United Steelworkers District 1 Details Libbey Glass Agreement

United Steelworkers (USW) District 1 Director Donnie Blatt joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to recap a hard-fought contract victory at Libbey Glass in Toledo after a strike that lasted more than five months. Blatt explained that workers had previously accepted a 5 percent pay cut to help the company exit bankruptcy in 2021, with a clawback provision to restore losses once production targets were met.

In 2024, the company sought sweeping changes during bargaining: weakening seniority, limiting the Local’s ability to represent members, increasing healthcare costs and collapsing multiple agreements into one while stripping craft jurisdictions.

USW Locals 65T, 59M and 700T held firm, maintained solidarity and ultimately ratified new agreements that delivered substantial wage gains, protected healthcare and preserved each Local’s jurisdiction and representational strength.

• Steelworkers held the line for five months: Libbey Glass workers maintained around-the-clock pickets and cross-Local solidarity to protect core union rights.
• Steelworkers defended separate craft jurisdictions: Three USW Locals secured individual agreements rather than being merged into a single unit with diluted seniority and representation.
• Steelworkers proved that community-backed strikes still work: strategic campaigns, clergy and local allies helped sustain visibility and pressure throughout a long dispute.

USW-Libbey Glass Contract Ends a Long Toledo Strike

A contract ratification can look like a single headline, but the work behind it is usually measured in weeks of uncertainty, months of sacrifice and years of memory. For Libbey Glass workers in Toledo, the end of a contentious dispute came only after a strike that lasted more than five months and demanded uncommon unity across multiple bargaining units.

United Steelworkers (USW) District 1 Director Donnie Blatt joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to describe what it took to reach the new agreement and why the fight mattered beyond one plant. District 1 spans Ohio and Michigan, and the Libbey dispute became a high-visibility test of whether workers who had already given concessions to save a company could hold the line when that same company returned to the table seeking more.

The dispute was not simply about wages, Blatt said; it was about whether the union would retain the tools needed to represent members and whether long-standing craft jurisdictions would be protected rather than erased.

Bankruptcy Concessions Set the Stage for 2024 Bargaining

The path to the strike began years earlier. Libbey Glass workers took a 5 percent pay cut to help the company emerge from bankruptcy in 2021, even though a collective bargaining agreement had already been negotiated in 2017, Blatt said.

Those concessions were not framed as permanent. A clawback provision was negotiated so workers could regain what they had given up once the company reached a defined production level. According to Blatt, Libbey achieved that production level on time, triggering the restoration provision.

But the period of loss mattered. It shaped workers’ expectations going into the next round. They had already proven their commitment to keeping the company afloat. In return, they expected a fair agreement that respected seniority, healthcare and the union’s ability to function.

Libbey Sought to Rewrite Seniority, Healthcare and Union Rights

When bargaining for a new agreement began in 2024, Blatt said the company entered negotiations seeking to rewrite the contract “from front to back.” The union’s concerns centered on several proposed changes:

• Seniority rights that govern job security and movement within the facility
• Representation language that enables the Local to effectively advocate for members
• Healthcare changes that would shift more costs to workers
• Work jurisdiction changes that would collapse separate union agreements into one and dilute craft lines

The jurisdiction issue was a flashpoint. USW represents three Locals at the facility, each with distinct roles:

• Local 65T: mold makers
• Local 59M: furnace operators
• Local 700T: production workers

Blatt said the company attempted to merge these agreements into a single collective bargaining agreement and remove the jurisdictions tied to each Local. Members rejected that approach. In their view, the Locals’ separate agreements were the structure that protected craft identity, job duties and fair representation.

Three Locals Maintained Solidarity Through 24/7 Picketing

The strike that followed was sustained by discipline and unity. Blatt credited the workers for maintaining solidarity across the three Locals and for staffing picket lines around the clock.

That unity was the union’s leverage. A long strike is designed to test whether workers will fracture under financial pressure and fatigue. Blatt said the Locals did the opposite. They stayed aligned on core demands and made clear what it would take to restart production.

He also pointed to the employer’s labor counsel as a factor that shaped the tone of negotiations. The representation was consistent with hardline, anti-union tactics, Blatt said. In the union’s assessment, the proposals and posture suggested an effort to weaken the union’s presence at the facility. The outcome, however, showed that the company could not achieve those aims without a prolonged shutdown.

Contract Terms: Wage Gains, Healthcare Protection, Jurisdictions Preserved

The three ratified agreements are not identical. Blatt said each Local secured its own individual contract, with differences reflecting each unit’s priorities and tradeoffs.

Across the three agreements, Blatt highlighted several outcomes:

• Substantial wage increases in the first year, with variations by Local
• Different approaches to premium pay: one Local traded certain premium pays for higher first-year wage gains, while the other two kept premium pays and still achieved meaningful increases
• Healthcare protected: members maintained the healthcare they currently have
• Jurisdictions preserved: each Local retained its work jurisdiction within its own agreement
• Representation language defended: contract language enabling the union to represent members remained intact

Blatt credited Staff Representative Teresa Cassidy for leading negotiations and bringing back agreements that members could ratify.

He also noted that all three contracts will expire at the same time, aligning future bargaining timelines and preventing staggered expirations from becoming a vulnerability.

Strategic Campaigns, Community Support, Maintained Pressure

A strike at a major employer does not stay contained within the plant gates. Blatt described how USW’s Strategic Campaigns Department supported the Locals with community outreach, rally organization and sustained visibility.

The strategy was to ensure the public understood why workers were out and what was at stake. That included engaging community allies and clergy, and coordinating activities to keep the dispute in the spotlight.

For labor relations practitioners, the lesson is familiar but worth repeating: long strikes require more than picket schedules. They require narrative discipline, community relationships and a structure that keeps members connected to the purpose of the fight.

Leadership Transition Signals Continuity and Momentum

The conversation also looked ahead. Blatt discussed upcoming leadership changes within the United Steelworkers, noting the transition set for March 1.

He emphasized confidence in the union’s direction and described the incoming leadership as experienced and deeply rooted in the union’s work. The message was one of continuity: the same focus on fair treatment, strong contracts and member power will remain central.

What the Libbey Glass Win Signals for 2026 Bargaining

The Libbey Glass dispute is a reminder that contract fights are often about governance as much as economics. Wage gains matter, but so do the rules that determine who has a voice, how seniority is honored and whether a union can enforce the agreement it negotiates.

For the three USW Locals in Toledo, the ratification marked the end of a five-month strike and the beginning of a new contract cycle with key protections intact. For employers watching, it delivered a different message: workers who have already sacrificed to save a company will not accept a second round of concessions disguised as “modernization.”

And for unions across the region, the takeaway is clear. Solidarity across Locals, disciplined strike structure and strategic community engagement can still produce results, even in the most contentious disputes.

Go Behind the Scenes of the Labor Movement

Every victory at the bargaining table starts with workers standing together. From the shop floor to the statehouse, hear how activists are fighting for better wages, safer conditions and a stronger future. Subscribe to the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to get the latest interviews with the leaders and organizers building worker power across America.