Iron Ore Alliance presents 2024 ‘Hard Rock Miners’ award to its former co-chair, Chris Masciantonio
Annual award honors an individual’s contributions to MN’s iron mining industry
St. Paul, Minn. – The Iron Ore Alliance today announced that Chris Masciantonio is the recipient of its third annual “Hard Rock Miners” award in recognition of his outstanding commitment and contributions to Minnesota’s taconite industry. Members of the Iron Ore Alliance presented the award to Masciantonio at the organization’s annual dinner on Wednesday evening. Masciantonio recently retired from U. S. Steel after working for the company since 1989 and was a founding member of the Iron Ore Alliance, which launched in 2013.
“I am deeply humbled and proud to receive this award,” said Masciantonio. “The Iron Ore Alliance is an important and powerful voice for Minnesota’s iron mining industry. It’s a model for how labor and management can collaborate and achieve results when they work together. Leading the Iron Ore Alliance and advocating for the iron mining industry has been a highlight of my career at United States Steel.”
“Chris has spent several decades of his career passionately advocating for iron mining with a collaborative spirit,” said John Arbogast, staff representative for United Steelworkers District 11 and co-chair of the Iron Ore Alliance. “As a co-founder of the Iron Ore Alliance, he played a huge role in this innovative partnership that allows us to work together on the issues that matter most to our industry.”
The Iron Ore Alliance, a unique collaboration between the United Steelworkers and U. S. Steel, makes the annual award out of taconite from U. S. Steel’s Minntac facility in Mountain Iron. Masciantonio is the third recipient of the award, following Sen. David Tomassoni (2022) and Bob Bratulich (2023).
“Chris has been a strong advocate for Minnesota’s iron mining industry,” said Mike Bakk, director of operational readiness at Keetac and co-chair of the Iron Ore Alliance. “He has been instrumental in sharing the story of iron mining and the vital role it plays in Minnesota’s economy. Thanks to his hard work, we have a solid foundation for continuing this work for years to come.”