U.S. Steel idles Lake Erie coke ovens
July 09, 2009
Naomi Powell
Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/597228
U.S. Steel is idling its Lake Erie coke ovens, raising the threat of further layoffs at the Nanticoke plant.
Nearly 100 workers are expected to be cut by the end of July, adding to the 800 employees already on layoff.
“It was a shot across the bow we weren’t expecting,” said Stu Patterson, a representative with the United Steelworkers Local 8782 in Nanticoke. “Especially with the announcement that they’re restarting Hamilton.”
Indeed, just as the coke ovens go down in Nanticoke, they are coming back to life at U.S. Steel’s Hamilton plant, where 800 laid off workers are being recalled.