USW Demands Details of USS/Nippon “Partnership”

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Brothers and Sisters, 

Our union today sent an information request to U.S. Steel (USS), calling on the company to provide details regarding its reported deal with Nippon. 

It has now been two weeks since President Donald Trump announced on social media that there would be a “planned partnership” between USS and Nippon, and the 15-day window for him to respond to the most recent report from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is now ending.  

Yet despite President Trump’s rally in the Mon Valley last week, we have seen nothing credible regarding the nature of this so-called partnership, including whether it meaningfully differs from Nippon’s initial proposal to acquire U.S Steel and make it a wholly owned subsidiary. 

Neither Nippon nor the White House has provided any details on where, exactly, proposed investments will be directed or what kind of accountability or oversight there will be to ensure Nippon makes good on its promises.  

We also have seen nothing suggesting that Nippon has backed away from its demand that it would be permitted to pull out of promised investments if we exercise our legal rights during negotiations fighting for a fair contract.     

As we look ahead to bargaining next year, we must have answers to these questions.  

We bargained provisions in our basic labor agreements requiring USS to provide updates on mergers, acquisitions and other transactions because we know that workers will feel the impacts first. Now USS needs to make good on that obligation. 

We will, as ever, continue to demand transparency from USS and Nippon as we fight to protect the long-term future of our domestic steel industry.  We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more.  

In solidarity,   

Mike Millsap
District 7 Director & Chairman of the Negotiating Committee

David McCall
International President