But in recent years, the Coatesville plant has struggled. “Nobody helped the steel industry, we were just getting the shaft,” said Huggins. The Trump administration has declared a goal for the US steel industry to climb to 80% production capacity, up from its current 73%. Photograph: Mark Makela for the GuardianBut economists warn that steel tariffs could hurt the US economy, raise prices and harm American workers, including steelworkers. As chairman emeritus of Bethlehem Steel, Hank Barnette led the acquisition of the Coatesville plant from the Lukens Steel Company in 1997, before Ross bought the combined companies.

Source: The Guardian June 09, 2018 09:56 UTC