Alcoa Corporation, a global leader in bauxite, alumina, and aluminum products, today announced that the management of the Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc. (ABI) smelter in Québec, Canada has presented a final offer to the United Steelworkers for a new labor contract.
The smelter, which is owned by Alcoa (74.95%) and Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. (25.05%), has been operating at reduced capacity since January 11, 2018, after union members rejected a proposed labor contract for hourly employees. The facility has three potlines with a total annual operating capacity of 413,000 metric tons per year. Salaried employees had operated one of three potlines during the lockout, until Alcoa announced an additional curtailment of one half of that line on December 19, 2018.
After extensive negotiations and mediation sessions with the union over the last 18 months, ABI’s management seeks to end the labor dispute and begin the process to restart the smelter with a new contract. The final offer is valid until July 5, 2019.
If the offer is accepted, the restart process would begin on July 26, 2019. If the offer is not accepted by the union, ABI will implement a plan to fully curtail the smelter.
Source: Alcoa |
