COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
today announced it has reached agreement with the Regional Director of
the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to settle the unfair labor
practice charge filed by the United Steelworkers in March 2017. This
settlement resolves the charge, without any admission of fault,
penalties, or payment of back wages.
This action does not resolve the key differences in the on-going labor
dispute, nor put the two sides closer to a contract.
As part of the settlement, Hecla has rescinded the terms of its Last,
Best and Final Offer implemented in March 2017. Since then, Hecla and
United Steelworkers’ representatives have met over 20 times, exchanging
proposals and reaching agreement on various language changes. A Revised
Final Offer was presented to the United Steelworkers’ representatives in
December 2017, which remains on the table. A hearing regarding the terms
implemented in March 2017 would therefore be a waste of resources.
Hecla's production guidance remains unchanged with no material
production expected from the Lucky Friday Mine in 2018.
ABOUT HECLA
Founded in 1891,Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
is a leading low-cost U.S. silver producer with operating mines in
Alaska, Idaho and Mexico, and is a growing gold producer with an
operating mine in Quebec, Canada. The Company also has exploration and
pre-development properties in seven world-class silver and gold mining
districts in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and an exploration office and
investments in early-stage silver exploration projects in Canada.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Statements made or information provided in this news release that are
not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and
"forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities
laws. Words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expects”, “intends”,
“projects”, “believes”, “estimates”, “targets”, “anticipates” and
similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements or forward-looking
information include statements or information regarding {add text}. The
material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking
statements or forward-looking information include that the Company’s
plans for development and production will proceed as expected and will
not require revision as a result of risks or uncertainties, whether
known, unknown or unanticipated, to which the Company’s operations are
subject.
Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility,
volatility of metals production and costs, litigation, regulatory and
environmental risks, operating risks, project development risks,
political risks, labor issues, ability to raise financing and
exploration risks and results. Refer to the Company's Form 10K and 10-Q
reports for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact
expected future results. The Company undertakes no obligation and has no
intention of updating forward-looking statements other than as may be
required by law.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180430006601/en/
Hecla Mining Company
Mike Westerlund, 800-HECLA91 (800-432-5291)
Vice
President, Investor Relations
hmc-info@hecla-mining.com
www.hecla-mining.com
Source: Hecla Mining Company