Members of the United Steelworkers union have ratified a new, four-year contract covering 11,000 workers at 13 locals who work at U.S. Steel facilities, including Mon Valley Works.
A tentative agreement between the Downtown-based company and the union was reached early last month. On its negotiations website, U.S. Steel outlined the details of the deal, which include 5% base wage increases each year for four years, a $4,000 bonus payable upon ratification, $0.50/hour increase in hourly contributions to the Steel Workers Pension Trust, $0.10/hour increase in 401(k) contributions, and uncapped profit-sharing.
USW District 7 Director Michael Millsap said in a statement on Tuesday that members would also get an additional holiday and see improvements to both active and retiree healthcare.
“We fought back against the company’s schemes to weaken our contract and change our benefits,” USW International President Thomas Conway said in a statement on Tuesday. “As a result, our members have won major economic and contract language improvements that will improve the standard of living of USW members and their families.”
In November, U.S. Steel said the company is committing to investing $1 billion in facilities where USW members work over the life of the contract.
The company said the new agreements will be implemented retroactively to September 1.
U.S. Steel CEO Dave Burritt wrote in a note to workers: “Thanks to your efforts, we are on track to deliver our second- best financial year in company history.
“That’s why we added the $4,000 bonus,” he wrote. “Now that the contract is ratified, we’ll get this bonus in your bank accounts as soon as possible.”
First Published: December 20, 2022, 10:46 p.m.