Strike lifts price of American copper

A three-week-old strike that has idled most US copper-producing companies helped lift the price of the metal above the $1-a-pound level Monday for the first time in about four months. While the strike is not expected to curtail supplies before September, several industry sources blamed the price rise on expectations that the stike by 37,000 employees would be a long one.

The United Steelworkers Union is the primary union in the contract dispute, although other smaller ones are also involved.