WEIRTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice says he was “blindsided” by the announcement from Cleveland-Cliffs to idle its tinplate mill in Weirton and put more than 900 workers out of a job by April.
“It’s just a cannon ball to the stomach. That’s all there is to it,” the governor said during his statewide media briefing last week.
Justice then pledged to do “anything and everything” to help the situation and Cleveland-Cliffs employees.
“We have an economic development task force that will move as rapidly as possible. We have WorkForce West Virginia’s quick response team. We’ll have both of those teams on site immediately to help in every way,” Justice said.
Cleveland-Cliffs said last week steel dumping by foreign manufacturers has taken all of its business and that plant is being shut down due a decision from the International Trade Commission.
The Commission rejected a claim by the U.S. Department of Commerce foreign steel makers from China, Canada and Germany had been dumping their tinplate products on the U.S. market at significantly reduced rates, creating a competitive imbalance.
Justice blasted the Commission for the closure.
“They’re allowing this product to come from Canada and Germany into the United States, no tariff on it, and low and behold with God being my witness, I know as well as I’m sitting here the product is flowing through Germany and Canada from China. It’s no good,” he said.
Affected employees will be provided relocation opportunities to work at other Cliffs’ facilities and/or severance packages, the company said.
Brooke County Senator Ryan Weld, whose district includes the Weirton area, said he has spoken with officials in the northern panhandle and in Charleston to help ensure workers and their families receive all the assistance they might need.
source
Disclaimer: The use of videoreddit.edu.vn and the content generated on this website is at your own risk. The platform is not responsible for the use that users may make of the content presented here. Although we make every effort to ensure that the information provided is accurate and appropriate, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or relevance of the content.
The website is not responsible for any loss, damage or harm that may arise from the use of this site, including, but not limited to, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. Users are responsible for their own actions and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
In addition, videoreddit.edu.vn is not responsible for user-generated content or opinions expressed by users. We reserve the right to remove any content that we deem inappropriate, offensive or that violates our policies or applicable laws, without prior notice.
