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Steelworkers Ratify Agreement with Gerdau in Canada;
Gerard Slams Company’s Behavior in U.S.

For Immediate Release                                              August 1, 2006

(Selkirk, Manitoba) – Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8740 at Gerdau Ameristeel’s Manitoba Metals in St. Andrews have ratified a new five-year labor agreement yesterday by a 57 percent margin, covering 87 workers in the scrap prep facility that serves as a feeder for the company’s Selkirk mill, according to USW staff representative Tony Sproule. 

“We reached this settlement following two weeks of bargaining,” Sproule said. “We dealt with local management and no outside interference.  That laid the groundwork for amicable negotiations and talks proceeded smoothly allowing us to settle in a relatively short amount of time.”

The agreement at the St. Andrews mill marks quite a departure from Gerdau’s actions in the U.S. where seven labor agreements with the company have expired.

USW International President Leo W. Gerard is monitoring the situation closely and aske