GRANITE CITY, Ill. – Up to a thousand employees at U.S. Steel’s Granite City Works plant could be out of a job this holiday season, as the steel producer announced Tuesday that it would idle the facility indefinitely.
In a statement, a spokesperson for U.S. Steel said the Granite City mill is being idled “in order to help ensure melt capacity is balanced with our order book” and will meet demand by leveraging its active iron and steelmaking plants.
Employees at the Granite City facility who may be affected have been notified of these changes, according to the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, shares of U.S. Steel are up more than 53% over the past five years as the company solicits potential buyers.
Illinois State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) said she’s “disgusted and saddened” by Tuesday’s announcement.
“Granite City employees and their families have provided loyal, skilled labor to the steel industry for decades, and U.S. Steel is pulling the rug out from under them,” she said in a statement. “U.S. Steel should be doing everything it can to keep the Granite City steel mill operating at capacity, and I don’t see the company making that effort.”
Elik has advised all affected employees to contact the Southwestern Illinois WorkNet Center in Wood River for job search help or job training opportunities.
