Cleveland-Cliffs to Idle Weirton Tinplate Facility Following Unfavorable ITC Ruling
by: Taylor Long
Posted: Feb 15, 2024 / 06:40 AM EST
Updated: Feb 15, 2024 / 07:20 AM EST
WEIRTON, W.Va. (WTRF) — According to a recent press release from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. it was announced Thursday morning that it will be indefinitely idling its tinplate production plant located in Weirton, West Virginia in April 2024.
The need to idle the Weirton plant is a direct result of the unanimous decision issued by all four members of the International Trade Commission (ITC) negating the implementation of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on tin mill products calculated by the Department of Commerce.
A WARN notice is being issued today to approximately 900 impacted employees. These employees will be provided relocation opportunities to work at other Cliffs’ facilities and/or severance packages.
In January 2023, Cleveland-Cliffs and co-petitioners the United Steelworkers (USW) filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions related to unfairly traded tin and chromium coated sheet steel products.
After finding evidence of dumping and subsidization, on January 5, 2024, the Department of Commerce announced duties on four countries, including Canada, China, Germany and South Korea. However, on February 6, 2024, the ITC unanimously rejected these tariffs. ...
I mentioned this ITC decision on
another thread. I guess it was just a matter of time until it put people out of work. Weirton Steel in its heyday employed 13,000; now it looks like the final 900 will be heading to the unemployment office.