USW Rejects Century Aluminum's Contract Offer; Company To Begin Lockout Of USW

(RTTNews) - Century Aluminum of Kentucky General Partnership, a subsidiary of Century Aluminum Company (CENX), announced that members of USW Local 9423 at its Hawesville, Kentucky smelter rejected the Company's modified Last, Best, and Final offer Monday night, May 11, 2015.

As a result, a lockout is scheduled to commence at 8 a.m. CDT on May 12, 2015. The lockout will allow other personnel to maintain uninterrupted plant operations, which is required in the continuous-flow operation of an aluminum smelter. The smelter is fully prepared for the lockout and is expected to continue to operate safely and at full production.

"Unfortunately the members rejected the contract, which leaves us with no choice but to lock out union represented workers. We negotiated in earnest for greater than three months and reached three agreements with the union's negotiating committee, but all were rejected by the membership. In essence, we are out of options," said John Hoerner, Sr. Vice-President, North America Operations.

The Company's final offer included pay increases of more than 14 percent during the five-year period, provided fixed costs for health insurance, lower out-of-pocket maximum, and new language on overtime.