MIDLAND, Pa. (AP) — Allegheny Technologies Inc. has announced plans to shut down a western Pennsylvania plant at the end of June, citing steel tariffs imposed on imports by the Trump administration.
About 70 employees, most represented by the United Steelworkers union, would lose their jobs at the Midland plant in Beaver County, the company said Tuesday.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Wetherbee said in a statement that Allegheny Technologies had sought a tariff exclusion since March 2018. Officials said the first request was rejected and the second received no response.
The Midland plant imports steel slabs from Indonesia and turns them into 60-inch stainless steel sheets used in a variety of products from kitchen appliances to car parts.
The Midland plant was closed in 2016 due to international competition and reopened in 2018. Officials said the plant could be restarted again if tariff policies are “substantially changed.”