Mittal idles blast furnace, workers laid off

Blast furnace workers at Mittal's Sparrows Point plant in Maryland have accepted temporary layoffs after a storm damaged a power station, halting production as of last Friday. Approximately 150 of the 2,400 Sparrows Point workers have accepted a month-long layoff negotiated by the union, though under the agreement, the company may call back workers if the furnace gets running before the month ends. Workers also had the option to accept a shorter workweek. In the meantime, technicians are working to fix the furnace, which had been acting erratically since lightening hit the main power station June 23. At least two other Mittal plants, including one in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, depend on slabs from the downed blast furnace, the second largest in the nation, with a daily capacity of 9,800 tons. Sparrows Point's cold rolling mill is still in operation, using steel from the plant's inventory. The blast furnace shutdown comes at a time when parent Mittal is considering selling the plant to avoid antitrust issues related to its pending merger with Arcelor.