Contintental Cement, USW reach agreement

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Sources have told Muddy River News that an agreement has been reached in the labor dispute between members of United Steelworkers Local 11-205 and management at Hannibal’s Continental Cement plant.

About 100 workers took to the picket line on February 22 over multiple issues with management. The contract between the union and Continental had expired last May and, after a pair of extensions, workers have been doing their jobs without a contract since Sept. 30.

“Continental Cement is thrilled to have the union membership ratify the new CBA, which we believe provides a compelling opportunity for our hourly employees,” said David Loomes, Continental Cement President. “We thank the Union, the negotiating committee, hourly employees and the Plant Leadership Team for their role in the process and helping reach this outcome after a long and often intense negotiation process. We are proud to serve the community and to provide secure, well-paying jobs for our hourly and salaried employees. Most importantly, we are proud of our safety record and improved relationship with regulators – both of which are non-negotiable core values for CCC / Summit Materials.”

USW District 11 Director Emil Ramirez said community support and membership solidarity were key to the union’s success in resolving the issues at the bargaining table.

“Our solidarity was the determining factor that enabled us to fight off the company’s demands at the table for workers to give up their rights and voices over scheduling and other issues,” said Ramirez. “We owe gratitude to the community for supporting our members and their families during the labor dispute.

“With a fair contract now in place, USW members look forward to returning to work with the knowledge that we can accomplish great things together in Hanniba. Continental Cement is lucky to have a dedicated, loyal workforce, and as production resumes, we expect management to treat them with the respect that they have clearly earned and deserve.”

The key terms of the new CBA are:

• Runs through April 30, 2027
• Annual salary increases for the first three years are 5% per year – and 4% per year for the last two years
• Employees will receive a once-off ratification bonus to offset lost wages since last increase
• Securing a streamlined job category classification structure for all new employees
• Giving hourly employees the opportunity to grandfather into the prior structure or to switch to the new structure, which will provide most employees an immediate pay increase above the contractual wage increases
• A call out system which will reduce the reliance on third party contractors and contribute to further improved plant reliability

“We thank the negotiating teams and employees for reaching this point and ratifying the CBA while upholding our Summit values of safety, integrity, inclusivity, and sustainability,” said Anne Noonan, President and CEO of Summit Materials. “We are looking forward to the future and believe the new CBA provides a win-win for our hourly employees and Continental Cement.”