USW voted in at JSW mill in Ohio

An early June blog post by United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall indicates a portion of the workforce at the JSW Steel USA electric arc furnace (EAF) mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio, has voted to join the labor union.

In his posted article, McCall says that after two earlier unsuccessful votes, worker sentiment at the recycled-content mill shifted in favor of joining the union because the company “repeatedly failed to deliver fair pay, sufficient sick time and safety improvements.”

McCall quotes JSW employee Justin Arango as saying, “It was just a matter of time before it happened. I think everybody’s tired of the lies and broken promises that JSW told. We all banded together and got the vote.”

Another worker quoted by McCall comments on a $43.5 million United States Department of Energy 2024 grant awarded to JSW to help carry out carry out capital upgrades at the mill and boost its prospects to manufacture wind turbine components and other products. The grant was tied to the Inflation Reduction Act, which the USW says it supported.

“If they’re willing to take the money the union helped to provide, why not turn it back to the people who are part of that union?” McCall quotes JSW employee Tyler Stillion as asking.

The quotes from Arango refer to a next step of upcoming negotiations for a first contract between JSW Steel USA and the USW.

JSW Steel USA has not posted any announcements or news releases on its website since last September, when it announced a $145 million investment package to upgrade the Mingo Junction facility.