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  #1  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2007, 3:00 PM
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ArcelorMittal Dofasco

dofasco employees have been offered a package based on years of service to the company. only those deemed irreplaceable or of retirement age are ineligible. this has been kept fairly quiet over the past couple weeks so as not to arouse too much panic in the community. arcelormittal is also very hush hush on its future plans for dofasco. the only given is that there will be fewer employees working for the company here in hamilton. it's unknown how many have jumped at the offer thus far.

Last edited by the dude; Nov 3, 2007 at 4:19 PM.
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  #2  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2007, 6:50 PM
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dofasco employees have been offered a package based on years of service to the company. only those deemed irreplaceable or of retirement age are ineligible. this has been kept fairly quiet over the past couple weeks so as not to arouse too much panic in the community. arcelormittal is also very hush hush on its future plans for dofasco. the only given is that there will be fewer employees working for the company here in hamilton. it's unknown how many have jumped at the offer thus far.
I think the employees of Dofasco are going to be getting a taste of what most other workers in the Canadian economy are going through. There is no more paternal care from the company, there is always more room for more profit.

Next to go will be Dofasco Park within 3 years.
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  #3  
Old Posted Nov 5, 2007, 3:51 AM
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Next to go will be Dofasco Park within 3 years.
Oooh... that'll make Losani and/or DeSantis Homes verrry happy!
I can see it now, "Hamilton's 1st fully gated community in the prestigeous Losani/DeSantis Park! Surrounded by trees, natural creeks and the most secure 12' fence topped with electrical barbedwire... don't delay, let your paranoia take over today!!"
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  #4  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2007, 9:20 PM
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Breaking News
Layoffs coming at Dofasco: union

The Canadian Press
Thursday, November 15, 2007

HAMILTON — The United Steelworkers union says an undetermined number of employees have been laid off at steel maker Dofasco Inc., where the union is trying to be certified as a bargaining agent.

“We don't know how many are affected,” Wayne Fraser, the union's Ontario/Atlantic director, said in a phone interview.

“We heard that people were escorted out of the plant this week. They were handed white envelopes and told to clean out their lockers. People are terrified about what's going on.”

Earlier Thursday, the union said its organizing campaign among employees of the ArcelorMittal subsidiary had recently moved into a more intense phase.

“Employees are telling USW organizers that recent ArcelorMittal actions are angering many,” Mr. Fraser said in a release. “They say layoffs, terminations and cost-cutting are being initiated unfairly and without true, independent input from employees. Many workers report concerns about their future.”
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  #5  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2007, 9:47 PM
raisethehammer raisethehammer is offline
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well that didn't take long.
Bring on the union. The good old Dofasco we've all known and loved is long gone.
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  #6  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2007, 10:08 PM
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this is total bs. the USW is so desperate to get in there they'll do anything, including fabricate or exaggerate the current situation. it is as i've already stated: employees have been offered a financial package, a very generous one at that. nobody's being forced out. i come by this info honestly, not through second or third parties.
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Old Posted Nov 15, 2007, 11:04 PM
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this is total bs. the USW is so desperate to get in there they'll do anything, including fabricate or exaggerate the current situation. it is as i've already stated: employees have been offered a financial package, a very generous one at that. nobody's being forced out. i come by this info honestly, not through second or third parties.
if that's true you should post it at some online media sources or write to the Spec.
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  #8  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2007, 4:00 AM
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ok, there are a lot of rumours out there. i've spoken to half-a-dozen dofasco people and gotten a different response from each of them. apparently some people have been given the boot. maybe a couple dozen. all the slackers who were ignored under the old regime are being fired under arcelor-mittal. dudes who sleep on the job, surf porn during work hours, etc., are gonzo. at this point it doesn't look like a large scale purging. that said, they've been quietly whittling down the work force for years at dofasco. i think they're down to 6,000 today.
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  #9  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2007, 12:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the dude View Post
ok, there are a lot of rumours out there. i've spoken to half-a-dozen dofasco people and gotten a different response from each of them. apparently some people have been given the boot. maybe a couple dozen. all the slackers who were ignored under the old regime are being fired under arcelor-mittal. dudes who sleep on the job, surf porn during work hours, etc., are gonzo. at this point it doesn't look like a large scale purging. that said, they've been quietly whittling down the work force for years at dofasco. i think they're down to 6,000 today.
Reminds me of the Simpsons where Germans take over the nuclear plant.

I think Dofasco is still one of the most productive and efficient N. American steel producers, I doubt there'll be massive cuts.
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  #10  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2007, 1:19 PM
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"We understand Homer, after all we are from the land of chocolate!"


Mmmm, the land of chocolate...

