US Steel Canada was granted permission Friday by a judge to restart its Hamilton coke ovens, which have been idling since October. The 77 previously laid-off workers will get called back, according to the announcement.
While the company is still officially under a restructuring process, it called for an emergency hearing to restart the ovens due to the time-sensitive nature of ordering and shipping the raw coal before the St. Lawrence seaway freezes over and shipping halts.
"They have to get enough coal on the ground to run the coke ovens over the winter," Rolf Gerstenberger, United Steelworkers Local 1005 President, told reporters. "You don't want to start the coke ovens up and have to shut them down because the seaway's frozen."