Stuart Advocates for Granite City U.S. Steel Workers Amid Possible Nippon Deal

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is advocating for Granite City and its U.S. Steel production plant to be included in a potential $14 billion investment in U.S. Steel by Japan-based Nippon Steel.

“An investment in the steel industry, especially an investment of this size, will be beneficial for so many, but Granite City and its hardworking steel-industry families can't be excluded or left behind, and I’ll oppose any deal that isn’t fair to them,” said Stuart. “If Nippon Steel is going to invest in the U.S. steel industry, the hardworking women and men of Granite City Works need to be a part of that investment.”

Last week, President Donald Trump announced his support of a $14 billion investment in the U.S. steel industry by Nippon. The investment in U.S. Steel facilities does not include an investment in Granite City Works, a steel production plant in Granite City that employs over 900 workers, including about 750 union workers, throughout the Metro East.

“Granite City Works and its employees have played a central role in the development and duration of the steel industry in the United States, and they need to have a role in the future of that industry,” said Stuart. “Granite City is a community made up of people and families, who should not be reduced to statistics. They deserve the basic respect of being included in a future their daily work helped build–literally and figuratively. That’s why I’m not going to stop fighting for them, alongside my local and federal partners, to make sure an investment in Granite City and its people are a part of any investment in U.S. Steel.”