Mansfield Works employees await outcome as USW-Cliffs contract talks continue ahead of Sept. 1 deadline

At Mansfield Works, the clock is running toward Sept. 1 as Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers negotiate a contract that will govern employees' wages, safety protections, contracting-out rules and the investment needed to keep the plant viable.

The expiring master contract, ratified in October 2022 and effective Sept. 1, 2022, covers about 12,000 USW-represented steelworkers at 13 Cleveland-Cliffs facilities and runs through Sept. 1, 2026. USW Local 169 at Mansfield Works is among the locations covered.

For Mansfield workers, the deadline is about more than the next pay scale. The outcome will help determine how work is performed, how safety concerns are addressed, whether jobs are contracted out and what repairs, maintenance and capital investment the facility receives.

Mansfield Works had 395 employees in March 2023, the most recent staffing figure cited, making the plant one of Richland County's largest industrial employers. The Cleveland-Cliffs stainless steel melting, casting and hot-rolling facility is located at 913 Bowman St. in Mansfield.

Master contract negotiations formally began July 20, 2026. As of Aug. 14, the parties had not yet begun bargaining over economic issues such as wages, though talks were continuing on local issues and facility needs. Local bargaining has addressed training, benefits, contracting out, health and safety, and arbitration.

At the same time, the USW bargaining committee has been identifying capital-expenditure, repair and maintenance priorities at Cleveland-Cliffs facilities as part of the master contract negotiations. Mansfield Works produces semi-finished hot bands and high-chrome ferritic and martensitic stainless steels through an electric arc furnace process, continuous casting and hot-rolling equipment. Its products are used in automotive applications, fuel and safety systems, appliances, cutlery, HVAC equipment and processing equipment. Investment in the machinery supporting that production is central to questions about the plant's future and the security of local jobs.

Wages will be a major issue once economic bargaining begins. The 2022 contract included general wage increases of 8%, 4%, 4% and 4% over its four-year term, which the USW said lifted base rates by more than 20% overall. The parties reached tentative agreements before the old contracts expired in 2022, avoiding a strike. During its Q2 2026 earnings call, Cleveland-Cliffs said the current negotiations had gotten off to a constructive and productive start and that it was confident an agreement could be reached.

Roxanne Brown, United Steelworkers International President, said, "Every resource that we can use to make sure that the bargaining is successful is at your disposal." Brown was sworn in March 1, 2026, as the union's 10th international president and the first woman to lead the USW. USW District 1 maintains an office at 1340 West Fourth Street in Mansfield.

The Mansfield negotiations are part of a broader deadline for Cleveland-Cliffs' union workforce. About 2,000 company mining and pelletizing workers are covered by a separate USW contract that also expires Sept. 1, 2026.

With less than two weeks remaining, Mansfield employees are waiting to learn what the next agreement will mean for their paychecks, daily safety, job protections and the maintenance and investment that can help determine the plant's future in Richland County.