Hundreds of Stelco workers in Hamilton and Nanticoke face uncertain future due to layoffs
Union says up to 500 workers could lose their jobs as company idles cold-rolled and coated operations
Hundreds of Stelco workers in Hamilton are facing an uncertain future after the company announced Monday it will indefinitely idle its cold-rolled and coated operations at its Hamilton Works plant.
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Ron Wells, the president of United Steelworkers Local 1005, says the wind-down is expected to begin Oct. 9, with about 350 workers from the Hamilton plant expected to be laid off.
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workers → say → plant
He said the total layoffs could be up to 500 in total, between the Hamilton and Lake Erie Works plant in Nanticoke, Ont.
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layoffs → say → Nanticoke
Stelco has also said up to 500 workers could be affected.
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"I hate using 'we're disappointed' — we're disgusted," Wells told CBC Hamilton Tuesday morning.
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For families connected to the plant, the uncertainty is already taking a toll.
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uncertainty → connect → toll
Jillian Watt's husband is a line worker, and has worked at Stelco in Hamilton for 21 years.
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husband → work → years
She said he has not yet been told whether he will be among those laid off.
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he → say → those
"They haven't spoken to individuals, so it's kind of still up in the air," she said Tuesday morning.
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Watt, who is a union representative for a Canadian Union of Public Employees heath workers local, spoke to CBC from the entrance to National Steel Car, just down the road from Stelco.
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who → speak → Stelco
National Steel Car workers have been on strike for a 48 days and have been regularly joined on the picket line by other unionized workers.
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workers → join → workers
Watt is particularly concerned about whether her husband's experience with the company is enough if layoffs are decided by seniority.
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layoffs → decide → seniority
She said the possibility of losing the family's main source of income is particularly stressful.
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possibility → say → income
We have four kids, you know, trying to make it by," she said.
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she → have → it
Watt said her husband had already been concerned about the plant in recent months, as operations were idled and orders slowed.
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orders → say → months
Now, they are awaiting the verdict of what happens next.
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"It's very stressful," she said.
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Union questions job commitments
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Wells said the union was told about the layoffs during a meeting with the company Monday morning.
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union → say → company
He said he has been talking with workers concerned about how long the layoffs could last because the company has not provided an end date.
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"They're asking how long is this going to last?
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this → ask → ?
Should we start looking for another job?" Wells said.
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"People are concerned."
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People → concern → ?
The company has said some affected workers could be offered jobs at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke.
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workers → say → Nanticoke
But Wells said the union was told there are only roughly 40 to 45 openings there — a number he says falls well short of the potential layoffs in Hamilton.
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he → say → Hamilton
Wells is also questioning the commitments Cleveland-Cliffs made when it acquired Stelco in 2024.
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He said the agreement included a commitment to maintain the number of unionized employees for five years, and he wants the federal government to enforce it.
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"You have people making these decisions in Cleveland and they have no ties to our community," Well said.
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"If 350 Hamiltonians lose their jobs, they don't care."
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they → lose → jobs
Pat Persico, the senior director of corporate communications for Cleveland-Cliffs, told CBC News in an emailed statement that while Stelco is idling some of its operations in Hamilton, the company's total output of steel will not be impacted as it consolidates production at its Lake Erie Works.
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it → tell → Works
"Very importantly, job opportunities at Lake Erie Works will be offered to Hamilton employees," Persico wrote in an email.
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"We expect that a significant number of employees affected by the indefinite idle at Hamilton should be absorbed at Lake Erie Works.
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number → expect → Works
"
'Devastating' news for Hamilton
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said the city has been working with the federal and provincial governments in response to the announcement.
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"The fight is not over," Horwath told CBC's As It Happens radio program on Monday.
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She said she believes Cleveland-Cliffs is not living up to commitments made to workers and that she has asked city staff to review commitments made during the company's restructuring process.
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"We're going to fight tooth and nail to have them basically live up to their commitments and protect these jobs," she said.
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she → go → jobs
Karina Gould, the Liberal MP for nearby Burlington, called the decision "devastating news" for Hamilton and said the federal government is prepared to provide support to maintain operations and protect jobs.
"This is a very difficult time," Gould said.
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Hamilton mayoral candidate Keanin Loomis, who is the president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, also called the announcement "devastating.
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"
"Steel jobs have supported generations of Hamilton families and remain vital to our local economy," Loomis said in a statement on social media.
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The impact of tariffs has been a discussion topic on the municipal election campaign trail, with several candidates sharing proposals on how to respond to trade uncertainty.
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…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
