BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — US Steel on Monday afternoon notified 1,600 union employees at its Fairfield plant that they may be laid off in coming weeks.
The adjustment, which will also affect several hundred employees at US Steel’s Lone Star, Texas operation, is expected to be temporary.
“The adjustment in operations is a result of softening market conditions that reflect the cyclical nature of the energy market,” U.S. Steel said in a statement released Monday. “Global influences in the market, like unfair trade and fluctuating oil prices, continue to have an impact on the business.”
US Steel’s rollback speaks to the warning given last summer by Alabama Senator, and co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Steel caucus, Jeff Sessions. Warning that China and Korea may be engaging in the illegal trade practice known as “dumping”—when a country sells massive amounts of a commodity for less than market value to drive down prices.
Fairfield Works, which employs 1,456, and Fairfield Tubular Operations, which employs 716, could temporarily lose three-quarters of its workforce due to the layoffs.
The layoffs will occur on March 29th and 30th.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
