Strike could be looming at Alton Steel

EAF steelmaker faces potential strike over pay and benefits issues.

Electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaker Alton Steel Inc., Alton, Illinois, is in negotiations with its union workers over health care insurance costs, pay and pension issues. An online article by The Telegraph newspaper indicates a strike by workers from United Steelworkers (USW) Local 3643 is possible.

According to the report, the negotiations “have been ongoing for nearly two months” and thus far have not resulted in any work disruptions.

A USW negotiator quoted by The Telegraph says the negotiations have resulted in progress on some matters but compromise over “economic issues has been very, very slow.”

The report also says a representative from USW headquarters in Pittsburgh will visit Alton in early October “for a training session on how to go about a strike.”

Alton Steel operates a 200-ton electric arc furnace and has the capacity to melt some 750,000 tons of ferrous scrap in its melt shop each year, according to its website.