Tentative deal to end U.S. Steel lockout

An end may be near to the 11-month long lockout at U.S. Steel.

Hamilton city councillor Scott Duvall says a tentative agreement was reached yesterday, and that he was asked to relay the information to city council.

United Steelworkers Local 1005 has announced an information session tomorrow night at 7pm at Michelangelo’s to consider the tentative agreement.

Nine hundred workers have been locked out of U.S. Steel for nearly one year because the company and its unionized workers could not come to an agreement on pension plans and benefits.

Local 1005 president Rolf Gerstenberger is not making any comment. But Duvall, a former union local president himself, says he believes Gerstenberger will support this deal.

“I do not know the details of the contract; I do know there is support there from the negotiating committee to ratify it at the meeting and I know members will be approached.”

“We certainly didn’t want to lean our hand towards either side of the parties of the negotiations it’s not our job to get involved, however I’m hoping something will be brought to the table.”

In a statement this morning, local 1005 stated:

“If this entire experience has given us anything at all, it is the confidence that today Hamilton steelworkers can proudly and confidently exercise an informed vote, fully aware of the situation they face and of their responsibilities towards not just themselves and their families, but also towards the retirees, the future generation of workers, their union and their community, as well as the plight of Canada itself whose steel industry is now in foreign hands.”

“We are also confident that this experience has prepared us further for the challenges which lie ahead.”

Duvall says the deal is great news for the city of Hamilton if the employees get back to work at u.s. steel. He says each week this lock out continues, $1,000,000 is being taken out of the local economy.

Hamilton mayor Bob Bratina says the union is recommending the deal be accepted.

A ratification vote is scheduled for Saturday.

Video: Cindy Csordas reports: