Published: July 20, 2023 |

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Miners at Cleveland-Cliffs’ Northshore Mining Co. in Babbitt and Silver Bay have elected to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union. Labor contract negotiations to begin in August.

A card check process conducted by the USW resulted in a majority of the taconite facility’s approximately 400 hourly-paid workers approving of a desire for a union, according to the USW. A card certification process which verified the results, was finalized Tuesday by an arbitrator, said the USW. 

“Mining in Minnesota provides essential support for our local communities, our domestic steel industry and our nation’s critical infrastructure. We’re honored that workers at Northshore chose our union,” Emil Ramirez, USW District 11 director, said in a news release.

By joining the union, workers believe, they will have more say in the workplace.

“We chose to unionize so that we can have a voice on the job, especially when it comes to workplace health and safety, retirement security and other critical issues that affect us every day,” said Jason Curtis, a Northshore Mining Co. maintenance technician in the USW news release.

“We’re proud of our work and of our part in the long legacy of responsible mining in Minnesota. Now, we’re looking forward to making these jobs even better,” added Curtis.

A USW local president and staff at Northshore Mining Co. will be elected soon, said John Arbogast, USW District 11 staff representative. A negotiation process between the USW and Cleveland-Cliffs aimed at reaching a labor agreement will begin within two weeks, he said. The goal is to reach a labor contract in August.

“We always say there’s strength in numbers and now they’re part of everything. I think what finally pushed them over the top is that they want a seat at the table,” said Arbogast.

Northshore’s mine in Babbitt and processing plant in Silver Bay were idled for about a year before restarting this spring.

Cleveland-Cliffs has said Northshore will operate as a “swing” operation, producing iron ore pellets when needed and idling when pellets are not needed.

Hourly-paid workers at five other northeastern Minnesota taconite plants have been represented by the USW for decades. Those plants are: Cleveland-Cliffs’ Hibbing Taconite Co., Minorca Mine, United Taconite, and United States Steel Corporation’s Minntac Mine and Keetac. Cleveland-Cliffs employs about 2,000 hourly workers in total at Hibbing Taconite Co., Minorca Mine, United Taconite, and its Tilden Mine in Upper Michigan.

In recent labor contract negotiations, Cleveland-Cliffs has been a leader in reaching new labor contract agreements with the USW.

Source: Business North

Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. Founded in 1847 as a mine operator, Cliffs also is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in North America. The company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron, and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry in North America and serve a diverse range of other markets due to our comprehensive offering of flat-rolled steel products. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 27,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada.

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