Steel Mills
USW says no progress made in meeting with Nippon Steel
Written by Laura Miller
March 7, 2024
At the request of Nippon Steel Corp. (NSC), the United Steelworkers (USW) union met with the Japanese steelmaker in person today to discuss Nippon’s proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel.
No progress was made in the discussions, which lasted less than an hour, the union said in a letter to members after the meeting.
While NSC “offered more promises and commitments,” USW said the company didn’t provide it with anything enforceable.
Echoing statements made last week, the union said that “Nippon has still not earned the trust of the USW.”
“With the future of our plants, jobs, benefits, and communities all at stake, Nippon’s bare commitments simply don’t hold water, which makes them an unqualified successor to USS,” said the letter signed by USW International President David McCall and Chairman of the Negotiating Committee Mike Millsap.
In a statement sent to SMU, NSC said that, in the meeting, it “provided the USW with specific commitments, which we believe address each of the union’s concerns that have been raised in our working sessions to date, including job security, capital investment, and technology sharing.”
“We would expect these commitments to be memorialized in legally binding documents once we reach an agreement with the USW,” it added.
NSC said it “has deep respect for the unionized employees at U.S. Steel.” It looks forward to continuing the conversation with the USW and to “finding common ground in our efforts to transform U.S. Steel into a world-leading steelmaker.”
Laura Miller
Read more from Laura MillerLatest in Steel Mills
U.S. Steel sues Algoma over iron pellet shipments
U.S. Steel is suing Algoma over the Canadian flat-rolled producer's rejection of iron pellet shipments, arguing it has breached its contract.
August US mill shipments slip but still higher than last year
The American Iron and Steel Institute reported a decline in the monthly shipments of US mills from July to August.
TransPod, Algoma, Supreme Steel linkup anchors Canadian steel in high-speed transit build
The three Canadian companies have announced a strategic partnership to support the development of an ultra-high-speed transit line from Edmonton to Calgary.
Metallus, USW agree to tentative four-year labor deal
Metallus and the United Steelworkers (USW) have agreed to a tentative four-year labor contract.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco resumes cokemaking after emergency maintenance
The Canadian steelmaker reported on Sept. 30 that “urgent maintenance” was needed in its coke plant off-gas systems. The work required coke oven gas from the No. 2 coke plant to be flared for most of that week.