What the heck? You mean that the steelworkers union had negotiated that their workers get paid for not working? Yes, I understand they are clocking in and all that, but, they are going to have nothing to do?????
Well, I just happened to read that one sentence in the article. Apparently, yes, they will report to work and get paid, but not have anything to do. Maybe do a bit of sweeping and tidying up, if their contracts permit it.
I put in a summer working at Youngstown Sheet & Tube in East Chicago back in the 1950s not far from there (but long since shut down). This doesn’t really surprise me. The company has less trouble and expense with the union, paying them for a few days or weeks for doing nothing, than it would have negotiating a formal shutdown, I would guess.