The United Steelworkers and U.S. Steel said they reached a tentative four-year labor agreement affecting 14,000 workers on the Iron Range and across the nation, a move that potentially ends weeks of contentious strife and douses worries about a possible strike.

Union members, including 1,250 at MinnTac in Mountain Iron and 350 at Keetac in Keewatin, Minn., must vote on the proposed deal before it becomes official. John Arbogast, president of USW Local 1938 in Virginia, Minn., said members could vote in about two weeks.

In a letter to union members on Tuesday, USW leaders said the tentative contract comes after a lot of hard bargaining that sped up last week and over the weekend.

"Thanks to the overwhelming solidarity and support we received from members at every facility throughout this process, the committee was able to reach an agreement that we are all proud to put forward for your vote," the letter said.

The bargaining committee voted unanimously in favor of the tentative agreement after talks sped up last week and over the weekend, the letter said.

U.S. Steel said in a statement that the company believes the tentative agreement is "fair and in the best long-term interest of our employees and their families as well as U.S. Steel's customers [and] stockholders."

If the tentative contract passes, U.S. Steel will join Cleveland Cliffs in crafting a labor agreement both labor and owners can live with.

Union workers at Cleveland Cliffs facilities on Minnesota's Iron Range and in Michigan ratified a four-year labor contract last week. USW officials said that contract includes a signing bonus, "significant" wage hikes, increased pension contributions and maintains "high-quality, affordable health care and strong retirement benefits."

Labor talks remain ongoing between United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal, which is the largest iron-mining and steel producer in the world. ArcelorMittal has 18 facilities in the United States and employs thousands of workers, including about 300 union workers at the Minorca Mine in Virginia, Minn.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725