Members of United Steelworkers Locals 5890 and 6673 have ratified agreements for early renewal of collective agreements at Ipsco's facilities in Regina, Sask., and Calgary, Alta. The Locals represent approximately 1,000 workers at the two facilities.

The new agreements, which expire July 31, 2011, exceed the Saskatchewan statutory maximum of three years duration. However, the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan has approved legislation that provides an exemption to The Trade Union Act in order that the new collective bargaining agreement will be given full force and effect.

Ipsco President and CEO David Sutherland, commenting on the new labor contracts and passage of the enabling legislation, said, "We are extremely pleased our employees who are represented by the USW, have ratified the agreements that both Ipsco's and the USW's bargaining teams worked so hard to achieve. I feel this is a positive development for both the workers and the business.

"These new contracts, which contain wage, benefit and pension improvements for our employees, will assure our current and potential new customers that Ipsco will continue to produce an uninterrupted supply of quality steel and pipe from our Western Canadian facilities.

"This is especially important in the large diameter pipe and oil country tubular goods markets, where significant business opportunities exist now and are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. I also want to acknowledge and express Ipsco's appreciation to the Saskatchewan legislature for their fast action in passing the appropriate enabling legislation for this long-term agreement."

Ipsco operates steel mills at three locations and pipe mills at six locations in the United States and Canada. As a low cost North American steel producer, Ipsco has a combined annual steelmaking capacity of 3,500,000 tons. The company's tubular facilities produce a wide range of tubular products including line pipe, oil and gas well casing and tubing, standard pipe and hollow structurals. Steel can also be further processed at Ipsco's five temper leveling and coil processing facilities.