CLAIRTON, Pa. — Hundreds of people gathered at the Clairton plant Thursday to show their support for the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel in Japan. Steelworkers, community members and local elected leaders filled the crowd, chanting and holding signs saying best deal for U.S. Steel.
“I think Nippon Steel is going to bring a lot of money to Mon Valley. It desperately needs a lot technology they promise to bring to Mon Valley,” U.S. Steelworker Charles Clark said.
The sale might come down to whether or not the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. deems it a national security concern.
Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have expressed the desire to block the sale. So has the United Steelworkers union.
Wednesday, union leadership sent a letter to its members saying Nippon was resorting to bribery to get the deal across the finish line.
The president and CEO of Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association David Taylor said under the new partnership with Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel will gain new investments, new technology and modernization that will keep production in the Mon Valley for generations to come.
Thursday, Lt. Governor Austin Davis shared this message to leaders in Washington D.C.
“What i will say is that leaders in Washington, if they’re not for this deal, they need to save what they’re for and what they think the future of steel making in western Pennsylvania and in this country looks like. I think they owe that to the people of western Pennsylvania. This region has often felt forgotten or left behind, it should not feel forgotten because the election is over. Folks have a commitment in Washington to the future of the Mon Valley in the future of steel making,” Davis said.
Some steelworkers tell us what they fear most if the sale doesn’t happen.
“Layoffs, closure, finding another job, you know,” steelworker Keith Skidmore said.
Right now, the Committee on Foreign Investment is reviewing the bid for the potential sale. Their recommendation is expected in the next 10 days.
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