COLUMBUS — More than 50 union members and community residents gathered Thursday night at the United Steelworkers union hall in Columbus as contract negotiations between United Steelworkers Local 11-0001 and Sibanye Stillwater remain unresolved.
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The town hall allowed union leaders to update members and community members on negotiations that have continued since April, while also answering questions about what a potential strike could mean for workers, their families and the surrounding communities.
“We've been in negotiations since April, so it's now August, and it's been a long, long process,” said Daniel Beluscak, president of United Steelworkers Local 11-0001.
The contract under negotiation covers the Nye Mine and Columbus complex and roughly 450 union members. The East Boulder operation in Big Timber is negotiating under a separate contract.
Union members have rejected two contract proposals by wide margins, according to Beluscak. About 93% of members voted against the first proposal, while roughly 84% rejected the second. About 88% of the union's membership participated in each vote, Beluscak said.
He said the turnout was the highest the union has seen for contract votes.
“The committee's just hoped to bring a fair contract to a vote,” Beluscak said.
The union says major disagreements center on benefits and compensation, including health care, short-and long-term disability benefits, a wellness program, and changes to an incentive program that has been in place for about 30 years.
“The easiest way to describe it is a land grab on our benefits,” he said.
The union argues workers are fighting to maintain benefits and compensation they already have rather than seeking significant new increases.
The negotiations come after a difficult period for the Stillwater operation. Sibanye Stillwater laid off nearly 700 workers in 2024 as palladium prices fell. The company has since said employment has begun to rebound as palladium prices recover.
In June, Sibanye Stillwater told MTN News it had filled about 150 positions over the previous year.
Beluscak, who has worked at the mine for more than a decade, said the union's experience does not match the company's characterization of the recovery.
“Really, we've just had a lot of attrition,” Beluscak said. “So people are coming back based on other people quitting or leaving.”
During Thursday's meeting, one union member said at least eight employees had left the Nye and Stillwater sites that week.
Another member raised concerns about increased production expectations.
“They want us to break 45% more rock, but they don’t want to pay us for it,” the member said.
Sibanye Stillwater is based in South Africa and operates the Stillwater Mine and East Boulder Mine in Montana. The company is North America's largest producer of platinum and palladium.
The west side of the Stillwater operation has not reopened.
The negotiations also brought former Stillwater employees back to the union hall.
Patricia Bradshaw and Mark Kauffman both left the mine about two months ago. Bradshaw worked there for six years, while Kauffman spent more than 26 years at Stillwater. Both now work at mines in Idaho but continue to live in Columbus.
Kauffman said he left after becoming frustrated with what he saw as a changing relationship between the company and its employees.
“Over the last few years, I've seen the way things were going, and I decided myself, I could no longer continue working for a company that doesn't value their employees," Kauffman said. “But we're still members of this community ... and we're here to help show our support for our fellow members that we used to work with."
Bradshaw said she attended the meeting to understand why the union wanted community members involved.
“We came here to see why the union wanted the community to come in. What did they want us to know?” she said. “The union isn't asking for these great big bonuses. They're asking to stay at the level they're at, not for any raises, and the company is saying, "No."
No strike has been called, but Beluscak said the possibility remains. The union has submitted its latest proposal and is waiting for a response from Sibanye Stillwater, he said.
The union also has a 48-hour extension in place as the two sides continue negotiations.
“The ball's in their court,” Beluscak said. “With that 48-hour extension we put in place, you know, we can just essentially wait on our response.”
Beluscak said union members do not want a strike but are preparing for the possibility.
“There's always a possibility of a strike,” he said. “No one wants a strike. No one wins in a strike.”
A work stoppage could affect hundreds of union employees and their families, while also reducing spending in communities that rely on mine workers.
Bradshaw said that potential impact extends beyond the workers themselves.
“What happens to our community when so many people don't have jobs?” she said. “What happens to the kids who don't have enough food?”
For now, negotiations remain ongoing. The union is waiting for the company's response to its latest proposal, while workers and community members wait to see whether the two sides can reach an agreement before a strike or other work stoppage occurs.
“The most valuable asset this company has is the people in there in that room right there tonight,” Kauffman said. “Not the metal, nothing else.”
“And they don't value them,” added Bradshaw. “And it's wrong.”
Related:
Stillwater Mine families facing uncertain times, leaving Montana for work
Absarokee businesses adjust for Stillwater mine layoffs
Stillwater Mine families hopeful tariffs can restore jobs
