News · Marquette
Tilden Mine steelworkers rally in Negaunee as Cleveland-Cliffs contract talks resume Sunday, with health care the sticking point
MARQUETTE — Union iron miners from Cleveland-Cliffs’ Tilden Mine rallied in Negaunee on Thursday, three days before their bargaining team heads back to the table.
About 120 members of the United Steelworkers gathered at Miners Park along US-41 on Oct. 29, WJMN-TV (My UP News) reported. They are pushing for better wages and health care benefits in a new contract with Cliffs, and talks are set to resume Sunday, Nov. 1.
Where talks stand
Members of USW Local 4950 have been working under an expired contract since August, WJMN reported. The union and Cliffs have agreed to a rolling extension of the old contract while they bargain, WDIO-TV in Duluth reported.
The union locals at Cliffs’ mines send representatives to master negotiations in Pittsburgh, where the mining locals have their own bargaining table, according to the USW. Its list of locals bargaining together includes Local 4950 at the Tilden pit and Local 4674 at the Tilden plant.
Mike Grondz, vice president of USW Local 4950, said the sticking points are the usual ones: wages, benefits and health care.
In an Oct. 8 update to members, the union said Cliffs had proposed significant changes to health care plans, possibly including premiums and deductibles for in-network care. “To date, the company’s proposals on healthcare changes have been unacceptable to the locals and therefore no tentative agreement has yet been reached,” the update said, according to WJMN.
What each side says
“When we go to Pittsburgh to bargain a fair contract for us, we’re using your voice,” Brian Fisher, a USW International staff representative, told the crowd.
Grondz argued the contract matters beyond the union’s own members. “Our wage and benefit package affects every worker here in the central UP,” he said.
Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves struck a calmer tone on a recent earnings call, WDIO reported. “The negotiations remain professional, respectful and productive,” he said, adding that the goal is an agreement “that recognizes our employees for their contributions while ensuring Cleveland-Cliffs remains strong, competitive and well positioned for long-term success. I have no doubt we will get there.”
Company leaders also said on that call that they expect Cliffs’ strongest year since 2021, with customer orders up, according to WDIO.
Marquette County Board Chair Joe Derocha was among local officials at the rally. No strike has been called, and both sides say they are still negotiating.
Sources:
WJMN-TV / My UP News, “Union steel workers rally for fair contract with mining company in Upper Peninsula,” Oct. 29, 2026 (rally size and place, expired contract since August, resumption date, Grondz and Fisher quotes, Oct. 8 union update, attendees), https://www.myupnow.com/news/local/union-steel-workers-rally-for-fair-contract-with-mining-company-in-upper-peninsula/article_b4a0ce01-df89-401b-88f4-794465de49de.html
United Steelworkers, “Contract Negotiations 101 – Cleveland Cliffs Mining” (master bargaining in Pittsburgh, Tilden locals), https://usw.org/industries/mining/contract-negotiations-101-cc-mining/
WDIO-TV, “CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs weighs in on contract talks” (rolling extension, Goncalves quote, outlook), https://www.wdio.com/mining-news/ceo-of-cleveland-cliffs-weighs-in-on-contract-talks/
Photo: NASA, “ISS067-E-174345 Tilden and Empire mines in Marquette County, Michigan.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS067-E-174345_Tilden_and_Empire_mines_in_Marquette_County,_Michigan.jpg
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