Committee Reaches Tentative Agreement on 3-Year Contract
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(December 19) – Our bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement on Saturday, December 19, on a new contract covering 18,000 of our brothers and sisters in more than two dozen local unions at U.S. Steel facilities across the United States.
It would be nearly impossible to summarize the details of such a broad agreement in an update like this, but over the coming days and weeks, we will be preparing detailed summaries of the proposed contract for you to review. We will then schedule meetings to discuss the proposal and consider ratification. We will keep everyone informed as this process moves forward.
Significant Steps Forward
This tentative agreement represents a major step forward from the position we found ourselves in earlier this summer when we were facing relentless company demands for deep and permanent concessions. As you know, this has been a difficult year and one of the most difficult rounds of bargaining we have faced, but knowing that we had the solidarity and strength of the membership behind us made all the difference as we attempted to stand up to the company’s most onerous demands.
As you know, our industry is in the midst of a crisis. But we have been determined not to be forced to pay the full price for the problems of unfair trade and global overcapacity. Our goal throughout this process was to make sure we were not made scapegoats for what are global and, we believe, temporary, problems.
Keep Standing Together
As we move forward, we intend to continue working as hard as possible to ensure that American steel is competing on a level playing field. U.S. Steel and other employers, as well as rank and file USW members, can all be important partners in that effort. We thank you for your solidarity, and we urge you to stay tuned for more updates on how you can continue to stand with us in this fight.
In Solidarity,
Your 2015 U.S. Steel Bargaining Committee
