Sunday deadline looms in CCI-USW talks

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ISHPEMING - Union representatives and Cleveland Cliffs Inc. officials are waiting for the phone to ring with news regarding contract negotiations as a deadline looms.

The negotiations, which are being held in Pittsburgh between the United Steel Workers union and CCI, have been ongoing since Aug. 4. Currently, there is no information regarding any potential sticking points between the two sides. The current contract expires at midnight Sunday.

"We've been negotiating with the union since the beginning of August and those negotiations are continuing," said Dale Hemmila, the district manager of public affairs for CCI. "We're hoping to have a contract that is fair and equitable and works for everybody involved by midnight Sunday."

Representatives for the USW Local 4950, which represents workers at the Empire Mine, said that they urged workers to just continue doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, to put the thought of the negotiations "on the back burner" and "to stay safe" during a meeting Thursday night.

"They are down there talking and we're just waiting for word from the negotiators," said Mike Roy, the financial secretary for USW Local 4950.

As for what happens if the contract expires without an agreement, Roy said that it's "up to the negotiators."

The negotiations are for all hourly employees at the Tilden and Empire mines - roughly 1,200 workers - as well as workers at CCI mining operations in Minnesota. The contract that expires was a four-year deal negotiated in 2004.