The members of United Steelworkers Local 1537 were waiting by their phones yesterday morning like lonely teenagers on a Saturday night.

They were hoping for a call to the union office from Latrobe Specialty Steel saying they could go back to work.

Thursday night, after nine days on the picket line, the union members voted to go back to work. Immediately after the vote they stopped picketing and started waiting.

The call came around 1:30 yesterday afternoon: The company rejected the offer, which the union is now saying has turned the strike into a lockout.

The company had offered a contract, which company spokeswoman Lisa Pierce said was now off the table, that would have given the workers a $6,000 bonus the first year and $5,000 bonuses each of the next two years, but would pay new employees a lower wage that would be increased slowly until April 2011, when the workers' wages would equal those of current employees.

"We are happy to share the current profitability and our offers have demonstrated that," company President Hans J. Sack said in a prepared statement.

The union opposed the two-tier wage level and wanted increases instead of lump sum payments.

For the employees who have been working six and seven days a week for the past few years, these first days of the strike have been a time to get chores done around the house and catch up on gardening. The overtime has given them high paychecks but little time at home.

At the same time, the members said they didn't want the company to be hurt by a long work stoppage.

"We don't want to see Latrobe Steel lose customers over something we feel can be resolved at the bargaining table," said Kevin Caruso, president of the local.

Ms. Pierce said the company would work out the issues with the help of a federal mediator and that the strike wouldn't end until a new contract was reached.

The firm makes the steel used in the aerospace industry by Boeing and GE Aircraft Engines and metal for the U.S. Mint.

While the union had taken down the picket line as soon as it voted to go back to work, yesterday the line was back up after the company rejected the offer.