Steelworkers, ATI reach agreement
About 200 supporters of locked out ATI employees gathered for friends and family night in front of the Green Street business.
About 400 people walk up to the ATI Ludlum offices in Canton Township to protest. Union workers were locked out since August over contract differences including health-care issues.
United Steelworkers union’s bargaining committee and specialty steelmaker Allegheny Technologies Inc. reached a tentative agreement Monday on a four-year contract, ending a six-month lockout of 2,200 workers.
The lockout began Aug. 15 when ATI announced it could not reach an agreement with the union. The lockout affected facilities in six states, including its Canton Township location. The previous contract expired June 30.
The new contract is subject to ratification by members of local unions at 12 ATI facilities in those six states in addition to approval from National Labor Relations Board, according to a news release. The process is expected to take several weeks.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said in a statement, “I’m pleased that ATI and USW were able to come to an agreement that will allow workers to get back on the job. For months, these workers have simply been asking for the opportunity to return to their jobs and continue the work they’ve done for years, which has propelled ATI’s success.”