The 47-month contract, which would be effective 1 October, covers approximately 2,000 employees. It is the second tentative agreement the company has reached with the USW in the past two weeks. 

In late August, Cliffs and the United Steelworkers shook hands on a tentative agreement covering 14,000 employees at its steel mills and processing plants. 

“Reaching a second labor agreement in less than two weeks reaffirms our great alliance with the USW,” said Cleveland-Cliffs chairman and chief executive Lourenco Goncalves. 

“It also confirms one more time that we know very well our responsibilities as the supplier of choice to clients in critical sectors, such as military and automotive. We have now demonstrated twice why Cleveland-Cliffs gets things done and how we act: we negotiate respectfully, fairly and privately. A strong workforce is critical to our present and future competitiveness, and we look forward to continuing our shared success with our USW partners.”

Both contracts are pending ratification.