U.S. Steel Granite City Works

After U.S. Steel abruptly reversed its decision to stop sending steel slabs to Granite City Works, its future seems safe for at least a few years. But union workers are worried.

After newly acquired U.S. Steel scrapped its decision to wind down processing at the Metro East mill later this fall, steelworkers rallied this weekend in hopes of keeping the plant open beyond 2027.

The company announced earlier this month it would stop work at the Metro East plant this fall but now has changed course.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that the Trump administration exercised its veto power over plant decisions.

Confirming the company will cut processing later this fall in Granite City, U.S. Steel said it will move those responsibilities to bigger mills.

There will be no layoffs after October because of the decision, according to the memo.

With little being said of Granite City Works’ future, some are starting to ask: Have President Donald Trump and the companies kept their promises to those in the Metro East, or have they forgotten or abandoned them?

Budzinski doesn’t find Nippon’s announcement that it will retain production at Granite City Works for two years to be reassuring.

The new Japanese owner’s acknowledgement that it will maintain the status quo at the Metro East mill provides the first public remarks the company has made about Granite City Works’ future since late 2023.

SunCoke Energy Inc. confirmed this week it plans to forge ahead with its plans to buy the blast furnaces in Granite City that would permanently shut down steelmaking at the Metro East mill. It remains unclear if U.S. Steel or Nippon has the appetite, however.