MARQUETTE COUNTY -- Empire Mine workers are back on the job. Cliffs Natural Resources says the 245 employees laid off in June came back to work on Sunday.
The layoffs were due to less demand for pellets from the company's partners. The Empire Mine will resume pellet production this coming Monday and should be back in full production by September 21.
Cliffs union employees are currently working without a contract. The United Steelworkers' agreement ran out on August 31, but both sides have agreed on a short-term contract extension to help prevent a strike or lockout.
Talks on a new contract resume October 8 in Duluth, Minnesota. Meanwhile, two mines on the Minnesota Iron Range have new three-year agreements with U.S. Steel and Acelor-Mittel. They are Minn-Tac and Kee-Tac. The contract calls for a wage hike of 2.5 percent in the first year and a $2,000 signing bonus.
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