A slowdown in production at the ArcelorMittal Tin Mill in Weirton will result in nearly 100 workers expected to be laid off in phases beginning this week. ArcelorMittal said “In order to maintain its position as a competitive and sustainable tin plate producer, ArcelorMittal Weirton will lay off approximately 100 employees for an indefinite period of time. This will occur in phases, beginning this week. The workforce reductions will be realized across the operation with reduced shifts across most production units. This was a very difficult decision to make, but it is necessary to align ArcelorMittal Weirton’s employment levels with challenging market conditions, which include decreased demand for tin plated cans and pressure from foreign imports.”
President of United Steel Workers Union, Mark Glyptis, said “I saw the business decreasing in the last six weeks or so, and it’s sort of fallen rather quickly. Our tin cans are primarily used to package food, corn, peas, tomatoes and that’s our primary business. We don’t have much business in beverage, so when they crop is bad, the harvest isn’t good, it affects tin production. There was a lot of flooding that occurred, some droughts in the mid-west, and a lot of our business comes from that area.” (Ukrainian metal)