(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The announcement that Nippon Steel is buying US Steel has been met with disappointment from some in Gary, home of the company’s largest manufacturing plant.
United Steelworkers District 7 Director Mike Millsap used milder language than his union’s president, David McCall, who called the $14 billion acquisition “greedy and short sighted.”
For his part, Millsap said he’s disappointed unionized company Cleveland-Cliffs isn’t the new owner.
“It’s a foreign-owned company,” he said of Nippon, questioning whether the company would make investments in the U.S.
Japanese-based Nippon pledged to honor USW’s collective bargaining agreements. Meanwhile, Congressman Frank Mrvan, who represents Gary, said he will ensure the deal meets all anti-trust regulations.
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince hoped for the best.
“ … We have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of Gary families with good paying jobs in the Gary Works plant. If federal regulators approve the sale of the iconic U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, I hope the new owners change that trend and begin opening up more employment opportunities for Gary residents,” he said in a prepared statement.
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