USW may try to block Sparrows Point sale

The United Steelworkers union has threatened to challenge the US Justice Department's (DOJ) order for Mittal Steel to sell its Sparrows Point mill. The union says that it will try to block the sale of the mill, located near Baltimore, Maryland, unless it is satisfied that the sale is in the workers' best interests. USW spokesperson Gary Hubbard told the press after the DOJ's ruling Tuesday, “It's not the result that we expected to see, so we're exploring all options. This is all about long-term security of the stakeholders and the enterprise itself.” The Justice Department maintains that despite the USW's potential objections, there is no appeal process that the steelworkers or Mittal can take, and that if Mittal does not sell Sparrows Point itself, it will be sold by an appointed trustee. The US DOJ order requires that Mittal sell Sparrows Point by May 21 in order to settle antitrust issues resulting from the company's pending merger with Arcelor SA. However, the deadline may be extended by up to 60 days.