All the focus has been on labor talks between the USW and US Steel and ArcelorMittal, but there are several other USW contracts that are up for renewal such as Cliffs Natural Resources and Alton Steel. Alton Steel, an SBQ steel producer located in Alton, Ill., is represented by USW Local 3643. The contract agreement […]
Mediation at US Steel Canada began last Thursday to try to resolve the issues that have plagued the CCAA protected entity. The mediation will address the consider the restructuring and sale of US Steel Canada, US Steel’s claim that it is owed $2.2 billion by USSC, and US Steel’s decision to shift 15,000 tons of […]
All the focus has been on labor talks between the USW and US Steel and ArcelorMittal, but there are several other USW contracts that are up for renewal such as Cliffs Natural Resources and Alton Steel. Alton Steel, an SBQ steel producer located in Alton, Ill., is represented by USW Local 3643. The contract agreement […]
US Steel is planning a full idle of the Keetac taconite plant in Keewatin, Minn. WARN notices have been issued to workers and the layoffs could commence on or after Oct. 11. Keetac was idled In May, laying off 412 workers, but about half of those were recalled last month for repair work. A spokesperson […]
We will be in Iowa next week for one of our Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshops. We are looking forward to working with SSAB again, as we did a workshop in Mobile, Alabama and toured their Alabama facility. This is our first trip to Iowa. We are working on ironing […]
Flat rolled steel buyers reported a weakening flat rolled steel market this week. Large buyers are now able to buy spot hot rolled at $410-$420 per ton with medium sized buyers seeing prices closer to $420-$440 per ton. We are seeing cold rolled and coated products as doing a little better as they have been […]
Steel Market Update participates in a monthly steel conference call with HARDI wholesalers who supply galvanized sheet and coil products to the HVAC mechanical contractors across the United States and Canada. The wholesalers also supply other products such as air conditioners, furnaces and many other products to companies working on residential, multi-family and commercial construction […]
In August, vehicle sales reached a new recovery high of 17.8 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis. This was the highest pace since July 2005, when incentives caused sales to surge. The August sales figure was particularly driven by light trucks which increased from 9.7 to 10.1 million units annualized. Autos fell from […]
We finally got our Flat Rolled Steel Service Center Apparent Excess/Deficit Inventory forecast model back on track. As we mentioned last month, SMU had been operating under a much more optimistic frame of mind and this past month we pulled back on our expectations and by doing so we came very close to nailing both […]
Labor negotiations continue to pause at US Steel, ArcelorMittal and ATI. The USW bargaining committee has been holding meetings at US steel locations to review the union’s most recent proposal and the status of negotiations. “Though there has been no significant progress to report on bargaining [with US Steel] in recent days, talks will continue, […]
U.S. Steel Canada is seeking a court order that will allow it to continue the restructuring process beyond this year. Without the order, the company says it would have to cease operations at the end of 2015. “With a Court Order we can preserve work and meet obligations to approximately 2,200 employees and continue to […]
Once one of the largest corporate giants in the United States (if not the world), United States Steel (USS) continues to shrink its workforce as demand for its products shrink. SMU has learned that an unknown number of white collar workers have been advised that they will be losing their jobs. USS Spokesperson Courtney Boone […]
Mediation may be the solution to the controversial issues between US Steel and stakeholders at US Steel Canada. Former Ontario Superior Court associate chief justice Douglas Cunningham will preside over a three-day session scheduled to begin next week. “The mediation shall address the feasibility of a comprehensive agreement among the parties,” wrote Superior Court Justice […]
It appears that very slowly steel buyers are slowly starting to come to a realization that there may be a lockout at US Steel and possibly ArcelorMittal as well. As many of you know, these two mills are not huge players in the spot markets so the immediate impact may be slightly muted should one […]
The USW bargaining committee for US Steel is heading home according to a Sept. 14 update by the USW. Committee members will meet with local membership to discuss the status of ongoing negotiations with the US Steel. “While we have made some significant progress this summer on some important issues, we remain far apart on […]
