U.S. Steel gives lockout notice at Lake Erie plant: Union

70 per cent of workers voted against company's proposed contract

(Reuters) — U.S. Steel Corp. has given workers at its Lake Erie works in Nanticoke, Ont., notice of a lockout to start on April 28 at 9 a.m. EDT, according to a letter posted on a union website.

In 2012, the plant, on the north shore of Lake Erie, produced about 10 per cent of U.S. Steel's 23.6-million-ton global raw steel output. Its annual capacity is 2.6 million tons.

The steelmaker and United Steelworkers Local 8782 have been in talks on a new contract for workers at the plant, which U.S. Steel acquired in 2007 as part of its takeover of Canada's Stelco. Local media have reported that the union local at the plant has almost 1,000 members.

Workers voted April 23 on the company's contract proposal, with 70 per cent voting against it, a separate notice on the union website said. It was not immediately clear what the impact on production might be.

U.S. Steel could not immediately be reached for comment.

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