Uh Oh - AS - Here is an announcement of new jobs - good union ones!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INTERNATIONAL STEEL GROUP TO RESTART CASTER ON WEST SIDE OF CLEVELAND WORKS, ADD 140 JOBS RICHFIELD, Ohio, March 11, 2004 – International Steel Group Inc. (NYSE: ISG) announced today that it will restart a continuous caster and a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) shop on the West Side of its Cleveland Works, and will hire approximately 140 laid-off steelworkers for the revitalized operations. ISG plans to invest $10 million, primarily for maintenance and engineering necessary to restart the facilities, which have been idle since the former owner, LTV Corporation, shuttered them in June 2001. The first slabs are expected to roll off the twin-strand continuous slab caster in May. At full production, the caster will add 60,000 tons of steel slabs per month. The additional casting capacity will balance ISG Cleveland’s existing iron-producing and rolling capacity. William A. Brake, ISG vice president and general manager, and Mark Granakis, president of United Steelworkers of America (USW) Local 979, emphasized the strength of the partnership between the Company and the union as they announced the restart at a news conference this morning at USW headquarters. “Market conditions now warrant this investment from ISG – a financial commitment as well as an expression of faith in the employees who will return to the Cleveland Works,” said Brake. “The cooperation we have received from the steelworkers makes this day possible. We are united in the understanding that for each of us, this is more than a job; it is also a pledge to do our best for ISG families and for the entire Cleveland community.” Granakis said, “The restart of the West Side operations is a testament to the skill and professionalism of the men and women who worked there, and who shut down those facilities with care and efficiency almost three years ago. Now, the USW is delighted to join ISG in restarting this first-class plant and committing to the future of steelworkers and steelmaking in Cleveland.” Virtually all of the workers whom ISG plans to add will come from the ranks of former West |
