United Steelworkers hopeful with union, Century to resume talks to end Hawesville lockout

Source: Platts

Negotiators for Century Aluminum and the United Steelworkers union will return to the bargaining table June 8 following a surprise June 5 session amid a renewed sense of optimism that the lockout at the company's 244,000 mt/year Hawesville smelter in western Kentucky that began May 12 may end soon.

When the Chicago-based company locked out more than 560 members of USW Local 9423 in a contract dispute for the first time in the plant's history, Century said the workers could return to their jobs after ratifying its original "last, best and final" offer of April 25.

Four times during the month before the lockout was imposed, the local union rejected the company's proposals, often by a wide margin.

But Century asked the union last week to resume discussions and the June 5 talks "went well," Jake Sapp, a USW spokesman and member of the local union's bargaining team, said in a June 7 interview. Sapp declined to elaborate except to say the parties agreed to meet again June 8 and the local union has no plans to vote on Century's last offer. Talks recessed for the weekend. "We're going to get back to [the bargaining table] on Monday," he added.

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