By Robert Tita
United States Steel plans to indefinitely idle steel production at its Granite City, Ill., mill, early next year.
The move is expected to eliminate jobs for about 600 workers at the plant near St. Louis.
About 400 of the workers have been off the job since September when the company temporarily idled the lone blast furnace still operating in response to reduced demand for steel caused by the auto workers strike.
U.S. Steel has been attempting to sell the mill’s two blast furnaces for more than a year to coking coal company SunCoke Energy, which would melt iron ore at Granite City for use in the U.S. Steel’s new mill in northeast Arkansas.
The United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at Granite City, is arguing that the mill should continue to produce flat-rolled sheet steel.
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