Republic Steel In Lorain Will Restart Production Soon

LORAIN, OH — Republic Steel should restart its Lorain production in the second quarter of 2019, according to reports. Nearly 60 people have already been hired and trained for work at the mill.

“We have successfully run internal production trials, and now anticipate receiving sufficient orders to support moving to a production mode in the 2nd quarter of this year,” Republic Steel said in a press release on Wednesday.

The mill was idled in 2016, after 200 people were laid off, Fox 8 reported. The TV station noted that more than 1,000 people have lost jobs at the plant over the past several years.

Republic Steel actually announced plans to reopen the mill last year, but were delayed when tariffs on imported steel didn't have the immediate impact on demand the company expected. Hundreds of previously laid off workers are hoping to land a job at the plant.

Lorain County has been a victim of the globalization of trade, if you listen to local politicians. Practices, like alleged steel dumping to weaken American producers, have led to the shuttering of several local steel production plants.

In March 2017, for instance, US Steel closed part of its tubular operations plant, a line that had been idled since 2015.

Both US Steel and Republic Steel are among the largest employers in Lorain County, boasting staffs of 523 employees, and 400 employees respectively, according to the Lorain County Auditor's website.

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Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat representing Lorain, has pressured President Donald Trump to create more equitable trade deals and to visit both Lorain County and the shuttered Lordstown General Motors plant.

"The American people are not interested in staged production signing ceremonies, they want an agreement that will create good paying jobs in America and heal economic injustices suffered for the past three decades," she said on the last day of November 2018.

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