PITTSBURGH (AP) — The United Steelworkers have rejected a four-year contract covering 3,000 workers at Allegheny Technology Inc.'s Allegheny Ludlum specialty steel plans in western Pennsylvania and an ATI plant in Albany, Ore.
The union and Pittsburgh-based ATI announced the tentative deal June 30, the day the last contract expired. But since then, retired workers had urged the rank-and-file to reject the contract because they said it would increase their medical insurance from about $40 per month to $200 per month.
The union nonetheless recommended ratification, saying the contract included raises and lump sum payments, pension increases, and health care and other improvements for current workers. Despite that, 1,358 union members rejected the contract in a vote Tuesday, compared to just 824 who voted for it.
ATI hasn't commented. The union says it's committed to finding creative solutions to satisfy the retirees.
