US Steel Idles Granite City Works, Laying Off 1,000 Workers
U.S. Steel is indefinitely idling primary operations at its Granite City Works steel mill in Illinois.
The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker warned it would lay off up to 1,000 steelworkers at the steel mill near St. Louis.
“U. S. Steel has indefinitely idled Granite City’s primary operations and will meet customer demand by leveraging the company’s active iron and steelmaking facilities. This action was taken in order to help ensure melt capacity is balanced with our order book,” U.S. Steel spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said. “Accordingly, the company has sent the required notices to employees who potentially may be affected. We thank our employees for their contributions and will keep them informed throughout this process.”
The steel mill in southwestern Illinois makes hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated sheet steel products for a number of sectors, including construction, automotive, container, and piping and tubing. It can make up to 2.8 million tons of steel a year.
U.S. Steel idled Blast Furnace B at Granite City a few months ago as a result of the United Auto Workers union’s national strike, which put a dent in steel demand.
It believes about 60% of the workers who got WARN notices will be impacted, Malkowski said. The rolling and finishing lines will continue to operate.
“Granite City Works’ primary operations will be indefinitely idled, including blast furnaces, steel making, casting and related operations. U. S. Steel issued WARN notices to approximately 1,000 employees, most of whom are associated with Granite City Works primary operations,” Malkowski said. “In September 2023, U. S. Steel temporarily idled the second blast furnace at Granite City Works, meaning that both blast furnaces are currently idled. Rolling and finishing lines will continue to run using slabs from other facilities in order to meet the needs of our customers.”
Source: NWITimes.com