ArcelorMittal to Idle Indiana Harbor Long Carbon

“We have been negotiating with the United Steelworkers (USW) since mid-November to maintain the rolling mill as an economically viable operation using outsourced billets,” said the company spokesperson. “We no longer view this option as feasible given the union’s requirement that this change be linked to increased production bonuses at the rolling mill, equivalent to an increase of approximately $4,000 annually per hourly employee at current production levels.”

The plant closure will affect approximately 246 USW union members and 58 salaried employees, most of whom are expected to be relocated into other ArcelorMittal facilities in Northwest Indiana. The decision entails the potentially permanent loss of more than 300 direct and indirect jobs associated with the facility, said the spokesperson.

The closure affects only the long carbon plant in Indiana. The shutdown of the facility’s electric arc furnace will remove 340,000 tons of annual steel capacity from the market.