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Mittal (Steel) to lay off 980 at Indiana Harbor plant (ALSO Closing Georgetown "Indefinately")
Gary Post-Tribune ^ | 5-13-09 | Gary Post-Tribune

Posted on 05/13/2009 3:30:11 PM PDT by tcrlaf

EAST CHICAGO — ArcelorMittal officials have announced plans to layoff nearly 1,000 workers at the steelmaker’s Indiana Harbor plant.

Company officials announced a “mass layoff” at the Flat Carbon facility, where the steelmaker recently idled the No. 4 blast furnace, a letter to local union leaders states.

Workers will be laid off “for an indefinite period of time during the 14-day period commencing on July 12, 2009,” a letter to United Steelworkers Local 1011 from General Manager Mark Whalen states.

The sagging economy, particularly the deep slump in auto manufacturing, has caused steep declines in demand for steel — less than a year after domestic steelmakers had recorded some of their highest revenues in history.

The Indiana Harbors mills likely are operating somewhere near 40 percent of capacity, said Tom Hargrove, president of Local 1010, which represents Steelworkers on the east side of the plant.

(Excerpt) Read more at post-trib.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: garyworks; layoff; obamasfault; obamunism; skittles; steel
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Steel Production is a FORWARD LOOKING Indicator of Economic Activity. It has to be ordered MONTHS, or even a year in advance to get it made for production quotas.

Gary voted 94% FOR OBAMA... They are getting EXACTLY what they voted for.

And actually, I have pity for them. Maybe they can make sandwiches for thier families with all that "HOPE!" and "CHANGE!!" they were promised?

But then, how can you have pity for Unionized Democrat-voting Workers led down the primrose path of Socialism with promises of Golden Unicorns crapping magical Skittles, only to learn that they killed the Golden Goose, instead...

1 posted on 05/13/2009 3:30:11 PM PDT by tcrlaf
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To: tcrlaf

The ramp in steel stocks (under the guise of them “green shoots”) had me really scratching my head in puzzlement. How...with 2 of 3 car mfrs effectively closing...?


2 posted on 05/13/2009 3:33:45 PM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (Mr. Bernanke, have you started working on your book about the second GREATER depression?")
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To: tcrlaf

OK, so 980 workers were laidoff, but how many jobs did Obama save? /zombie


3 posted on 05/13/2009 3:35:03 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: tcrlaf
Golden Unicorns crapping magical Skittles, only to learn that they killed the Golden Goose

More metaphors!

4 posted on 05/13/2009 3:36:24 PM PDT by Mojave (Don't blame me. I voted for McClintock.)
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To: tcrlaf
I'm sure they'll be quite content at home, unemployed, as long as some evil CEO gets his.

BWWAAAHAAAHAAA.

5 posted on 05/13/2009 3:40:25 PM PDT by synbad600
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The answer is “none” because Obama is destroying jobs.


6 posted on 05/13/2009 3:41:01 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: tcrlaf

Steel was having an excellant year until the fall of ‘08, it’s been falling like a rock since. Steel plants are operating at 50% capacity or less, something has to give. Too bad for these workers.


7 posted on 05/13/2009 3:42:00 PM PDT by jaydubya2
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To: tcrlaf

Zero creating more jobs. Just another lie from hussein.
I can’t think of any truths he’s told—oh wait—I forgot , dims don’t know how.


8 posted on 05/13/2009 3:43:33 PM PDT by taillightchaser (!)
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To: tcrlaf
"Steel Production is a FORWARD LOOKING Indicator of Economic Activity."

So is shipping, that's why I keep an eye on these charts.

9 posted on 05/13/2009 3:43:35 PM PDT by blam
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To: tcrlaf

No problems, the laid off workers can retrain for “green” jobs. maybe doing research on climate change or running computer programs modeling sea level rise.

You know, the really high paying technical jobs of sustainable industry.

So just tell the laid off workers to put on the white lab coats and grab their clip boards, their next job will be producing green for everyone.


10 posted on 05/13/2009 3:57:09 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: tcrlaf

I work in an industry that uses a lot of steel and we’re having trouble getting shipments because these plants want the volume of an auto industry and we’re too small to matter.


