Union Challenges U.S. Steel's Scheme to Betray Granite City Workers

PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today issued the following statement from International President Thomas M. Conway after U.S. Steel announced plans to sell two blast furnaces at Granite City Works and informed the union of its intention to keep only one finishing mill active at the facility:

"U.S. Steel has established a trend in recent years of shutting down operations, as it has done at the Great Lakes facility in Detroit, Lone Star Steel in Texas, tubular operations in Ohio, and the company abandoned a previously announced major capital improvement project at the Mon Valley Works and announced the closing of its West Coast operations at UPI in California.

"The company continues to invest heavily in its non-union operations at Big River Steel in Arkansas, and management continues to point to their transition to EAF produced steel as the pathway to success while they shutter operations.

"The USW and U.S. Steel concluded a successful startup of an EAF operation in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Fairfield Works, and that's where the company should have continued to place additional EAF investments. Instead, they chose to double down their investment in their Arkansas facility.

"In its announcement regarding Granites City's future, the company callously failed to mention a word about the massive job loss or impact the decision will have on a skilled and loyal workforce, their families or their community.

"It is another tale in a long string of betrayals by the company, which now has permanently closed nearly two thirds of the assets it acquired from National Steel along with other acquisitions. 

"The summer is coming and bringing with it the termination of the labor agreement between the parties. We will undoubtedly be talking about investment in our plants. The company should prepare itself for those discussions.

"We understand the vital importance of investment in our USW plants and the obligations to our members and their communities, even if the management at U.S. Steel doesn't. We have no intention of becoming the primary pig iron suppliers to their non-union operations."

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations.

Contact: Tony Montana – (412) 562-2592 or tmontana@usw.org

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SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)