Interesting to read since the local steel mill was just torn down after about 80 years in business making re-bar and other unalloyed products. The years in service and being a union shop were the primary reason it was shut down. Add in an EPA requirement to spend $80-mil to upgrade emissions controls and they decided to fold their tent. The plant stood for several more years until somebody decided they could re-develop the area to make a buck.
What makes a difference with Nucor is that the workers are cross trained on various crafts. If something breaks or malfunctions, many times it can be fixed, and without a lot of the bureaucratic paperwork involved like other mills, where the work order needs to go through so many layers of supervision. Add to that a good percentage of compensation is in the form of the tonnage bonus.
I have worked with Nucor in the past when I was employed by SMS Concast.