USW members vote to decide fate of tentative pact with ATI
About 2,200 United Steelworkers members voted Tuesday on a contract proposal from Allegheny Technologies Inc., which, if approved, would end an eight-month stalemate.
The union and the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker forged a four-year tentative agreement Feb. 22, ending a six-month lockout by the company. The two sides were unable to reach a deal before the previous contract expired June 30, and USW members worked under terms of that pact for about six weeks, until the lockout began Aug. 15.
Workers are employed at 12 plants in six states, including an estimated 220 at the Allegheny Ludlum plate mill in Canton Township. They are members of USW Local 7139-5, represented by unit President Skip Longdon.
A final tally was unavailable late last night. Union members voted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and ATI has a facility in Albany, Ore. – meaning the final votes were cast around 10 p.m. EST.
If ratified by the union, the contract then would have to be approved by the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB issued a complaint against the company Feb. 12, alleging the lockout was illegal. Negotiations had resumed at that time.
The process may still take a couple of weeks. Unemployment compensation expired recently for some union members, who also lost company-provided health-care coverage Nov. 30. Many of them, however, have been sustained financially by the USW’s Strike and Defense Fund, which comes from a percentage of union dues.
ATI’s demand that workers pay part of their health insurance premiums has been a major issue.
Labor and management have been embroiled in a contentious situation since last summer, with the failed negotiations, the lockout and ATI’s decision to operate its facilities with salaried and nonunion employees and temporary professional staff.