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Cleveland-Cliffs, U.S. Steel Extend Iron Range Labor Contracts as Talks Continue
Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel agreed to temporary labor-contract extensions covering United Steelworkers-represented operations as negotiations continued past the September 1 deadline, avoiding an immediate contract expiration at key Minnesota iron ore facilities.
By Paul Ploumis
Published September 1, 2026
Key Points
- U.S. Steel agreed to a 30-day contract extension as negotiations with the United Steelworkers continued.
- Cleveland-Cliffs extended its steel-group agreement, including Minorca Mine, through October 1.
- Cleveland-Cliffs' mining bargaining group also agreed to continue working under an extension through October 1.
- Economic improvements reached in a new agreement will be retroactive to September 1, according to the union update.
- U.S. Steel's Minntac and Keetac operations on Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range have combined annual pellet-production capability of approximately 22 million tons.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): United Steelworkers-represented employees at Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel operations will continue working under contract extensions while negotiations proceed beyond the September 1 expiration of existing labor agreements.
The extensions were announced one day before contracts covering six mines on Minnesota's Iron Range were scheduled to expire.
U.S. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs Extend Bargaining Window
The United Steelworkers (USW) sent updates to members Monday stating that both Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel had agreed to contract extensions. The union said its bargaining committees should not be rushed into accepting an unfavorable agreement.
According to the U.S. Steel union update, its agreement was extended for 30 days.
The Cleveland-Cliffs steel-group agreement was extended through October 1. That bargaining group includes Minorca Mine in Minnesota.
Later Monday, the union reported that Cleveland-Cliffs' mining operations would also continue under an extension through October 1. The company's mining bargaining committee will remain in Pittsburgh as negotiations continue.
Any economic improvements negotiated under the eventual agreements will be retroactive to September 1, the date the existing contracts expire.
Earlier Monday, steelworkers rallied outside U.S. Steel's Minntac operation in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, calling for a fair contract.
Courtesy: www.wdio.com
Iron Range Operations Carry Strategic Steel-Supply Role
The labor negotiations cover facilities that form a major part of the U.S. iron ore and steel supply chain. U.S. Steel identifies its Minnesota Ore Operations as Minntac in Mountain Iron and Keetac in Keewatin, both located on the Mesabi Iron Range.
The company says Minntac has annual production capability of approximately 16 million tons of iron ore pellets, while Keetac can produce approximately 6 million tons annually. The pellets produced at the two operations are used as raw material in U.S. Steel's steelmaking system.
USW bargaining information identifies Minntac and Keetac as part of the union's U.S. Steel bargaining structure. The union's Cleveland-Cliffs steelmaking master agreement separately includes Minorca Mine, while Cleveland-Cliffs mining negotiations cover employees at United Taconite, Hibbing Taconite and Northshore Mining in Minnesota, as well as Tilden Mine in Michigan.
The union states that the Cleveland-Cliffs agreements scheduled to expire September 1 address economic issues including wages, retirement and healthcare, along with non-economic matters such as safety, seniority and grievance procedures.
The extensions allow negotiations to continue beyond the scheduled expiration date while the bargaining committees work toward new agreements.
