Nippon Steel’s Vice President Takahiro Mori is set for a U.S. visit that will include a meeting next week with workers representing the three major local unions that run United States Steel’s iconic plants in the Pittsburgh area.
The move indicates that the Japanese company is making a push to persuade rank-and-file union members that its $14.1 billion bid to take over U.S. Steel will be good for the workers’ long-term prospects. During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump said he’d block the deal, which remains before regulators.
United Steelworkers Local 2227 Vice President Jason Zugai said in an interview that he received a personal email from Mori and agreed to sit down with the executive next week at a yet-to-be-determined time and will bring along multiple union members from the Edgar Thomson Plant, Clairton Plant and Irvin Plant. Zugai said he is hoping United Steelworkers International President David McCall, who has been steadfast in his opposition since the deal was announced in December, will also sit down with Mori and reconsider his stance.