Tensions continue to escalate between US Steel and the United Steelworkers (USW) union as the two sides remain far apart on reaching a new labor agreement. On Sept. 26, the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker went so far as to file an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the USW. “We have continued […]
US Steel has decided to indefinitely idle the No. 3 blast furnace at its Mon Valley Works in western Pennsylvania following a roughly month-long maintenance outage. “We expect planned maintenance on BF 3 to be completed and the furnace to be available for use this week. However, the furnace will remain down until market conditions […]
Since this is my first time officially tackling Final Thoughts, I figured what better time than now to take a few moments and formally introduce myself. Even though you’ve been reading Premium and Executive content that I’ve authored here for SMU for a little over two years, my experience in the metals and mining industry—primarily […]
To stimulate the development of low-carbon, made-in-America materials, the Biden administration has announced new activities under the Federal Buy Clean Initiative. An announcement made by the White House on Sept. 15 in Toledo, Ohio, noted that the Federal Government will prioritize the purchase of essential low-carbon construction materials, covering 98% of materials purchased by the […]
The long, hot summer of labor unrest that I’d feared early this year didn’t materialize. But that doesn’t mean we’re out the woods yet. The United Steelworkers union and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. have agreed to a new labor pact. In Canada, meanwhile, the USW has ratified agreements with both Algoma and Stelco. But the union and […]
Ratification votes on the new labor deal between Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) are to begin Oct. 12, a union representative told Steel Market Update. The two sides agreed to a new, tentative four-year contract nearly three weeks ago. The new deal is effective Sept. 1 but does not go into effect unless a […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) on a new, 47-month labor contract for its mining and pelletizing operations, the company said on Friday, Sept. 9. The new deal is effective Oct. 1 but does not go into effect unless a majority of the 2,000 union members represented under the […]
It’s time to forecast 2023, and I’d like to throw out one radical possibility – or at least one worth thinking about. What if there are no black swans? I know, that possibility is so remote that it’s almost laughable. We haven’t had many normal years since 2018. That year gave us the shock of […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) union continue to work toward a new labor contract for employees at the company’s iron ore mines. A prior contract between the Cleveland-based steelmaker and workers at its mining and pelletizing operations is set to expire on Oct. 1. That contract is separate from one with its USW-represented […]
I thought it was important that I provide my take on the 2022 SMU Steel Summit Conference. It was an enlightening and emotional experience for me. The 1,291 attendees who managed to make their way to Atlanta last week got to enjoy the best steel conference SMU and our CRU parent company have ever put […]
Hot rolled and galvanized prices continue to decline but many continue to go unchanged, members said during this month’s call with HARDI’s Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Much like July, members are currently seeing strong demand and foresee stability in the near future. It’s been an eventful month to say the least. Nucor and Cleveland-Cliffs both […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) said United States Steel Corp. (USS) latest collective bargaining labor proposal “fails to meet standard” and that its members at USS will not be treated as “second class” citizens. The proposal, according to the USW bargaining committee, stands in “stark contrast” to the tentative agreement recently reached between the USW and […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) on a new, four-year labor contract, the company and the union said on Saturday, Aug. 27. The agreement is pending ratification by the USW local union members, who are likely to vote in the coming days on the pact negotiated by the bargaining […]
Stelco Inc. CEO Alan Kestenbaum got candid with Steel Market Update’s (SMU) Michael Cowden during the third fireside chat of the 2022 SMU Steel Summit conference. This year was Kestenbaum’s first time speaking at the Summit. Forecasting For the Near Future Though we’ve already seen prices skyrocket and dip back down, Kestenbaum clued us in […]
Negotiations between the United Steelworkers (USW) and Cleveland-Cliffs continued this week in Pittsburgh, with the union signaling optimism that a new labor agreement will be reached before the current contract expires next week. Important progress has been made in bargaining over local issues, healthcare benefits, and capital expenditures, the USW said in an Aug. 26 […]
NLMK USA is seeking to increase spot base prices for carbon steel sheet by at least $75 per ton ($3.75 per cwt). The price increase is effective immediately and applies equally to all new orders of hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated products in North America, the company said in a letter to its customers on Friday, […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is again operating the No. 5 blast furnace at its steel mill in Cleveland following an extended outage earlier in the year, a company spokeswoman confirmed to SMU. The move is not unexpected. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said in July that it would have the furnace running at full capacity in August following a […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) said the latest collective bargaining labor proposal from United States Steel Corp. “falls very short” of what the union wants. The proposal is “unacceptable” and has been rejected by the USW bargaining committee, according to an Aug. 24 text sent to USW members. A US Steel spokeswoman told SMU that its […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. aims to increase spot prices for carbon steel sheet by at least $75 per ton ($3.75 per cwt). The move is effectively immediately and applies to equally to all new orders of hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated products in North America, the company said in a press release on Wednesday, Aug. 24. It comes […]
We’ve concluded the second day of our Steel Summit conference in Atlanta, and I thought I’d leave you with five things I learned today. So here they are in no particular order: Say Hello to ADI, Say Goodbye to Section 232 (as we know it) It’s not official yet. But Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) president […]
For the fourth consecutive year, the NexGen Metals Community granted the SMU NexGen Leadership Award to a deserving nominee. This year’s nominees were Ben Bullock of Flack Global Metals, Robert Donovan from Jemison Metals, and the winner, Austin Reynolds of Ace Steel Supply. The award was presented by Phil Bell of the Steel Manufacturer’s Association, […]
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s chairman, president and CEO Lourenco Goncalves joined Steel Market Update senior editor Michael Cowden in the first fireside chat of this year’s SMU Steel Summit conference Monday afternoon in Atlanta. The Cliffs executive educated and entertained conference attendees with the unreserved honesty and candidness he has become well-known for in his long-term career […]
United Steelworkers (USW) union Local 8782 has ratified a new, five-year labor agreement with Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco. The move effectively concludes a summer of protracted contract negotiations between Hamilton, Ontario-based Stelco and the USW. Local 8782 reported that 67% of its members voted in favor of the contract in update to members on Friday, […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) union resumed face-to-face labor talks with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and United States Steel Corp. this week in Pittsburgh after a brief hiatus for the USW’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Aug. 8–11 in Las Vegas. Current labor agreements with the two flat-rolled steelmakers are due to expire on Sept. 1. Cleveland-Cliffs Update In an […]
Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Stelco has reached a tentative agreement with one local union, and another has ratified a new, five-year labor contract with the company. The negotiating committee for United Steelworkers (USW) Local 8782 broke the news that it had agreed to tentative pact in an update to members on Wednesday, Aug. 17. USW Local […]
This will be my last article prior to the SMU Steel Summit Conference which begins on Monday morning of this coming week. We are now six days away from the start of the conference. As you can imagine, this is a hectic time for the SMU and CRU events teams. Some of the event’s staff […]
This will be my last article prior to the SMU Steel Summit Conference which begins on Monday morning of this coming week. We are now six days away from the start of the conference. As you can imagine, this is a hectic time for the SMU and CRU events teams. Some of the event’s staff […]
North Star BlueScope is “substantially complete” with a $700 million expansion that will provide the Delta, Ohio, EAF sheet mill with additional annual capacity of nearly 950,000 short tons (850,000 metric tonnes). The mill produced the first coil from its expansion in June and has begun the 18-month process of ramping up the facility to […]