The United Steelworkers has roundly rejected the latest proposal by US Steel in their on-going labour negotiations, Kallanish learns from a union update.

US Steel issued a new six-year proposal Wednesday that included a 14% base wage increase over the contract's length, with additional profit-sharing and health care provisions. The union charges that the company tweaked this initial proposal before going public with it.

"While of course they would never admit that, they modified their proposal and then within minutes posted it on their website while the union was still reviewing it internally," the union says in an update to its members. "You undoubtedly understand their play for what it is - another clumsy and bad-faith attempt to try to influence everyone’s first impression and undermine your bargaining committee."

The 14% base wage increase in particularly contentious, the union states, due to the way it is doled out unevenly over the next six years.

"The USW will make a counter proposal which, among other issues, will include real wage increases, a reasonable term of the contract, leave our benefits alone, fix our pension issues and solve some of the problems caused by this blatant and bad-faith attempt to try to break this union," union leadership says.