US-based mining company Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers (USW) union are blaming United States Steel Corporation (US Steel), which has withdrawn from the domestic tin mill products market, for the unanimous decision of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to negate antidumping and countervailing duties on tin mill products, according to a statement issued by Cleveland-Cliffs. The ITC’s rejection of 2.69-6.88 percent antidumping duties on the given products from South Korea, Germany and Canada, and the 122.5 percent countervailing duty on tin mill products from China, resulted in Cleveland-Cliffs deciding to indefinitely idle its tinplate production plant located in Weirton in April 2024, as SteelOrbis previously reported.
The company stated that US Steel’s decision to shut down its tin mill in Pittsburg, resulted in a surge of imported tin mill products, particularly from Asian countries like Japan and China. “It’s clear that our nation urgently needs strategic reform of our broken trade system so that domestic workers and industries aren’t forced to fight on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have a future,” said David McCall, USW International president.