The mill is set to close in April, impacting approximately 900 jobs. Affected workers are being offered positions at other Cliffs facilities or severance packages. 

The ITC last week rejected anti-dumping duties on tin mill products from Canada, China and Germany, finding that U.S. producers are not being harmed by imports from those places. The commission also halted an anti-dumping duty investigation intLourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland-Cliffs.o tin mill imports from South Korea.

Cleveland-Cliffs chairman president and chief executive officer Lourenco Goncalves said the mill shutdown is a direct result of the ITC decision. 

“The ITC’s decision is a travesty for America, middle-class jobs, and our critical food supply chains,” he said.

“We worked very closely with our partners at the United Steelworkers on this solution to save Weirton, and together fought tirelessly for its survival. In what was our final effort to maintain tinplate production here in America, we proved that we are forced to operate on an uneven playing field, and that the deck was stacked in favor of the importers. Despite the Department of Commerce finding evidence of dumping and subsidization from respondent countries, the ITC shockingly ruled against imposition of tariffs, keeping the uneven playing field in place and making it impossible for us to viably produce tinplate.” 

Goncalves also leveled criticism at the tinplate buyers. 

“To the tin can makers and consumer groups who irrationally fought against American jobs and a domestic-based food supply chain, this outcome is due to your own greed. We disproved all the arguments leveled against the domestic industry and workers. Furthermore, Weirton recently concluded a successful run of drawn and ironed material that tested perfectly with zero defects. This test proves that Weirton and its workers are able to manufacture all the products the market demands.”

The decision also drew criticism from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who, too, said the ITC ruling was an affront to American manufacturing and American workers. 

“Today’s announcement is a consequence of the International Trade Commission’s decision to turn a blind eye to nearly 1,000 hard-working employees right here in West Virginia in favor of illegally dumped and subsidized imports. Cleveland-Cliffs’ closure is an absolute injustice not only to American workers, but to the very principle of fair competition, and it will undoubtedly weaken our economic and national security,” he said. 

United Steelworkers International president David McCall said imports have decimated the domestic tin mill products business. 

“Now, with the idling of tinplate production in Weirton, unfair trade is one step closer to choking out our domestic industry entirely,” he said. 

“The short-term thinking of American tinplate consumers, who sided with the foreign cheaters to oppose our petition, will eventually lead to long-term regrets. It should be obvious that foreign suppliers are destroying our domestic supply chain so that American consumers of tin mill products become dependent on foreign producers and have no options when their subsidized and dumped products are no longer available at cheap prices.”