After spending several weeks on local-level discussions focusing on issues specific to our individual facilities, our USW bargaining committee kicked off negotiations on a master agreement with Cliffs this week in Pittsburgh with several days of internal discussions and meetings with company representatives.
Our internal discussions included updates from each local union on individual issues and updates on communications action team (CAT) activities at each mine. Our agreements are set to expire on Monday, Oct. 1.
This week, we began exchanging proposals with the company on master-agreement issues. So far those exchanges are in their very early stages. We expect to see more proposals next week that should give us a clearer picture of the company’s approach to this round of bargaining. We will keep everyone informed as we find out more.
We know it’s still very early in the bargaining process, but we also know we are likely to face some challenging days ahead. That’s why we’ll need the solidarity of every member in all of our facilities starting today and for as long as it takes to win an honest and fair agreement.
Members should check in regularly with their local CAT coordinators for the most reliable and upto-date information about bargaining, as well as upcoming T-shirt days, sticker days and other mobilization activities we’ll be planning as negotiations continue.
We appreciate your support throughout this process, and we’ll continue to keep everyone posted on our progress as we move forward.
TO GET TEXT UPDATES FROM THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE, TEXT CLIFFS TO 47486.
