About 250 miners returned to work at Warrior Met Coal after the United Mine Workers of America made an unconditional return to work offer earlier this year, putting an end to the longest strike in Alabama history.

That’s less than a fourth of the number who walked off the job in 2021.

In a news release, Warrior Met revised its overall outlook and financial targets for 2023, saying incremental production and sales volume will be approximately 500,000 short tons, primarily occurring in the second half of 2023. Sales volumes expected to increase 8%.

Warrior produces metallurgical, or met, coal for the steel industry.

UMWA members began returning to work on March 2, 23 months and one day after walking off the job.

“The company began the return-to-work process with the eligible employees who wished to return while continuing to engage in good faith efforts with the labor union to reach an agreement on a new contract,” Warrior Met said in a statement. “The return-to-work process has been ongoing since February and is now substantially complete.”

Approximately 1,100 union members walked off the job back on April 1, 2021 in a strike for better pay and benefits that they say were part of an earlier contract negotiated under Warrior Met’s corporate predecessor. According to the union, concessions to keep the company afloat back in 2016 were not restored in subsequent contract offers.

During the strike, the union said some members crossed the picket line, or found other jobs in and outside the mining industry.

When a restraining order put an end to pickets, the fight continued even to the homes of company executives. Union members took their case to a Capitol Hill Senate hearing, and both the union and the company traded allegations of vandalism and violence.

“We are pleased to welcome back the returning employees and look forward to the incremental impact on our sales and production volumes this year,” CEO Walt Scheller said. “Despite our ability to continue to operate our business successfully during the labor strike, the upside to an increased workforce is material, but we are still short of our historical staffing levels. Moving forward, we believe that Warrior remains well positioned to capitalize on its low-cost position and strong production volumes to drive enhanced stockholder value, including through investment in the world-class Blue Creek reserves.”