Motion introduced for members of Allegheny County Council to come out against U.S. Steel sale

PITTSBURGH — The sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese Steelmaker Nippon made its way to Allegheny County Council on Tuesday.

Tenth District Councilmember DeWitt Walton made a motion for council to come out against the sale.

“I don’t want to put workers in Allegheny County at risk. As a result, I’m urging members of council to oppose that sale,” he said.

The motion comes just eight days after United Steelworkers announced it had filed grievances against U.S. Steel alleging the company violated the terms of its contract when it agreed to the $14.9 billion sale.

>> United Steelworkers file grievances against U.S. Steel over sale

Council At-Large Sam DeMarco opposed the motion.

“The good news for Allegheny County is this offer by Nippon Steel keeps a world-known headquarters and a thousand good-paying jobs here,” he said. “We want new companies and new investments to come to this region. What kind of signal does it send when you are telling folks that are willing to spend $15 billion here that you’re not welcome?”

Several more council members spoke. In the end, the council voted 12 to one to tackle the issue another day.

“There is a process of sending motions and bills to committees for a reason. I thought it would be fair to everyone if we got all the information,” council at-large Bethany Hallam said.

Channel 11 did reach out to U.S. Steel and received a statement saying  “Following the closing of the transaction with Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC), U. S. Steel will retain its name, continue to mine, melt and make steel in America, and maintain its headquarters in Pittsburgh, which will retain 1,000 jobs in corporate, research, commercial, information technology and other areas.  The Company has invested roughly $750 million in its Mon Valley Works facilities in the past five years and employs thousands of men and women in Allegheny County. We look forward  to continuing to engage with community leaders about the benefits of the deal.”

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