U.S. Steel is expected to restart one of the blast furnaces at Granite City Works as soon as today or sometime this weekend, according to a local union official, resuming steelmaking after more than two years.
The expected restart of Furace B is a reason for long-term optimism, said the official, Craig McKey, president of United Steel Workers Local 1899.
“When I came through those doors in (1997), some old guy said ‘man, coming out of the military, you can find a better job than this. This place isn’t going to be open.’ Well, here I am almost 30 years later. That’s always been a byproduct of what we’re capable of doing here,” McKey said.
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel didn’t provide an exact timetable.
“We will provide an update when steelmaking has commenced. We remain focused on safety and environmental compliance as we complete this process,” a U.S. Steel spokesperson said.
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