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Cliffs, USW Reach Tentative Agreement for Michigan, Minnesota Mining Operations
09/02/2008 - Cleveland-Cliffs reaches tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers on a new four-year labor contract at its Empire and Tilden Mines in Michigan, and its United Taconite and Hibbing mines in Minnesota.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc—soon to be renamed Cliffs Natural Resources—has announced a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW), on a new four-year labor contract at its Empire and Tilden Mines in Michigan, and its United Taconite and Hibbing mines in Minnesota.
“We are pleased to reach a new tentative labor contract that is fair and equitable to both parties,” commented Donald J. Gallagher, President North American Business Unit. “Cliffs’ most valuable resource is our employee base, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the USW, which will enable all employees to share in the good fortune resulting from their hard work, and provide us a solid platform for future achievement.”
If ratified, the new agreement would replace the current agreement, covering approximately 2300 USW-represented workers. The tentative agreement is pending ratification by USW local union memberships and Cliffs’ Board of Directors.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is an international mining company, the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America and a major supplier of metallurgical coal to the global steelmaking industry. The company operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota and Eastern Canada, and three coking coal mines in West Virginia and Alabama. Cliffs also owns 85% of Portman Limited, a large iron ore mining company in Australia, serving the Asian iron ore markets with direct-shipping fines and lump ore. In addition, the company has a 30% interest in the Amapá Project, a Brazilian iron ore project, and a 45% economic interest in the Sonoma Project, an Australian coking and thermal coal project.
