Area officials push Congress to fight foreign steel-dumping
Officials from both St. Clair and Madison counties are asking Congress to look into foreign steel trade practices that take place as the Granite City Works steel plant is idled.
A delegation led by Madison County Chairman Alan Dunstan planned to head to Washington D.C. this week to address issues relating to the national steel industry and specifically the impact of idling the steel mill in Granite City.
Granite City’s mill is a very important employer to the regional economy, Dunstan said.
“From all indications, this is one of the most productive plants they have,” Dunstan said. “But that particular type of steel they make is not in demand.”
Dunstan said the delegation hopes that U.S. Steel Corp. will consider reconfiguring the Granite City plant to make more than one kind of steel so that its productivity is not so tied to one particular kind of steel.
We are going to Washington and sit down face-to-face with the decision-makers to get some action on unfair, illegal trade practices that directly affect the lives of thousands of American families, including hundreds of families in Madison County.
Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan
The massive snowstorm that has buried the East Cost however has temporarily delayed the trip; Dunstan announced Sunday that planned meetings would be rescheduled for early February.
Dunstan’s delegation had meetings set with Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk as well as U.S. Reps. John Shimkus, Rodney Davis and Mike Bost to present them with the resolutions.
“We are going to Washington and sit down face-to-face with the decision-makers to get some action on unfair, illegal trade practices that directly affect the lives of thousands of American families, including hundreds of families in Madison County,” Dunstan said.
The delegation also is scheduled to meet with representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce and with U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky of Indiana, whose district includes U.S. Steel’s Gary, Ind., steel mill.
“He is a staunch advocate of stringent enforcement of trade laws, particularly those laws that affect the steel industry,” Dunstan said. “We will be asking Congressman Visclosky what can be done at the local level to support his and other officials’ efforts to support the American steel industry.”
Jessica Franklin, who handles External Communications & Community Affairs for U.S. Steel could not say how long Granite City Works would be idled.
“We continue to work through the idling process in an orderly and safe manner,” Franklin said. “The idling is temporary in nature, but we cannot speculate as to the duration.”
In a show of support, the St. Clair County Board on Monday approved a resolution against steel dumping by China and South Korea. The Madison County Board approved a similar resolution last week.
Granite City Steel is an extremely important business, and many of the people who work there live in St. Clair County also. Even if that weren’t the case, we’ve got to stick together, be regional and talk about all these issues that are important to all of us. These days, great paying jobs like those at Granite City Steel don’t come easy and we’ve got to make sure those in Congress know we would like them to do anything they can to make sure those jobs are preserved in this community.
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern
The resolution urges members of the Illinois congressional delegation to take steps to reduce dumping of foreign steel and gives support to Granite City Works, which laid off more than 2,000 employees toward the end of last year.
“Domestic steelmakers continue to lose substantial sales to foreign countries, particularly China and South Korea, which have dumped their steel products into the United States market at prices below fair market value,” the resolution reads.
In the resolution, the county board asks members of the Illinois congressional delegation to review the national tariff policy on steel goods and make efforts to eliminate the practice of steel dumping in order to protect the American industry.
“Granite City Steel is an extremely important business, and many of the people who work there live in St. Clair County also,” said St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern. “Even if that weren’t the case, we’ve got to stick together, be regional and talk about all these issues that are important to all of us. These days, great paying jobs like those at Granite City Steel don’t come easy and we’ve got to make sure those in Congress know we would like them to do anything they can to make sure those jobs are preserved in this community.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Area officials push Congress to fight foreign steel-dumping."