PITTSBURGH - Negotiations continue for a new labor agreement for workers at ArcelorMittal's U.S. plants, including Weirton.
Bargainers for the United Steelworkers of America and the company worked through the holiday weekend and Tuesday to resolve issues that remain on the table, USW Local 2911 President Mark Glyptis said.
The union's old contract expired at midnight Saturday, but workers remain on the job while negotiations continue for a new pact.
Glyptis and USW staff representative Santo Santoro have declined to say exactly what those issues are, saying only that they are trying to negotiate a "fair contract" for their members. Member updates published by the USW, however, cite three major stumbling blocks - retiree health care, pension enhancement payments and the company's refusal to "commit to continue funding the former Inland defined benefit pension plan to a minimum of 80 percent."
The USW represents some 14,000 ArcelorMittal workers nationwide, and union-sponsored rallies have been scheduled today at each ArcelorMittal plant.
Meanwhile, the USW reached a tentative agreement Monday for a new contract for workers at U.S. Steel.
Though neither side is officially releasing details of the proposed agreement, highlights of the tentative contract posted on the web page of a USW local shows signing bonuses of $2,000 payable Oct. 15 and $500 payable April 1, 2014, a 2 percent pay raise in 2013 and a 2.5 percent increase in 2015 and no change in health care for active employees.
