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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We today met in person with Nippon Steel Representative Director and Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori and other representatives from the corporation to discuss the proposed sale of U.S. Steel (USS). Nippon asked for this meeting.
The meeting yielded no progress and ended in less than one hour. Nippon has still not earned the trust of the USW, and we remain convinced that the company does not fully understand its obligations to Steelworkers, retirees and our communities.
Nippon offered more promises and commitments today, but did not provide us with anything enforceable. Our concerns remain what they have always been: enforcing our labor agreements and obtaining transparency about Nippon’s finances in the event this transaction occurs. We also continue to be concerned about issues involving national defense, critical infrastructure and supply chains.
It’s clear that USS and Nippon have barriers to closing the transaction.
Our basic labor agreements currently provide strong protections for workers and retirees, as well as extensive financial commitments including capital expenditures, pensions, retiree health care, and more.
With the future of our plants, jobs, benefits and communities all at stake, Nippon’s bare commitments simply don’t hold water, which makes them an unqualified successor to USS.
We will keep you updated as we continue to push to enforce the full measure of our agreements with USS and ensure the long-term security of our jobs and our facilities.
Mike Millsap
District 7 Director & Chairman of the Negotiating Committee
David McCall
International President