From time to time, especially when I read wire copy from the Associated Press, I think about letting my Tribune-Review subscription lapse. Their motto should be “All the news the Deep State sees fit to print.” Then I read an article by one of your excellent staff journalists and pay my renewal.
Such is the case with Justin Velluci’s article “ ‘Steel is all around us:’ Despite uncertain future locally, U.S. Steel’s connection to this region and its people endures” (Jan. 5, TribLive). The article shows depth and balance and leaves me more convinced than ever that the United Steel Workers’ union national leadership is more concerned with their jobs and political connections rather than the jobs of their membership at the plants in our region.
If President Trump is smart, his administration will undo another Biden legacy by working with the local membership to see the Nippon Steel acquisition through, and the members will consider replacing their current union with people like the Teamsters, who actually care about their jobs. Neither U.S. Steel nor its U.S. rivals have the ability or desire to make the investments necessary to bring the company where Nippon Steel will.
David Staples
Hempfield