Mittal Continues Weirton Phase Out

Mittal Steel USA has notified union locals in Weirton, W. Va., of another round of layoffs, signaling the continued winding down of operations at the 95-year-old plant.

According to an Associated Press report, the Independent Steelworkers Union has received official notification from Mittal Steel of the layoffs of approximately 800 workers, another step in the company’s plan to permanently shut down the Weirton facility.

The late December notification was required by the 1989 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, designed to give employees advance notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.

Europe-based Mittal acquired the Weirton plant in April as part of its purchase of the former International Steel Group (ISG) of Richfield, Ohio. ISG had acquired Weirton only the year before, salvaging it from bankruptcy court in 2004.

Steel industry analysts have remarked that the Weirton closure is likely just a small part of major facility consolidations planned by the company, which could result in the shutdown of other plants and the elimination of several thousand more jobs.