<article><p class="lead">Integrated steelmaker US Steel is idling the remaining active blast furnace at its Granite City, Illinois, flat-rolled mill in response to the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike.</p><p>The 1.4mn short tons (st)/yr blast furnace B at Granite City will be temporarily idled and its product mix will be filled from US Steel's other steelmaking facilities in Arkansas, Indiana and Pennsylvania.</p><p>"Following the announcement of UAW strike actions, we are executing our risk mitigation plan to ensure our melt capacity is balanced with our order book," the company said today. </p><p>The UAW began striking at three facilities on 15 September, one each owned by Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis. A fourth facility, GM's Fairfax, Kansas, plant, could be forced to shut down early this week because of a lack of parts supplied by GM's Wentzville, Missouri plant, where workers are on strike.</p><p>A prolonged labor stoppage would <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2487653">cut into US flat-steel demand</a>, as well as other metals such as aluminum and copper. </p><p>US Steel last year <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2345775">proposed a plan to convert</a> Granite City from steelmaking to pig iron production, which would supply its electric arc furnace (EAF) operations in Arkansas and Alabama.</p><p class="bylines">By Rye Druzin</p></article>
