U.S. Steel reaches tentative pact with workers

After weeks of negotiations in Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers union has reached a tentative agreement on a fouryear labor contract covering about 14,000 workers at U.S. Steel, both sides announced Monday.

The agreement, which must be ratified by members, puts a provisional end to several weeks of tense negotiations and could resolve the worst labor dispute at the Pittsburgh steel company in three decades. Details of the tentative pact were not released.

Last month, USW members authorized union leadership to call a strike with 48 hours of notice — a move that could have triggered the first work stoppage at U.S. Steel since 1986. Members have been working under the terms of the previous contract, which expired Sept. 1.

More recently, tensions cooled, and talks became more productive. The union reported progress earlier this month and hinted that a deal could be close.

On Monday, the United Steelworkers announced the tentative agreement to its members with a text and through a website.

U.S. Steel, in its own statement released about the same time, confirmed the deal had been reached, saying the terms would “position U.S. Steel to remain a leader in the highly competitive global steel industry.”

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the USW we believe is fair and in the best long-term