BHP, Union in Last-Minute Talks to Avert Strike at Chile’s Escondida Copper Mine

The last-minute reversal matters because Escondida is a bellwether for copper supply at a moment when demand is being pulled higher by data-center and grid buildout, so even a short disruption would tighten an already strained market. This is a labor and supply story before it is a price story: the leverage sits with the union, and BHP's room to concede depends on how badly it needs uninterrupted output. Whether talks close before the strike hour, and whether any deal sets a template for other Chilean mine negotiations, is the open question.