A union representing employees at Columbus Metallurgical Complex and Stillwater Mine in south-central Montana, both owned by South African mining conglomerate Sibanye-Stillwater, has ended a month-long labor strike.
United Steelworkers Union 11-0001, which represents about 420 employees across both facilities, approved a three-year contract Tuesday, according to company spokesperson Heather McDowell.
The dispute leading to the strike, which started Sept. 3, centered on employee health benefits and pay incentive structure, according to a September interview with union negotiator Andrew Cameron. Union representatives did not immediately respond to MTFP’s interview request Wednesday.
The deal comes a little more than a week after workers at Sibanye-Stillwater’s mine in East Boulder negotiated their own contract, avoiding a strike. Like the Stillwater Mine, the East Boulder location unearths palladium and platinum.
Sibanye-Stillwater has struggled to keep its palladium operations, which make up the bulk of its Montana mining, in the black, according to McDowell. The rare metal, integral to the production of automotive catalytic converters and an important component of some electronics, is at a historic low value on the international market. Two years ago, Sibanye-Stillwater laid off 700 Montana workers, about 40% of its workforce in the state, citing palladium’s low price.
McDowell celebrated the end of the strike in a statement to Montana Free Press Wednesday.
“The changes made to our benefits and incentive structure are necessary to move our business through this very challenging palladium market and to a place of long-term sustainability,” McDowell wrote over email. “We look forward to working with employees at East Boulder, Stillwater, and the Met Complex to keep those operations producing for years to come.”
Nora Mabie contributed reporting.
