Unionized Steel Workers Will Not Strike

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=8534524

Reporter: Ty Brennan

Posted: June 20, 2008 11:20 PM

The votes have been tallied and the Unionized Steel Workers will not be striking. The steel workers who are employed with Battelle Energy Alliance, which manages the Idaho National Lab, were voting on a new contract.

Larry Wheeler, the union leader, said he wouldn't discuss actual numbers, but did say the majority of the workers voted and it passed by 94%.

The contract was set to expire Friday at midnight and a strike was eminent if negotiations weren't agreed upon. But because of this vote, it has been ratified with the new contract.

Both sides have not offered many details of what the new contract entails, but from what steelworkers have told Newschannel 6 in the past, job security and higher wages were their top concerns.

They say everything will be business as usual come Monday.