Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, (412) 562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway issued the following statement in response to U.S. Steel’s announcement that it will be cancelling a $1.5 billion upgrade at its Mon Valley Works:
“We are extremely disappointed in U.S. Steel management’s decision to abandon the Mon Valley project and the community. It was just two short years ago when U.S. Steel touted the project and the dedicated workforce there as essential to the future of the Mon Valley Works and Pennsylvania steelmaking.
“The company then moved its attention to Arkansas when a shiny new object caught its attention in the form of Big River Steel. It further shut down its steelmaking operations at Great Lakes Works in Michigan, eliminating more than 1,500 jobs.
“U.S. Steel management advised the union of the Mon Valley decision by text minutes before the public announcement.
“We believe that in spite of this betrayal of the workforce at the Mon Valley Works, the co-gen project at a minimum should proceed at Clairton.
“These broken promises don’t go unforgotten. Our contract with U.S. Steel requires a minimum amount of capital to be spent in our plants. The USW intends to enforce that.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.