Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement on Four-Year Contract at Cleveland-Cliffs' Mines

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the union has reached tentative agreement on a new, four-year contract on behalf of roughly 2,000 members of four local unions at Cleveland-Cliffs' mines in Minnesota and Michigan.  

USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez, who chaired the negotiations, thanked union members for working throughout the pandemic and standing together in solidarity for a fair contract.

"Mining and processing iron ore is the first step in making steel, and these essential workers have earned and deserve a fair contract," Ramirez said. "The proposed agreement provides important economic and contract language improvements that will improve working conditions along with the standard of living for USW members and their families."

The tentative agreement improves current wages, bolsters existing health insurance provisions for workers and retirees without increasing costs and includes a commitment for Cliffs to reinvest in the USW represented facilities over its term.

"Steelworkers will be safer at work and their jobs and benefits more secure under the tentative agreement," Ramirez said. "Cliffs has committed to a plan to invest in its USW facilities that will enable future generations of USW members to support their families and sustain their communities."

"Our members have faced challenges in the past and know what it takes to lead the industry through its up and down cycles," Ramirez said. "We will face the challenges ahead with confidence knowing our plants run best when management and our union work together to solve problems for the benefit of everyone."

The USW (on the web at http://www.usw.org) represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations.

Contact: Tony Montana – (412) 562-2592 or [email protected]

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)