Cliffs Says USS Partly to Blame for ITC Decision
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Mar 3, 2024
Cleveland-Cliffs is putting part of the blame on the U.S. International Trade Commission’s decision not to implement antidumping and countervailing duties on tin mill products on one-time acquisition target U.S. Steel. The U.S. ITC rejected the recommendation of Commerce Department to impose duties on four countries, a decision that led to Cliffs’ decision to idle its Weirton facility.
"It is now clear that the decision by United States Steel Corporation not to participate as a petitioner in this trade case -- or provide a substantive response to the ITC’s request for further information on the idling of tin lines in Gary and East Chicago, Ind., and the closure of UPI in California -- directly led to the ITC’s negative determination. Had U.S. Steel cooperated with the ITC, the commission would not have been left without the information needed to discern the market forces behind U.S. Steel’s withdrawal from the tin mill products market in the United States.”
“U.S. Steel’s January 2022 announcement that it would shut down its UPI tin mill in Pittsburg, Calif., left the West Coast completely exposed to imports, particularly from Asian countries like Japan and China. This decision played a major role in the surge of imported tin mill product that hit the U.S. in mid-2022 and decimated the domestic industry, harming workers and communities. In spite of U.S. Steel’s intransigence, I am grateful for the partnership of the USW that allowed this case to go forward. The report issued this week made clear that, unfortunately, the ITC discounted the filings and testimony of the USW that clearly articulated how its members at Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel had been materially injured by unfair trade.”
“USW members across the tin mill industry can compete with anyone on a level playing field,” said USW International President David McCall. “Unfortunately, the ITC’s decision continues to leave them and their families vulnerable to unfair trade, threatening their livelihoods and imperiling the communities in which they live and work.”