AK Steel Lockout Over; Workers Going Back Under New Contract
Just over a hear after being lockout out of their workplace, union steel workers have voted to go back to work.
Workers at AK Steel voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract and end the lockout. The contract is effective immediately and workers will be phased in within 90 days.
The new deal includes raises for most of the workers, lower health care deductibiles and company pension contributions and will run until September 2011.
Union workers at the Middletown plant had fallen on hard times as the weeks turned into months and families who had been telling their children that they could do without are celebrating.
"It feels like my chest just quit hurting, it feels great I could float to the heavens," said Stephanie Long the wife of a union AK Steel worker.
Worker Brian Faries who was locked out echoed Long's emotions, "large weight lifted off the shoulders it feels like we've got our life back that we worked so hard to get."
But not everyone survived the lockout.
Sheriff's foreclosures were up in 2006 and the union lost 900 members since January of 2006.
Union leaders say that member will get letters or phone calls telling them to report to work.
Report: FOX19 News
