Illinois Steelworkers Protest Plant Closing in Chicago
By Kevin Robinson in News on May 1, 2009 5:00PM
Members of USW Locals 101, 1011 and 7367 held a rally in downtown Chicago Thursday afternoon at the Federal Plaza to demand that ArcelorMittal Steel either reopen their Hennepin, IL finishing plant or allow it to be sold to another company that will. Despite turning a profit of $48 million last year, the global steel giant has idled the Hennepin finishing mill, leaving 300 families downstate unemployed in a county with a 14.1 percent jobless rate. Governor Pat Quinn joined the rally as well, declaring that Illinois needs strong middle class jobs if the state is going to thrive in the economic recovery.
According to the USW, the state of Illinois The state of Illinois gave ArcelorMittal $10 million in tax breaks to locate their offices in Chicago. "Now they are closing a viable operation and are preparing to ship vital equipment to France and Brazil. Instead they should sell the mill to viable bidders who will keep good paying jobs here in America," said USW international vice president Fred Redmond. "We need steel made in America to rebuild our infrastructure and manufacturing base," he said, adding "let's make steel here, not import it and create jobs elsewhere."