There's A Revolt Going On In Trump's Favorite Industry (HBO)
Posted
September 20, 2018
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268,841
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3,722
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September 20, 2018
268,841
3,722
1,498
1.94%
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5:53Now PlayingAmerican steel manufacturing is enjoying a boost to earnings and demand thanks to trade policies put in place by President Trump. These are good days for American steel.
But in the heart of Steel Country, there's talk of a historic strike that could shut the whole thing down.
Trump promised blue-collar, manufacturing workers across the country that he'd revitalize their industries and create new jobs. For steelworkers, the promise was direct — Trump vowed to create tariffs that would make foreign steel less competitive. He promised to dramatically increase the defense budget, giving steel manufacturers a powerful, deep-pocketed customer. He said he would slash environmental regulations that could make being a polluter very expensive.
Trump then proceeded to do many of those things. For the time being, American-made steel is a hot commodity again. A slumping industry has enjoyed a turnaround.
But the steelworkers — many of them white men who voted for Trump — say they haven't felt anything from their industry's rising fortunes. The United Steelworkers union represents a lot of those people. And right now, they're trying to negotiate a new contract with U.S. Steel, a firm that runs plants dating all the way back to the days of Andrew Carnegie.
U.S. Steel says its offering some of its windfall to its workers. The workers say they're being asked to make sacrifices at a time when their industry is raking it in. The USW is ready to strike, and an order starting a 48-hour shutdown process could come at any moment.
VICE talked to steelworkers in the Pittsburgh area about their relationship to U.S. Steel — and to the president who promised them so much.
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