United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall has issued a statement following the completion of U.S. Steel’s transaction with Nippon Steel, a Japanese company. The deal, which has been actively promoted since December 2023, has raised concerns about the future of USW members’ jobs and national security.
David McCall remarked on the situation: “Management at U.S. Steel and Nippon have since December 2023 aggressively promoted their deal, pouring vast amounts of resources into down-playing concerns regarding both the long-term future of USW members’ jobs and our national security while ensuring their sale remained in the public view.”
The agreement has gained acceptance from President Donald Trump, who now holds significant power over the corporation through his “golden share.” McCall noted that as the sale concludes, attention might shift away from this issue: “It finally found acceptance by President Donald Trump, who now, through his ‘golden share’ has assumed a startling degree of personal power over a corporation.”
Despite potential waning interest from officials and media outlets, McCall emphasized that the union will continue to monitor developments closely. He stated: “However, our union will remain. We will continue watching, holding Nippon to its commitments. And we will use the most powerful tool workers have against global corporations: collective bargaining.”
McCall also highlighted that their current agreement is set to expire in September 2026. He assured that any threats to job security or benefits would be met with strong union action: “Our current agreement expires in September 2026, and rest assured, if our job security, pensions, retiree health care or other hard-earned benefits are threatened, we are ready to respond with the full strength and solidarity of our membership.”
The United Steelworkers represent approximately 850,000 workers across various industries including metals, mining, rubber, chemicals and more.