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  #11  
Old Posted Nov 17, 2007, 2:35 PM
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^ha ha, that's probably the best analogy, except they're from the land of curry and croissants. one of my favourite episodes ever. i think that scene is right before he takes a bite out of a chocolate dog. mmmmm, chocolate dog.

Last edited by the dude; Nov 17, 2007 at 4:56 PM.
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  #12  
Old Posted Nov 19, 2007, 10:38 PM
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the president recently sent out an email saying that there have been no layoffs and that the rumours are untrue. this usually means that massive firings will occur shortly. kinda like when the gm of a sports team gives his coach a vote of confidence. you know he's a goner.
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  #13  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 5:21 AM
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And so the money is starting to roll.......

Dofasco fires up another furnace
BY NAOMI POWELL

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is pumping $119 million into its Hamilton operations in a bid to boost steel production by 20 per cent.

As global steel prices continue to soar, the Hamilton steelmaker will spark up a third blast furnace, increase use of its electric arc furnace and restart 20 dormant coke ovens.

Together, the improvements are expected to hike annual steel production to 5 million tons from 4.2 million tons.

Dofasco CEO Juergen Schachler said the upgrades “will lay the foundation for a longer-term vision and investments, still under consideration by ArcelorMittal
Dofasco.”

Analysts say they will enable Dofasco to take advantage of red hot steel markets where the price of hot-rolled coil has skyrocketed to $1,100 US per ton from $532 US per ton late last year.

“Everybody’s trying to get more out because the prices are good and the profit margins are huge,” said Chuck Bradford, of Bradford Research-Soleil Securities Corp.

A weak U.S. dollar has caused steel imports to plummet, driving up demand for the alloy in North America, he added. In response, industry giants including U.S. Steel, parent of the former Stelco, have been churning out steel at record rates.

The largest portion of Dofasco’s investment will go to reviving the No. 3 blast furnace, idle since 2005.

The firm will refurbish the inside of the furnace and outfit it with a pulverized coal injection system, reducing its dependence on costly coking coal.

Hot metal from the revived furnace will then be used in two ways, said Dofasco spokesman Andrew Sloan. Some of it will move through standard processes, to eventually be cast into steel slabs.

As part of a new strategy, Dofasco will also pour some of the hot metal into an electric arc furnace, a separate device used to melt scrap steel. The heat from the hot metal will accelerate the melting process, enabling Dofasco to use 20 per cent fewer kilowatt hours of hydro for each batch of steel.

Using more hot metal in the electric arc furnace will also cut down the amount of expensive scrap steel Dofasco must buy. The price of common scrap is now $490 per ton, up from $260 per ton in December — making it an expensive commodity for steelmakers.

“These days, hot metal costs a lot less than scrap steel,” said Mike Locker, a steel consultant. “Right now, that makes blast furnaces the crown jewels of the steel business.”

Producing another 800,000 tons of steel on site will also enable Dofasco to cut the cost of shipping slab from ArcelorMittal’s Quebec operations.

Currently, Dofasco does not produce enough slab to feed its hot mill, which is capable of rolling up to five million tons of steel each year.
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  #14  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 12:01 PM
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nice....great news.
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  #15  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2008, 2:19 PM
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The Port Authority will be happy, shipments of coal to make the coke.

The electric blast furnace is Ontario Power Generation's single largest customer, they communicate with OPG when they turn it on to make sure there is enough power and to get a good rate.
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  #16  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2008, 7:55 PM
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The good old Dofasco we've all known and loved is long gone.
It's obvious you didn't know the REAL Dofasco.
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  #17  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2008, 3:45 AM
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Well said MsMe--alas, the one thing "good old" Dofasco was good at was PR...they were also really good at giving their employees the wage and benefits improvements fought for by the employees at Stelco...by way of strike and sacrifice.
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  #18  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2008, 3:56 AM
raisethehammer raisethehammer is offline
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yea, you're right...PR is the only thing they were good at.
Perhaps you should check the product lines being produced there as opposed to their neighbours - Stelco, or whatever it's called now.
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  #19  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2008, 11:36 PM
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We hate on Stelco now too? I can't even imagine what the basis for that is--what I know is that my father and my grandfather both endured long, arduous strikes to secure benefits and wages and better futures for kids like me--better wages and benefits that ultimately extended to the folks at Dofasco--I don't say that with an opinion on unions one way or another--I just say it is it is...a fact. I also worked there myself during my summers off from school...so I have a little insight into what does and doesn't go on there. Dofasco has made it's way in the world--they survived, they also ran Algoma Steel into the ground and have never been able to sustain long-term success at Steel Car. While Stelco invested in downtown (and yes, left)--Dofasco never bothered at all, save for it's annual Christmas party.

And yes, Stelco was sold and it's name changed. But wait, didn't the same thing happen to Dofasco?
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  #20  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2008, 12:18 AM
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Yup times are changing.
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