BÉCANCOUR, QC, March 21, 2019 /CNW/ - At 10 a.m. today, representatives of United Steelworkers Local 9700 met with management of the ABI aluminum smelter to share a counter-proposal they hope will lead to a negotiated agreement to end a 14-month lockout.

The union has scheduled a news conference for 11:15 a.m. today to outline its proposal.

Steelworkers Local 9700 President Clément Masse, as well as Dominic Lemieux, Assistant to the Steelworkers' Quebec Director, and Réal Valiquette, the union's Area Co-ordinator, will meet with the media at the FTQ building in Trois-Rivières.

United Steelworkers news conference:
Thursday, March 21, 11:15 a.m.
FTQ Building
7080 Marion Street
Trois-Rivières, Que., G9A 6G4

The 1,030 union members at the Bécancour smelter were locked out on Jan. 11, 2018, by Alcoa and Rio Tinto.

The United Steelworkers/Syndicat des Métallos is the largest private-sector union in Quebec, representing more than 60,000 workers in all sectors of the economy.

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)