In today’s news and commentary, Trump’s novel US Steel agreement impacts labor talks, Mamdani clashes with teachers’ union, and Boeing plans to resume bargaining talks.

On Monday, a 20,000 member bargaining unit of the United Steelworkers agreed to extend its contract terms with both US Steel and competitor Cleveland-Cliffs by thirty days after their planned expiration. In July, Trump formed a novel agreement for expansive control over US Steel in exchange for greenlighting its acquisition of Nippon Steel. The arrangement lets the president block the company from shifting jobs overseas or idling plants, effectively pre-negotiating protections the union would otherwise have had to win at the bargaining table. That dynamic is spilling into Cleveland-Cliff talks too, most notably because labor experts expect Cleveland-Cliffs to match whatever US Steel concedes rather than risk a strike on its own. Healthcare has emerged as the central sticking point at both companies, with the union rejecting US Steel’s 18% wage offer over cost-shifting health plans and accusing Cleveland-Cliffs of proposing steeper premiums and deductibles without any wage increase after five weeks of talks. Still, the “golden share” deal may cut both ways, making negotiations slower and more legally fraught, and impacting bargaining conversations in ways the Trump Administration may not have foreseen.

Meanwhile, the New York City mayoral administration has sued his City Council in trial court in Manhattan over a bill giving $10,000 bonuses to around 26,000 teachers’ aides. While Mayor Mamdani’s platform since his campaign last year has been notably pro-worker, he is accusing the Council’s bill of violating collective bargaining laws, putting him at odds with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The bill was unanimously passed in response to an outsized demand for teachers’ aides, who are paid around $32,000 per year. The administration argues that such bonuses should be agreed upon at the bargaining table rather than approved through legislation, and that this bill could serve as precedential leverage for the city’s almost 150 other public bargaining units. UFT president Michael Mulgrew has threatened to engage in “all-out war” with the mayor as a result, and the move may disrupt the administration’s relationship with the teachers’ union going forward. 

Finally, bargaining conversations continue between Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). As Mila recently covered, workers overwhelmingly rejected the company’s proposed contract last week, and are poised to go on strike early next month if they do not reach an agreement. The negotiations include a professional unit of 13,000 workers and a technical unit of 4,000. On Monday the parties met to discuss a new bargaining timeline. As a result, talks will begin again on September 8th. Conversations are expected to continue to be centered around workers’ demand for increased payment, including cost-of-living adjustments, increased 401(k) company contributions, and annual performance-based raises. Employees describe a lack of trust in the company based on previous negotiations that they say will need to be rebuilt if Boeing hopes to avoid an imminent strike.