ArcelorMittal make additional cuts at Indiana Harbor

By Andrea Holecek, Times of Northwest Indiana
andrea.holecek@nwi.com

ArcelorMittal is temporarily laying off 13 of the 270 hourly workers and permanently laying off eight probationary employees at its Indiana Harbor West plant's 84-inch hot strip mill, the company confirmed Friday.

"As announced in the company's fourth quarter earnings on Feb. 11, ArcelorMittal will continue its temporary global production cuts at a level of approximately 45 percent," said company spokeswoman Katie Patterson in a statement.

The Luxembourg -based global steelmaker also has recalled five previously laid off workers, reducing the total number of positions negatively affected by Friday's action to 16, Patterson said.

Steel demand has dropped precipitously since August in response to global economic conditions that have maimed the automobile, equipment and appliance markets as well as the building, energy and construction industries.

Any laid off probationary workers will be considered for rehiring before any new production workers are hired, Patterson said. Probationary workers are employees who haven't completed the 1,040 hours of service needed to become fully represented members of the union.

"These developments are in no way a reflection on the professionalism and dedication of the affected Indiana Harbor employees. Rather it is strictly driven by the unprecedented economic environment we continue to face," Patterson said. "We will continue to work with (the union) to minimize the impact on our employees and their families."

The hourly workers are members of United Steelworkers Local 1011. No one from the local returned calls for comment Friday. According to a posting on the Local 1011 Web site in early February, a total of 85 of its 1,400 members were on layoff, including 35 that were voluntary and 50 involuntary.