Steel Mills
Ottawa Says “No” to Release of US Steel Agreement
Written by Sandy Williams
April 19, 2015
The Canadian government says it will not release the agreement made with US Steel after it dropped a lawsuit against the company in 2011.
“It would be against the law for us to release this information without the agreement of the company,” said Industry Canada spokesperson Jake Enwright as quoted in the Hamilton Spectator. “On our own the government cannot make these commitments public.”
Enright added that US Steel is a private company and can release the information if it so chooses.
The Canadian federal government brought a lawsuit against US Steel in 2008 after the company reneged on promises to keep more than 3000 workers employed for three years following the purchase of the former Stelco facilities. A year after the acquisition, US Steel laid off 1500 workers at Hamilton Works and Lake Erie Works.
Canada dropped the suit in 2011 in exchange for promises of capital investments in the Hamilton and Nanticoke and various small grants to community groups. The details of the agreement were sealed to the consternation of USW workers, prompting skepticism that the government actually received anything in return for dropping the suit.
USW officials and the City of Hamilton have requested the agreement be made public, saying information contained in the agreement may affect rights of workers and retirees of the company. On Monday, the union will present an official request for the release in court.
In the meantime, US Steel Canada is moving forward on plans to sell Lake Erie Works and Hamilton Works.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
AHMSA opens doors to potential buyers as $1.3B asset auction nears
AHMSA is opening its doors to potential buyers to tour its steel plant and mining operations in northern Mexico in preparation for the next stage of its bankruptcy process: the auction of its assets.
USW seeks clarity on USS plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.
Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.
ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).
Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!