Negotiators for Hecla Mining and the United Steelworkers union were in discussions Thursday afternoon, attempting to end a strike that began March 13 at the company's Lucky Friday silver, lead and zinc underground mine near Mullan in Shoshone County, Idaho, according to a spokesman for the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho-based company.
Because bargaining continued mid-afternoon August 3, spokesman Luke Russell said in an interview it was uncertain if the two sides were making progress toward a tentative labor agreement. It also was premature to say if the talks will resume Friday.
But Hecla was hopeful, having presented the union with "some ideas" during their previous July 6 meeting, he said. If the USW finds the unspecified ideas favorable, Hecla could include them in a formal proposal on behalf of hourly workers at the mine.
This is only the third face-to-face bargaining session between the two sides since the strike started.
The union has complained about the company's original economic offer, although it has not been publicly disclosed. Strikers protested outside the company's headquarters Wednesday.
Hecla disclosed Thursday in a second-quarter earnings release that it is spending $1.5 million to $2 million a month to maintain Lucky Friday in operating condition during the strike.
The company's costs include building "a needed bypass ramp," ongoing maintenance of the mine's No. 2 shaft and slope backfilling, Hecla said.
"Limited production, or moving to care and maintenance, should allow the cost to be between $1 million and $1.5 million per month," it added.
Hecla posted a loss of $24.6 million on sales of $134.3 million during the quarter. It earned $24 million in profit during Q2 2016.
This year, output at Lucky Friday is expected to range between 3.6 million and 4.1 million ounces of silver at a cash cost of $6/oz, after by-product credits, the company said. Last year, Lucky Friday produced 3.6 million ounces of silver at a cash cost of $8.89/oz.
According to the company, the mine, located in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District in northern Idaho, is expected to have another 20 to 30 years of life.
