About 420 members of United Steelworkers Local 11-0001 walked off the job on September 3, 2026, at Sibanye-Stillwater’s palladium and platinum mining operations — the Nye Mine and the Columbus Metallurgical Complex — near Columbus, Montana. The walkout followed the rejection of three separate company contract offers, and USW filed the action as an unfair labor practice strike, meaning the union alleges the company failed to bargain in good faith rather than simply reaching a lawful impasse.
What the company wants to change
At the center of the dispute is health care and pay security. According to USW, Sibanye-Stillwater is proposing to raise family health plan deductibles on a fixed schedule over the next three years, and to cut short-term disability protection for its longer-tenured workers.
| Benefit | Today | Company proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Family plan deductible | $500 | $1,000 (2027) → $1,200 (2028) → $1,400 (2029) |
| Short-term disability (5+ years of service) | 180 days at full pay | 80% pay (first 90 days), 67% pay (second 90 days) |
USW District 11 Director Cathy Drummond framed the dispute bluntly: the company is “demanding that our members and their families pay more for health care while accepting less” in secured earnings. Sibanye-Stillwater, for its part, has pointed to a 5% wage increase already built into 2026 pay and has cited falling palladium prices as a pressure on its cost structure. Negotiations between the two sides began in mid-April 2026, so this strike follows nearly five months of bargaining that failed to produce a deal either side could accept.
A strong union, a familiar fight
USW Local 11-0001 is not a struggling shop with weak representation — it is part of one of the country’s largest and most established industrial unions, at a company producing metals used in catalytic converters and other high-demand industrial applications. That is exactly what makes this dispute worth paying attention to: it is not a story about a union losing leverage, it is a story about an employer trying to shift cost onto workers even where the union is well organized and history of benefits is strong.
That pattern shows up across other 2026 labor disputes covered here, from Steelworkers’ tire-industry contract fights to the wave of nurse strikes over staffing and wages. Health benefits and disability protections that feel permanent are, in practice, negotiated line items that come back up for renegotiation every contract cycle.
What a strong contract still can’t promise
None of this is a knock on USW or on collective bargaining, which remains the single most effective tool union members have for defending pay and benefits. But it is a useful, non-alarmist reminder: even members of a well-organized union with a strong benefits history can see employer-provided health and disability coverage shrink through no fault of their own, simply because a new contract cycle arrived at a different moment for the company’s finances.
A modest, permanent whole life or final expense policy that a worker owns personally — not tied to any employer, union contract, or bargaining cycle — keeps its terms regardless of how the next negotiation goes. It won’t replace a union health plan or a disability benefit, but it is one piece of a family’s protection that a renegotiated benefits package can’t take back. For union households thinking through what that looks like, our union members coverage guide, cost guide, and free calculator are good starting points.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did USW Local 11-0001 go on strike against Sibanye-Stillwater?
About 420 members of United Steelworkers Local 11-0001 walked off the job on September 3, 2026 at Sibanye-Stillwater’s palladium and platinum operations near Columbus, Montana, after rejecting three company contract offers. USW filed the action as an unfair labor practice strike, centered on proposed health care and disability benefit cuts.
What health and disability changes is the company proposing?
The company wants to raise family health plan deductibles from $500 today to $1,000 in 2027, $1,200 in 2028, and $1,400 in 2029, and to cut short-term disability for employees with five-plus years of service from 180 days at full pay down to 80% pay for the first 90 days and 67% pay for the second 90 days.
Does a strong union health plan replace the need for personal life insurance?
No. A group health or disability plan is negotiated at each contract cycle and can be reduced or restructured, as this dispute shows. A personally owned whole life or final expense policy is not tied to any employer or union contract and keeps its terms regardless of what a future bargaining round changes.
Coverage that doesn’t wait on the next contract
A licensed United Trust Life agent can help union members find final expense or whole life coverage that stays fixed no matter what happens at the bargaining table — free, and no pressure.
See Union Member Coverage →