By Associated Press
Sand Springs, OK – Mill, union reach agreement
SAND SPRINGS, Okla. (AP) Officials at a Sand Springs steel mill say if union workers opt for a severance package, they will forfeit a guarantee to be rehired if the mill reopens.
Gerdau Ameristeel spokesman Phil Bell says the company and the local chapter of the United Steelworkers union reached an agreement Thursday night.
Employees will be allowed to reapply at Gerdau if the plant reopens, but they won't be hired back at their previous wages. Three-hundred employees are being affected.
Gerdau Ameristeel is weighing the option of idling the plant for two years to make $100 million in upgrades or closing it permanently because of lower demand for steel and a decline in prices.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.