ArcelorMittal averts strike at US plants; reaches agreement with USW

01 September 2008

ArcelorMittal and the United Steelworkers that represent steelworkers at the company's 14 US plants have reached a tentative four-year wage agreement.

This comes after 14,000 production, maintenance and clerical employees, members of the United Steelworkers union, voted last week authorising it to call a strike if necessary if a contract wasn't reached with ArcelorMittal before the expiry of the current agreement on 1 September. (See: ArcelorMittal workers in the US authorise USW to call for strike) 

The union members will review and discuss the proposed contract over the next several weeks before taking a final vote on the deal,

Details of the agreement will be distributed to the employees, who will review and discuss the proposed contract over the next several weeks and then vote to ratify the agreement by mail-in ballot, which may take up to 30 days.

NSW and the company have agreed to continue operations at all the plants in the US till the ratification process is concluded.

The NSW, which earlier this month successfully concluded negotiations on a 4-year contract with ArcelorMittal's rival, 'United States Steel Corporation' covering 16,000 workers, had set a new standard for the integrated steel industry in the US were looking for a similar contract with ArcelorMittal.