ArcelorMittal Details Northwest Indiana Furloughs

(photo courtesy of The Times of Northwest Indiana)

ArcelorMittal is joining an ever-growing list of companies announcing workforce reductions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The steelmaker says it is placing a total of nearly 100 employees from its East Chicago and Burns Harbor plants on temporary, unpaid furloughs.

The furloughs are affecting 33 employees at the company’s Indiana Harbor plant in East Chicago, as well as 63 employees at Burns Harbor.

“Many of the Company’s customers have unexpectedly and temporarily closed their plants due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the company said in notices to the state. “The temporary closure of these customers has a direct impact on our business and requires us to place employees on temporary, unpaid furlough.”

ArcelorMittal says it expects the furloughs to last less than six months, but did not provide a more precise anticipated return date.

The notices come less than a week after the company notified the United Steelworkers union that layoffs were forthcoming. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana reported steelmaker was idling the #3 and #4 blast furnaces at the East Chicago facility.