Aluminum Scrap Markets
December 12, 2025
Teamsters ratify first-ever contract at Real Alloy Morgantown after strike authorization
Written by Nicholas Bell
Workers at Real Alloy’s Morgantown, Ky., aluminum recycling and secondary production facility have unanimously ratified their first collective bargaining agreement, marking the first negotiated contract between the company and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).
Contract terms and ratification details
According to a Dec. 11 statement from the IBT, the agreement covers 136 members of Teamsters Local 89 and was finalized after workers overwhelmingly authorized a strike during protracted negotiations.
Union officials said the ratification concludes months of bargaining that accelerated only after employees signaled a willingness to escalate if talks continued to stall.
The newly ratified contract locks in “strong annual raises, better retirement benefits, and improved time off policies.” Workers also gained access to Teamsters-administered health insurance, a shift that the union said will materially reduce deductibles, co-pays, and overall out-of-pocket costs.
The ratification follows an organizing campaign that began earlier this year, when workers at the Morgantown facility voted by a wide margin to join Teamsters Local 89. That election marked the first successful union organizing drive in Morgantown’s modern industrial history and a rare foothold for the Teamsters within the aluminum recycling and secondary alloy segment.
AMU background: Unionization and industry context
As previously reported by Aluminum Market Update, the Morgantown vote stood out within the aluminum processing sector, where organized labor representation is more commonly associated with primary producers, rolling mills, and extruders under the United Steelworkers banner.
Real Alloy’s Morgantown operation plays a critical role in the regional aluminum supply chain, converting scrap and by-products into molten and solid metal supplied to nearby rolling mills and downstream consumers.
Market participants have previously noted any labor disruption at the site would have had immediate implications for scrap flows and delivery schedules across the region.
Looking ahead
With the first contract now ratified, union officials characterized the agreement as a stabilizing outcome rather than a prelude to further conflict.
Workers, meanwhile, framed the deal as a signal that broader changes could follow at other Real Alloy facilities.
“We aren’t following trends – we are trend setters,” said Brian Wright, a Morgantown employee and member of Local 89. “And we hope other Real Alloy facilities will follow suit.”
