Wise Alloys negotiates new labor agreement - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

A labor agreement is on the negotiating table for a Shoals corporation.

Wise Alloys and the local United Steelworkers Union are working to develop a new labor agreement in hopes of preventing a strike.

Both sides reached a tentative deal on Friday.

Officials from both sides reached what they believed was an agreement, but it was the over 400 members of the union who turned it down - sending officials back into negotiations.

The current contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

However, officials extended it to allow union members time to vote on the new agreement - a vote that struck down the new deal.

At this time, officials haven't said which elements of the agreement are being re-evaluated, but both sides feel strongly that an agreement can be made.

Last week, permission to strike was granted to union negotiators the authority, if needed.

Early this year, Wise Alloys drafted new agreements with both the contractors union and operating engineers unions.

Officials said the steelworkers' agreement will be similar to the previous two.

Wise Alloys officials said negotiations started back up at 1 Tuesday afternoon, but they still haven't heard if a deal has been reached at this time.

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