11 posted on 05/13/2009 4:19:39 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: tcrlaf

People from Gary don’t work. People might work in Gary, but People in Gary don’t work.

This plant is in Burns Harbor anyway, east of Gary, and a lot, if not most of these workers drive in from other areas, like Crown Pointe, Laporte, and other areas that a waaay more conservative and generally more republican.

The union did bleed the place over the years, but most of the people that I know that work there hate all the union crap. Its like all other union shops, bled by pensions and healthcare paid to past employees more than current pay and benefits. Its kind of like what we will be going through witg Social Security, medicare, medicaid etc, and obama’s nationalized healthcare.

Although this particular plant paid better than mittal’s other plants around here, but that’s mostly because they were manufacturing (blast furnaces), not processing steel, which actually kind of dangerous. Starting pay at processing, $18, or $19 an hour. Now, US steel pays exorbitant amounts of money, like double, or nearly double.

Mittal is also making more and more steel in India, and then processing it here. I’m sure pay is much much lower, but also way less, if any pollution standards.

One big problem I always had with them is even though Indiana is a right to work state, the union will get you fired at the steel plants, if you refuse to join. They have a strangle hold on the places to feed the union machine, or they’d probably be nearly nonexistent with newer workers.

On the plus side though, maybe mittal will wise up like a lot of places around here and toss the unions and all their excesses and legacy costs.


12 posted on 05/13/2009 4:20:30 PM PDT by jkeith3213
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To: jkeith3213
I can tell you understand the local situation better that most posters. You must be a "region rat"? I've lived in the area my whole life and have lots of friends and family in the steel business.

But, I don't believe IN is a right to work state.
13 posted on 05/13/2009 4:25:56 PM PDT by jaydubya2
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To: count-your-change
Reminds me of a poster I saw the other day in which some delusional watermelon urged support for Barky`s “green jobs” initiative,as in “renewable energy”.They quoted the use of some number of tons of steel for the production of wind mills.Too bad US companies can`t afford to make them,guess the eco-dummies never bothered to look up what fuels steel making,especially blast furnaces.
14 posted on 05/13/2009 4:31:24 PM PDT by nomad
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To: nomad

If not steel for windmills then maybe switch grass for basket weaving, then when the baskets wear out, turn them into green fuel. How exciting.
The laid off workers can weave and think happy, happy thoughts.


15 posted on 05/13/2009 4:37:03 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: jkeith3213
This also may be related to the blast furnace going down due to a catastrophic failure (burn through) several weeks ago. From what I heard, it is a total loss and will not be replaced.
16 posted on 05/13/2009 4:37:08 PM PDT by slapshot (""USAF- when you absolutely, positively need it delivered on target, on time, right away)
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To: jkeith3213
On the plus side though, maybe mittal will wise up like a lot of places around here and toss the unions and all their excesses and legacy costs.

The sagging economy, particularly the deep slump in auto manufacturing, has caused steep declines in demand for steel — less than a year after domestic steelmakers had recorded some of their highest revenues in history.

Some of you guys are really poisoned with this constant union carping...

Obviously the issue is not the unions...The companies were making record profits in spite of the unions...

The problem is jobs...There's no one to buy any cars...Now those steelworker won't be buying any either...

17 posted on 05/13/2009 4:37:32 PM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)
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To: jkeith3213

No,if they`re talking about the Mital plant (formally known as Inland Steel) in East Chicago (Harbor) then its not the Burns Harbor plant.Lets just say that I`m EXSTREMELY well acquainted with the area.But you`re right about Gary,the main source of income there is Government handouts,as in welfare checks,problem is that much of Lake county IN is rapidly catching up.


18 posted on 05/13/2009 4:38:17 PM PDT by nomad
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To: nomad

That’s the thing about liberals, they don’t have the first clue what they’re talking about.

This green lunacy is so out of hand, on HGTV they get all giggly with themselves about saving the planet by “re-purposing” a copper kettle into a chandelier.

No one is apparently bright enough to point out that copper occurs naturally in the earth.


19 posted on 05/13/2009 4:38:33 PM PDT by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: tcrlaf

You know, GREEN SHOOTS and all that....


20 posted on 05/13/2009 4:48:14 PM PDT by FightThePower! (Fight the powers that be!)
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