(CLEVELAND-CLIFFS, OHIO) – Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel manufacturer, reportedly has cancelled a $500 million project in Middletown, Ohio, leading to a lost in work hours for Union Sheet Metal Workers in the area.

“This would have been a ‘solid project’ for Local (24), especially our Dayton-area Membership,” said Local 24 Business Manager Jeff Hunley.

Radio Station WYSO reported the planned switch from a coal-based steel plant to hydrogen was expected to create 1,300 Union Construction jobs and protect 2,500 existing positions.

Steel Industry News reported the Trump Administration’s shift away from clean energy and its focus on fossil fuels created uncertainty for the company - and rising tariffs on steel imports “forced Cleveland-Cliffs to prioritize short-term profitability.”

For now the project appears to be abandoned.

Union Sheet Metal Workers play a key role in building and converting clean energy facilities, including hydrogen, nuclear and battery plants.

That’s what makes Federal grants, tax credits and funding so important to the SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation) Union-represented Sheet Metal Workers - as well as the strong labor standards included in such polices under the former Biden Administration were so crucial for the Union’s Membership.

SMART General President Michael Coleman said: “The grants and tax credits we got passed in that law are the kinds of policies that create jobs for Sheet Metal Workers five, ten, fifteen years down the line. Unfortunately, when those types of policies are thrown in jeopardy, we see companies become less willing to invest, and projects get paused or cancelled.

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