Marietta Times reported that Eramet Marietta workers approved a new three year labor agreement last weekend. This is the first new contract negotiation for Eramet Marietta since a five month lockout ended in early 2007.

Mr Steve Brown, president of United Steelworkers Local 1-0063, which represents 142 employees at the Ohio 7 facility said “We do have a contract. We are going to be working another three years.”

Mr Brown declined to release the totals of the Eramet vote, but said most everybody was pretty happy with the contract. He said “We got some stuff that most everybody wanted.”

According to Ms Joy Frank-Collins, Eramet spokeswoman, the company is also satisfied with the contract. She said “We're incredibly pleased with the results of the union vote It came about because of the hard work of both the company and the union's negotiating team.”

Ms Frank-Collins said changes from the previous contract will help position the plant, and our employees, for the future.

Eramet Marietta, the only manganese ferroalloy producer in the United States and Canada, employs a total of approximately 200 people. The company employed more than 300 workers locally but announced in January 2009 it was laying off 110 workers. Since then, officials say things have stabilized at the plant, and plans are still in place for USD 40 million in upgrades at the facility.

(Sourced from The Marietta Times)