Cives Steel Workers Rally in Augusta for a Fair Contract

PHOTO: Cives Steel workers & their families rally for a fair contract on April 26.

Members of Ironworkers Local 852 at Cives Steel in Augusta held a rally Sunday April 25 for a fair contract. The workers have been working without a contract and are fighting hard for a new three-year contract that respects their hard work and dedication. The current contract expired on March 15 and was extended until March 31.

“The company is proposing a new policy that affects the whole bargaining unit of employees,” said Local 852 Chief Steward Tim Dunlap. “We will continue to work to get the best contract we can for our members."

Dunlap said the union is fighting hard to improve pay and keep their health insurance affordable.

The Georgia-based company has 1,400 employees and an annual revenue of $361 million. Only three of its seven locations are unionized; the other two unionized shops are in Gouverneur, New York (Ironworkers Local 824), and Winchester, Virginia (Steelworkers). Cives Steel workers were previously part of Ironworkers Local 807, but have merged into Local 852, a regional union of Ironworkers that stretches from Pennsylvania and Delaware to Maine.

In 2023, Cives Steel workers won a hard-fought contract after several actions, including pickets involving several members of other unions. Union members are planning another all-day rally soon. Stay tuned for details!