NEW DEAL FOR MIAMI MINE

Members of the United Steelworkers union (USW) and workers from five other international unions voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract covering about 420 workers at the Pinto Valley Mine.

The mine, owned by Capstone Copper, employs about 170 members of USW Local 915, as well as members of the Teamsters, Operating Engineers, IBEW, Boilermakers and the UA. The six unions, led by the USW, negotiate their labor agreements jointly with the company.

The new four-year contract provides average wage increases of 18 percent, a lump-sum signing bonus, a reduction in members’ health-care costs, improved retirement benefits, an increase in paid sick time, and the addition of vision coverage, along with other improvements to contract language.

The Pinto Valley Mine, located about 75 miles east of Phoenix, is one of the largest employers in the area.

USW District 12 Director Gaylan Prescott, whose office represents thousands of USW members in Arizona and 10 other western U.S. states, said that the agreement is an example of the strength workers can have when they stand together.

“The will of these mine workers, using their collective voices, resulted in increased wages, improved benefits and dignity in their workplace,” Prescott said. “These workers, their families, and the communities in which they live will all benefit because of what this group was able to accomplish as a result of their unity and solidarity.”

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.