AUGUST 1, 2020 — 877 LAYOFFS IN EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA
The company has announced that it will be laying of 877 employees at its East Chicago, Indiana plant.
The decision was driven by the reduced demand for the company’s steel products due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the overall economic depression.
JULY 28, 2020 — 425 LAYOFFS IN CLEVELAND, OHIO
Commencing on August 1, 2020, the company is planning to layoff 425 employees at its Cleveland, Ohio integrated steelmaking mill on indefinite layoff.
"Due to additional and unforeseen deterioration in the market for our products, the Company is now required to institute indefinite layoffs of represented employees and certain terminations among salaried, unrepresented employees.
"We expect that these layoffs will be indefinite, and we cannot predict their duration at this time, although we now expect that they will last longer than six (6) months.
AUGUST 22, 2019 — WEIRTON, WEST VIRGINIA LAYOFFS
The company has announced the layoff of an estimated 100 employees at its tin plate mill located in Weirton, West Virginia.
According to a company spokesperson, the decision was in response to changing market conditions including reduced crop production and canning activities.
Original Post…
Once again the debate over steel imports comes to the forefront as ArcelorMittal announces the layoff of 150 positions in its Conshohocken, Pennsylvania mill claiming declining revenues brought about by unfair foreign competition.
Management has looked to Washington, D.C. to solve part of its problems by instituting protective tariffs to protect domestic worker’s jobs from unfair competition in the form of dumping where steel and steel products are sold below their production costs and at an artificially low price.
However, some economists point to the alternative benefits to be found in the redistribution of jobs as lower government infrastructure costs offset the loss of jobs in the steel industry with increases in jobs related to the build-out of government infrastructure.
Others point out the obvious, that any tariff imposed on steel importation is simply an additional tax on the American people, in the form of higher prices or the tariffs being paid ultimately by the end user. Of course, government loves tariffs which they pocket and use for their special interest projects or to purchase additional political support by directing the construction of projects in their own political districts or states.
The Trump Administration has promised to bring steel production and jobs back to America, somewhat hypocritically as Trump used foreign construction materials in his skyscrapers precisely because it was cheaper. And, in many cases, used pre-stressed concrete instead of steel in his buildings. And, it should not be forgotten that America’s domestic inability to produce sufficient steel for military applications can be a national defense issue.
But the problems faced by the steel industry are not limited to price protections. The declining use of steel itself is a major issue as new composite carbon-fiber materials are lighter and stronger than steel. Global over-capacity, especially in nations without strict environmental controls, is another major issue. And, let us not forget the ongoing standardization of steel specifications allowing for online business-to-business bidding, the increasing use of robotics in dangerous environments and the on-demand pre-processing of steel products using expert machine-guided tools also translates into fewer steelworkers.
Steel will remain a significant structural component, but it appears that the days of the well-paid, unionized steelworker may have gone the way of the well-paid worker in the automotive industry, one of steel’s largest customers.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
