Steel workers press steelmakers on wages and health care costs, with a strike authorization vote

Two of the country’s biggest steelmakers, U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal, have contracts with their 30,000 or so union members that just expired on Sept. 1. The United Steelworkers Union is in the heat of negotiations with both companies on a new contract and steel’s still coming off the line.  But, in a sign of how contentious this could get, Steelworkers’ locals nationwide voted over the last week to authorize a strike against U.S. Steel if negotiations don’t deliver. What are the workers looking for, and why now?

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