Over the weekend ArcelorMittal walked away from the negotiating table with the United Steelworkers. The question now becomes, if the two sides are committed to their positions – especially on health care coverage and worker contributions (there are currently none)—will there be a lockout? The union will not strike because they are being asked to […]
ArcelorMittal USA has walked away from the bargaining table following submission of a proposal by the USW that “meets our members’ needs and protects benefits.” The union called the move by management “disappointing but not surprising.” The negotiating committee is returning to the plants and has scheduled informational meetings Tuesday in Weirton at 3 p.m. […]
US steel pipe makers were surprised by a Sept. 2 US Court of International Trade decision calling for a reconsideration of profit calculations on imports of OCTG steel pipes from South Korea. South Korean producers complained that the duties set were too high and that proper procedures were not followed when determining duties. The Dept. […]
US Steel and the USW are continuing efforts to hammer out a deal at the bargaining table. In a Sept 10 update the USW said negotiations were progressing slowing with progress on some significant issues but with “unrealistic and unacceptable demands for concessions” on others. Unacceptable to the union is a two tier plan that […]
Concern is mounting regarding US Steel’s announcement that it will move production from US Steel Canada to the United States. “When is the federal government going to stand up to U.S. Steel and defend Canadian workers and pensioners?” asked Gary Howe, President of USW Local 1005 in Hamilton in a recent USW posting. “From Day […]
My opinion (and many of the items discussed in my Final Thoughts articles are just that – my opinion) is that we are getting close to seeing a disruption of services at one mill and we probably are close to possibly seeing two mills (ArcelorMittal and US Steel) lockout the USW members at their mills. […]
Progress appears stalled at the bargaining table with neither ArcelorMittal nor the USW willing to make concessions. In Update 12 on Friday, the USW reported progress in the labor negotiations has been “slow.” “Although the company says that it wants a new contract with our union, that desire has not been reflected in its proposals […]
Labor Day came and went without labor negotiations coming to a head for US Steel or ArcelorMittal. Although the parties were committed to staying at the bargaining table over the weekend, no agreement was made and, fortunately, no lockouts or strikes either. Allegheny Technology (ATI) is entering its fourth week of lockout for its 2,200 […]
I continue to receive positive comments regarding last week’s Steel Summit Conference. What is especially gratifying is the number of speakers who have come back with comments as to how much they enjoyed the conference, the quality of the speakers and the interest of the attendees. Many of our speakers stayed for the entire conference, […]
Trade discussion at the 2015 SMU Steel Summit Conference brought a number of conflicting views. Well before the Trade Panel began their formal presentations on Tuesday, attendees at the conference heard a number of comments on imports, steel overcapacity and whether the trade cases that have been initiated will help or hurt the US steel […]
US Steel plans to relocate 15,000 tons of monthly automotive steel production from Hamilton Works and Lake Erie Works to its US facilities. Court monitor Alex Morrison was informed that the reallocation will take effect for customer shipments in Oct. 2015. Seventeen employees at Hamilton will be laid off and 10 others redeployed. The production […]
The United Steel Workers said it would prefer to continue contract negotiations rather than seek a strike authorization from the membership. On Monday, June 1, the day before contract expiration, the USW offered to continue working under the previous contract while continuing negotiations with US Steel. US Steel responded that it remained committed to operating […]
The USW issued an update Friday regarding ArcelorMittal/USW negotiations. At this time the USW negotiating committee intends to remain at the bargaining table rather than seeking strike authorization from the membership. The update reads as follows: Our committee continued to meet both internally and with ArcelorMittal management this week in Pittsburgh. Although we are far […]
Our Steel Buyers Sentiment Index dropped for the second month in a row, however, our 3-month-moving-average rose slightly. Our Sentiment Index has been trailing what we reported during 2014 as business growth has been tempered this year versus last. Flat rolled steel prices dropped slightly from the end of last month through the end of […]
Essar Steel Algoma announced that first quarter FY 2016, ending June 30, 2015, closed with a positive EBITDA of CDN $12.4 million. Capacity utilization was at 90 percent and steel shipments of 632,000 tons were 19 percent higher year over year. Higher production and shipments, however, were unable to counter low pricing caused by dumped […]