Vale, Steelworkers agree to 3-party facilitator to help resume talks Monday

Negotiations between Vale and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500 in Sudbury will resume on Monday, July 19.

A third-party facilitator will be at the table when the two sides meet.

The strike began June 1, with the main stalematefocusing on retirement pensions and health benefits for new hires. Union members have previously rejected concessions that would have done away with retiree health and medical benefits for all future hires.

Vale spokesperson Danica Pagnutti said over the past few days Vale and the United Steelworkers bargaining committees have been exploring a path forward.

"We remain hopeful that this is a positive step towards securing a collective agreement," she said.

According to local union president Nick Larochelle, thefacilitator, Charlie Sheppard, has been used byboth sides in previous negotiations in 2015, 2020 and 2021, just before the current dispute.

"When we came to this impasse, a decision was made to have that facilitator to come back and help us through this impasse," he said.

Larochelle says the time is right to resume negotiations.

"Conduct on the picket line has led to economic pressures for the company to come back to the table," he said. "We have the support of the community and the people that would be going in to do shut down work and stuff like that right now."

There's no set time limit on talks.

"My number one priority is our 2,500 members and their families," Larochelle said. "I think that being cautiously optimistic, I thinkthat the discussions that we'll have will be something that is acceptable to both parties."