United Steelworkers Local 2251 officially ratified a new five-year collective agreement with Canadian steelmaker Algoma Steel Group, both parties said Aug. 30.
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Register NowThe USW Local 2251 represents Algoma's hourly employees at its Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, steel operations, according to a statement.
Algoma and the USW Local 2251 initially reached a tentative collective agreement Aug. 23 to avert a worker strike and production stoppage. Contract ratification votes were held by the union on Aug. 25 and Aug. 29.
The steelmaker reached a separate agreement in July with the USW Local 2724, which represents its technical, professional and front-line supervisory employees.
"With agreements in place with both our salaried and hourly employees, we can continue our focus on serving our customers and furthering Algoma's transformation journey to become a leading producer of green steel," Algoma CEO Michael Garcia said in the statement.
Algoma produces hot and cold rolled steel products, including sheet and plate, and has a raw steel production capacity of about 2.8 million st/year.
Stelco, another Canadian steelmaker based in Hamilton, Ontario, also reached new labor deals with its respective unions in August.
In the US, local USW chapters continue to work toward new agreements with the country's two integrated steelmakers that expire on Sept. 1. Cleveland-Cliffs said Aug. 27 it had reached a tentative labor deal with the USW that was now pending ratification via union member vote. Meanwhile, the USW said Aug. 25 it had rejected US Steel's most recent proposal for a new labor agreement.