USW Members Ratify New 4-Year Contract with Alcoa

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) voted overwhelmingly this week to ratify a new four-year master agreement that covers about 1,600 production and maintenance workers at five Alcoa facilities in the United States.

The contract includes annual wage increases of more than 12 percent over the term of the agreement and maintains high-quality, affordable health care coverage. The contract covers USW Local 104 at Alcoa's Warrick, Ind., facility; Local 420A at Massena, N.Y.; Local 5073 at Gum Springs, Ark.; Local 4370 at Point Comfort, Texas; and Local 310A in Wenatchee, Wash.

"This is a challenging time for these workers, with unfair trade and declining prices taking their toll on the U.S. aluminum industry," said USW International President Thomas M. Conway. "Thanks to their strength and solidarity, they were able to achieve a fair agreement, one that makes sure they can continue to care for their families and also positions the company for future success."

Bargaining stretched past the previous contract's expiration date in May. As talks continued, workers voted to authorize the USW bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary, while they stayed on the job under the terms and conditions of the expired collective bargaining agreement.

"These hard-working union members contribute a tremendous amount to the company's success, and they stood up and demanded a contract that recognized those contributions," said USW District 7 Director Mike Millsap, who served as the chair of the union's Alcoa bargaining committee. "This agreement is a victory for the workers and for the company."

The new contract, which runs through May 15, 2023, is the first since Alcoa split into two companies in November 2016. Alcoa, which dates to 1888, retained its smelting and refining operations while spinning off a downstream products division now known as Arconic.

USW members ratified a new contract in July that covers about 3,000 workers at four Arconic facilities.

The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: www.usw.org.

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

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