U.S. Steel to reduce local operations in 2020

ECORSE (AP) - U.S. Steel Corp. said last Thursday it will indefinitely idle major operations at factories near Detroit.

The Pittsburgh-based company said it would send notices to 1,545 employees at Great Lakes Works, although it anticipates that the actual number of people affected will be lower.

U.S. Steel said it expects to begin idling the iron and steel-making facilities around April 1 and the hot strip mill rolling facility before the end of 2020. Great Lakes Works, which serves the auto industry, is along the Detroit River in River Rouge and Ecorse.

"These decisions are never easy nor are they taken lightly," president and chief executive David Burritt said in a written statement. "However, we must responsibly manage our resources while also strengthening our company's long-term future - a future many stakeholders depend on."

Burritt said some work will shift to Gary Works in Gary, Indiana.

Published: Mon, Dec 23, 2019