The results of a ratification vote by United Steelworkers members at nine Allegheny Technology Inc. facilities are expected to be known by next Tuesday, the union said Tuesday.

The union and ATI announced Friday they had reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract. If approved, the deal would end a strike that began March 30 at the nine ATI facilities, including ones in Harrison, Vandergrift, Derry Township and Washington.

Union members continued picketing Tuesday because “the strike is not over until the agreement is ratified by the membership,” spokesman Tony Montana said.

The union released an eight-page summary of the proposed agreement Tuesday.

“The efforts of both parties have resulted in a tentative agreement that rewards our hardworking employees and contributes to the long-term viability of ATI,” ATI Executive Vice President Kim Fields said in a statement. “This enables stability for our employees, our customers and our business.

“We look forward to bringing our long-time employees back to work and working together to safely operate to deliver our commitments to customers,” Fields said.

The agreement would be retroactive to March 1 and run through Feb. 28, 2025.

Employees would get $7,000 in the form of a $4,000 signing bonus paid within 30 days of the contract’s ratification, and two lump-sum payments of $1,500 on Feb. 1 in 2024 and 2025.

The $4,000 signing bonus is the same amount of a first-year, lump-sum payment the company previously had offered, before it was reduced to $2,500 after the union did not accept the company’s contract offer in April. At the time, ATI said it reduced the amount to reflect part of the costs it was incurring from the strike.

The agreement includes 3% wage increases effective March 1 in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

A profit-sharing program would be eliminated. The union said members complained about the previous program because the formula was complicated, and the union claims it was easy for management to manipulate and avoid paying. The union’s bargaining committee decided it was better to eliminate it for other considerations.

The health care plan in the proposed agreement remains premium-free and creates a joint union-company committee to keep costs down and find alternatives to premiums if they don’t.

Beginning Jan. 1, all employees represented by the USW will be covered under a Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan. The proposed plan includes a few modifications to the current one, the summary said, such as increased deductibles and copays on prescriptions.

The in-network deductible ($500 for an individual and $1,000 for family) can be offset by a $200 reimbursement for individuals and $400 for families if employees complete an annual wellness examination. Spouses covered under the plan also would have to complete a wellness exam to qualify for the reimbursement, according to the summary.

The health reimbursement arrangement, or HRA, can be used to pay medical and prescription copays, deductibles, vision, dental and other qualified medical expenses. The funding rolls over to the next plan year if not used.

The proposed agreement caps the company’s medical and prescription drug costs at a 3.5% cost increase each year. If claims exceed the cap in 2023 or 2024, the sides would meet to determine how to pay the amount over the cap by Sept. 1, which the union says could be through a reduction of the lump-sum payment in 2024 or a premium payment that year. The union and company would have to agree on how to pay it, and any dispute would be referred to arbitration.

Before negotiations started, ATI announced it would be permanently closing three facilities: #3 Finishing in Harrison; the Waterbury, Conn., plant; and the Louisville, Ohio, plant. Under the settlement, those entitled to early pensions would be granted them, along with some added benefits not specified in the summary.

The proposal also includes a return-to-work agreement. Employees would go back to their jobs within seven days of the first Sunday following ratification.

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