USW still seeking details of $14 billion US Steel-Nippon deal
Published by:Dan Hilliard<>
9 Jun 2025 @ 06:07 UTC

The United Steelworkers (USW) labor union is still trying to understand what a $14 billion investment between US Steel (USS) and Japan’s Nippon Steel will mean for its members. In a statement released late Friday June 6, the union said it had sent an information request to US Steel seeking further clarification on the deal, which President Donald Trump recently celebrated outside Pittsburgh by doubling Section 232 steel tariffs on May 30.
Despite President Trump’s rally in the Mon Valley… we have seen nothing credible regarding the nature of this so-called partnership, including whether it meaningfully differs from Nippon’s initial proposal to acquire US Steel and make it a wholly owned subsidiary, the union said. The union has not heard from Nippon nor the White House, it said.
Neither US Steel nor Nippon Steel have responded to requests for comment at the time of writing.
President Trump has not commented publicly on the Nippon deal since he left Pittsburgh.
We also have seen nothing suggesting that Nippon has backed away from its demand that it would be permitted to pull out of promised investments if we exercise our legal rights during negotiations fighting for a fair contract, the USW said. As we look ahead to bargaining next year, we must have answers to these questions. We bargained provisions in our basic labor agreements requiring USS to provide updates on mergers, acquisitions and other transactions because we know that workers will feel the impacts first. Now USS needs to make good on that obligation.
The USW has been against a merger of USS and Nippon from the start, backing instead a bid made by rival domestic steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs.