Contact: Tony Montana, 412-562-2592, tmontana@usw.org
Bismarck, N.D. — The United Steelworkers (USW) said that workers voted to ratify their first union contract at the Bobcat manufacturing facility on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. The USW and Bobcat management reached tentative agreement on a new contract covering more than 700 hourly workers last week.
USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez said that the local union bargaining committee unanimously recommended the agreement for ratification and credited membership solidarity for the successful negotiations.
“Our members at Bobcat take tremendous pride in their work and now can be proud of the wages, benefits and security of their hard-fought and fairly won union contract,” Ramirez said. “Thanks to the dedication of our negotiating committee and the solidarity of the membership, our work in Bismarck will be more rewarding, safer and more secure than ever.”
Ramirez said that workers in Bismarck voted for USW representation in a secret-ballot election in September 2022 and in March 2023 were followed by some 200 more Bobcat employees at the company’s facility in Rogers, Minnesota, where negotiations for a first contract continue.
“The USW welcomes the opportunity to provide a voice on the job for all workers, and as our union continues to grow, so does our collective power,” Ramirez said. “We look forward to the challenges ahead knowing that we are strongest when we are united.”
The USW (www.usw.org) represents 850,000 workers 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.