According to news reports, representatives from the United Steelworkers union (USW) are currently negotiating with representatives from US Steel and ArcelorMittal USA, with the aim of replacing three-year contracts set to expire September 1, 2018.
However, according to the union, negotiations are not going well. "We're about as far apart as can be," a USW spokesman said in a statement to media.
News reports point out how different current negotiations are compared to 2015 talks, primarily due to the vastly different domestic steel market environment. In 2015, steel prices were in the midst of a 15-month decline, while steel prices are now much higher—HRC prices, for example, are at 10-year highs this month.
John Brett, CEO of ArcelorMittal USA, told media that while the steelmaker is “optimizing its assets,” it is still not cost-competitive compared with other US steel producers.