Local steel officials and members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation were among those testifying before the U.S. International Trade Commission Thursday morning as part of the commission’s final phase investigation into an antidumping petition filed almost one year ago.
Cleveland Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers filed its petition in January 2023, petitioning the imposition of duties on U.S. imports of tin mill products from eight nations.
Among those testifying before the ITC Thursday morning was Mark Glyptis, president of the United Steelworkers Local 2911, who emphasized the importance of support for the domestic tin industry, and, in particular, for the employees of Cleveland Cliffs Weirton.
“If we can’t sell tin plate, the history of steel production at Weirton will be over,” Glyptis said. “Of course, the imports will be coming for those jobs just like they’ve came for all others.”
The Weirton plant, previously known as Weirton Steel Corp., as well as being part of the International Steel Group and ArcelorMittal following the local manufacturer’s bankruptcy in 2005, once had been among the nation’s leading producers of steel and tin product, employing thousands.
Today, only the tin production facilities remain, with fewer than 900 area residents working.
As part of the petition, the ITC was asked to approve the antidumping duties on U.S. imports of tin mill products from Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Additional countervailing duties on imports of tin products were requested against China.
In a preliminary determination in August, the U.S. Department of Commerce found producers in Canada, China and Germany were engaged in unfair trade of tin mill products, also placing preliminary duties of 122.5 percent on a Chinese company officials said had not been cooperating with the investigation, as well as duties of 2.02 percent on imports from Germany, and 5.29 percent on imports from Canada.
Also testifying Thursday morning were U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., each advocating on behalf of the tin manufacturer’s petition.
“The Cleveland-Cliffs operations in Weirton currently employs around 600 people but they previously employed nearly 900 hard-working men and women in the tristate area of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania,” Capito said. “Those operations also play a crucial role in the economic stability and well-being of our northern panhandle community.
Capito offered words of support for the employees of the Weirton facility, noting the history of manufacturing in the region, as well as the dangers to the livelihoods of those workers if action is not taken.
“I know these people. I’ve known them all my life. I am incredibly confident in their ability to succeed,” she said. “They are a proud and dedicated group of men and women and they recognize both the significance of their work and the rich history of their plant.”
Manchin urged the ITC to agree to all of the requests for relief by Cleveland-Cliffs and the USW.
“Steel has been the backbone of innovation and economic growth in our great nation for generations and Cleveland-Cliffs is an instrumental part of that. As the steel industry continues to rebound and reinvigorate itself, we must protect it against illegally dumped and subsidized imports to ensure we retain and grow the jobs we have here in the U.S.,” said Manchin. “I urge the ITC to support all of Cleveland-Cliffs’ petitions against dumped and unfairly subsidized tin mill products.”
Manchin, along with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, visited Weirton last fall to meet with company and union officials, discussing their concerns about the imports and touring the local tin plant.