On the Dash:
- UAW President Shawn Fain led a march of several hundred union members to the Cleveland Cliffs Dearborn plant to protest the recent layoffs of over 500 workers. The union claims the company is failing to honor a 2024 agreement to invest $300 million in the facility.
- Cleveland Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves stated that $125 million has already been spent, and the remaining $175 million will be invested over the next three years. He cited slow U.S. auto production and steel tariffs as factors delaying the reinstatement of idled furnace operations.
- The protest drew local and national political figures, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib, and Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch, who criticized the layoffs and questioned the company’s reasoning, argued that tariffs should be boosting U.S. steel jobs rather than reducing them.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) staged a march and rally Thursday in Dearborn to protest Cleveland Cliffs’ decision to lay off more than 500 workers at its Dearborn Works steel plant, accusing the company of reneging on a $300 million investment pledge made in 2024.
UAW President Shawn Fain led several hundred members, local officials, and political leaders from Local 600 headquarters to the plant gates, where he accused the steelmaker, one of the largest in the U.S., of failing to honor its contract. “Instead of making these investments, they’ve laid off over 500 members of our union family,” Fain told the crowd through a loudspeaker.
Cleveland Cliffs idled its blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, and continuous casting operations in July, citing a weak auto market. Some finishing operations, including the pickling line and galvanizing line, remain active.
The company denies breaking the agreement. CEO Lourenco Goncalves said in an emailed statement that Cliffs has already invested $125 million, “ahead of the committed pace,” and will spend the remaining $175 million over the next three years. He said the layoffs will remain in place until U.S. vehicle production rebounds, adding that 50% steel tariffs under the Trump administration are “working as designed” but have yet to restore demand to pre-idle levels.
Union leaders, including UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, said the company’s compliance claims do little for the hundreds now without paychecks. Local 600 Vice President Mark DePaoli echoed the sentiment, urging the company to fulfill its commitment but stressing the immediate human impact of the job losses.
The rally drew political support from U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), as well as Detroit mayoral candidate Rev. Solomon Kinloch. Tlaib rejected Cliffs’ explanations as “excuses,” and Dingell argued that tariffs should be creating jobs, not cutting them.
Cleveland Cliffs continues to supply steel to Detroit’s automakers and suppliers. The plant, once owned by Ford, remains a key player in the automotive steel supply chain despite the current operational slowdown.
