March 9, 2007 — Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. announced it has reached agreements with the USW at Gerdau Ameristeel's Beaumont, Texas, St. Paul, Minn., and Wilton, Iowa, steel mills. The plants were previously owned by North Star Steel before they were acquired by Gerdau in 2004.

Bargaining committees comprised of local union representatives accepted the tentative agreements and sent them for discussion and ratification votes that were held at each location concluding on March 8. Union members at each location were required to approve or reject a contract for their own location.

According to a USW statement , Gerdau made commitments to the USW that the ratification of these three contracts would lead to positive and meaningful movement at the other open tables. Negotiations continue at the company's steel mills in Calvert City Ky.; Joliet, Ill.; Sand Springs, Okla.; and Whitby, Canada.

The new contracts are effective March, 2007 and run through March 2010 (Beaumont), July 2010 St. Paul), and September 2010 (Wilton).

Gerdau Ameristeel is the second-largest minimill steel producer in North America with annual manufacturing capacity of over 9.0 million tons of mill-finished steel products. Through its vertically integrated network of 17 minimills (including one 50%-owned joint venture minimill), 17 scrap recycling facilities and 51 downstream operations (including seven joint venture fabrication facilities), Gerdau Ameristeel serves customers throughout North America. The company's products are generally sold to steel service centers, to steel fabricators, or directly to original equipment manufacturers for use in a variety of industries, including construction, automotive, mining, cellular and electrical transmission, metal building manufacturing and equipment manufacturing.