WV: Mittal formally announces Weirton layoffs (800 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/newssummary/s_408915.html

WEIRTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The Independent Steelworkers Union has received official notification from Mittal Steel of the layoffs of approximately 800 workers at the company's West Virginia operation, union President Mark Glyptis said Thursday.

Mittal announced a month ago that it was eliminating the jobs as part of a plan to permanently shut down the mill's blast furnace.

"It is certainly not welcome news today but not unexpected," Glyptis said in a statement.

Thursday's notification came in the form of a letter required by the 1989 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which was designed to give employees advance notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.

...more...

Happy New Year from the BFEE :(

[montanacowboy]

1. Weir Steel used to be one of the

most respected companies who did wonderful things for their employees; so sad to see it reduced to such rubbish

maybe the workers can get jobs working at Dunkin Donuts now?

[cmd]

2. I just want to cry

Weirton was such a busy town when I was growing up. The mammoth steel works blanket much of the city. The workers have put their hearts and souls into saving that plant. Damn the BFEE.

[RamboLiberal]

4. I see the same thing in Western PA

Downtrodden cities like Clairton, McKeesport (my hometown), Duquesne, Johnstown, Altoona, etc. And in the summer I drive through downtown Weirton once a month. So sad to see how these areas have declined.

In my area either the towns look like bombed out areas of Iraq, or shopping malls with low-wage jobs have replaced these mills.

[ugarte]

3. From Lakshmi Mittal, Britain's wealthiest man

Happy New Year.

http://labour-watch.blogspot.com/2005/08/arise-lord-mittal.html

[doc03]

5. Now let's not go off half cocked Mittal gave the

guys a $25 certificate for Christmas. This is a real shame in addition to those 800 people the Ormet Aluminum Company has also closed it's doors and another 2500 people have lost their jobs in this area. We are gaining a new shopping area with about 2000 low wage jobs to replace them. Mittal is also studying the hot mill at Weirton and will likely close it too eliminating several hundred more jobs. In the 70's Weirton had 13000 employees and now about 1300. Many of Weirton's employees believe Mittal only bought Weirton for it's order book and will eventually close it totally.

[OnionPatch]

6. So sad to hear

My dad worked there for awhile in the seventies. I knew so many people who worked there when I was growing up there. They were so proud when it went ESOP.

I used to work at Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel. I had to leave the area after a big layoff and people were standing in line for a McDonald's job!

What's to become of all the people in the valley? :(

[doc03]

7. I have worked at Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel over 35 years

in the early 70's we had about 17000 employees now about 3000. The people in the valley are leaving, Wheeling WV for example at one time had over 60000 people now less than 30000. Downtown Wheeling looks like Baghdad, in the 60's they had traffic COPs at every intersection and the sidewalks were packed now you could drop a bomb and maybe wake up a homeless person under the bridge.

[OnionPatch]

8. Geez, maybe I knew you back when

I worked there. :hi: I was there off and on from 78 until about 86, when I was layed off for so long I gave up and moved away. My last "home" there was the labor gang in the coke plant but before that I worked on the batteries cleaning doors and also in the blast furnace in Steubenville and Mingo plant. I remember those days when the place was so busy. They were filming that movie "The Deer Hunter" in Mingo.

Last time I was home it looked like a ghost town.