working without an agreement. During the latest round of negotiations, both sides decried low-priced imports from China and slowing demand for steel due to a decline in oil and gas drilling.
Up to last fall, union officials said the company was looking to get more money from members for health care and concessions on overtime, among other things.
Referencing the process it took to reach the deal, Union president Leo Gerard said it had been "a difficult year and a difficult round of bargaining," but was "proud of the way the brothers and sisters of the USW stood up and demanded fair treatment," according to the Associated Press.
The contract doesn't cover about 13,000 workers at steelmaker Arcelor Mittal whose contract also expired in June. Negotiations between them and USW have been suspended, and won't resume until Jan. 4.
