US Steel to restart more of downstate Illinois mill

GRANITE CITY — U.S. Steel Corp. says it will restart the second of two shuttered blast furnaces at a southwestern Illinois mill and bring back about 300 workers.

The decision by the Pittsburgh-based company follows a March announcement that it would restart the other blast furnace at the Granite City Works near St. Louis and recall 500 workers. U.S. Steel laid off about 2,000 workers when it idled the furnaces in 2015.

The company says the restart of the first furnace is in progress and that the second furnace should be in operation around Oct. 1.

United Steelworkers local president Dan Simmons tells the Belleville News Democrat that the mill had about 700 workers before the furnace restarts began.

The actions come after President Donald Trump’s announcement of greater tariffs on imported steel.

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