U.S. Steel

In a 2008 book, author Douglas Blackmon argued that U.S. Steel’s growth in the South was attributable partly to cheap Black labor and exploited convicts. The company, Blackmon argued, leveraged Black Codes and discriminatory laws to obtain Black workers at lower costs and had agreements with over 20 Alabama counties to use convict labor, paying locals nine dollars a month per worker. Many prisoners were forced into mines under harsh conditions, with some dying from abuse and malnutrition. This convict leasing system persisted into the late 1920s and was widespread across eight Southern states, benefiting companies and farmers alike.

U.S. Steel ranked 16th among United States corporations in the value of its World War II production contracts. Production peaked at more than 35 million tons in 1953. Its employment was greatest in 1943, when it had more than 340,000 employees.

The federal government intervened to try to control U.S. Steel. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman attempted to take over the company's steel mills to resolve a crisis with its union, the United Steelworkers of America. The Supreme Court blocked the takeover by ruling that the president did not have the Constitutional authority to seize the mills. President John F. Kennedy was more successful in 1962 when he pressured the steel industry into reversing price increases that Kennedy considered dangerously inflationary.

According to author Dan Carter in The Politics Of Rage: George Wallace, The Origins Of The New Conservatism, And The Transformation Of American Politics, U.S. Steel did not support the Kennedy administration’s efforts to involve Alabama businesses in the desegregation of the University of Alabama, which Governor George Wallace had opposed.

In 1963, although the firm employed more than 30,000 workers in Birmingham, Alabama, company president Roger M. Blough "went out of his way to announce that any attempt to use his company position in Birmingham to pressure local whites was 'repugnant to me personally' and 'repugnant to my fellow officers at U.S. Steel.'"

In the years following World War II, the steel industry and heavy manufacturing went through a restructuring, leading to a decline in U.S. Steel's need for labor, production, and portfolio. Many jobs moved offshore. By 2000, the company employed 52,500 people.

In the early days of the Reagan administration, steel firms won substantial tax breaks in order to compete with imported goods. But instead of modernizing their mills, steel companies shifted capital out of steel and into more profitable areas. In March 1982, U.S. Steel took its concessions and paid $1.4 billion in cash and $4.7 billion in loans for Marathon Oil, saving approximately $500 million in taxes through the merger. The architect of tax concessions to steel firms, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), complained that "we go out on a limb in Congress and we feel they should be putting it in steel." The events are the subject of "The U.S. Steal Song" by folk singer Anne Feeney.

In 1984, the federal government prevented U.S. Steel from acquiring National Steel, and political pressure from the United States Congress, as well as the United Steelworkers (USW), forced the company to abandon plans to import British Steel Corporation slabs. U.S. Steel finally acquired National Steel's assets in 2003, after National Steel went bankrupt. As part of its diversification plan, U.S. Steel acquired Marathon Oil on January 7, 1982, and Texas Oil and Gas several years later. In 1986, it reorganized its holdings as USX Corporation with U.S. Steel renamed USS, Inc. as a major subsidiary.

About 22,000 USX employees stopped work on August 1, 1986, after the United Steelworkers of America and the company could not agree on new employee contract terms. This was characterized by the company as a strike and by the union as a lockout. This resulted in most USX facilities becoming idle until February 1, 1987, seriously degrading the steel division's market share. A compromise was brokered and accepted by the union membership on January 31, 1987. On February 4, 1987, three days after the agreement had been reached to end the work stoppage, USX announced that four USX plants would remain closed permanently, eliminating about 3,500 union jobs.

In late 1986, Corporate raider Carl Icahn launched a hostile takeover of the steel giant in the midst of the work stoppage. He conducted separate negotiations with the union and with management and proceeded to have proxy battles with shareholders and management. But he abandoned all efforts to buy out the company on January 8, 1987, a few weeks before union employees returned to work. By the late 20th century, U.S. Steel earned most of its revenue from energy operations.

21st century

In 2001, under CEO Thomas Usher, it spun off Marathon and other non-steel assets, except Transtar, and expanded internationally by acquiring plants in Slovakia and Serbia.

During the early 2010s, U.S. Steel modernized its software systems across its manufacturing facilities. Facing financial challenges, the company sold its underperforming Serbian mills near Belgrade to the Serbian government in January 2012. In 2014, U.S. Steel’s falling market value caused its removal from the S&P 500 and its transfer to the S&P MidCap 400.

However, in October 2019, U.S. Steel made a bold strategic move by investing $700 million in Big River Steel, securing a 49.9% ownership stake in the pioneering LEED-certified steel facility. Doubling down on its bet, U.S. Steel announced in December 2020 that it would acquire the remaining interest in Big River Steel for $774 million, finalizing the acquisition in January 2021.

In February 2022, U.S. Steel began construction on a new mill in Osceola, Arkansas which will be operational by 2024. In April 2022, the electric arc furnace flat-rolled Big River Steel mill in Osceola became the first ResponsibleSteel site certified in North America following an independent audit by SRI Quality System Registrar (SRI).

Acquisition by Nippon Steel

In July 2023, Cleveland-Cliffs made an offer to acquire U.S. Steel for US$7.3 billion (equivalent to $7.5 billion in 2025). This put the company into play, culminating on December 18, 2023, when Nippon Steel proposed to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion (equivalent to $15.3 billion in 2025). The Nippon proposal was approved by U.S. Steel shareholders in April 2024. Nippon pledged to keep U.S. Steel's Pittsburgh headquarters and honor union contracts.

The deal has received a range of reactions from prominent steelworkers labor union United Steelworkers (USW), policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders. On March 14, 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden declared that U.S. Steel must remain American-owned, stating the proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel would pose a risk to national security, and also declared that he would use U.S. regulatory authorities to scuttle the deal. After this revelation, it was noted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had the authority to block the acquisition based on national security matters.

In July 2024, Nippon Steel hired Mike Pompeo to lobby for its acquisition of U.S. Steel. By September, the Biden Administration signaled plans to block the deal, citing national security concerns. On December 10, 2024, it was reported that then U.S. President Joe Biden intended to block the proposed Nippon acquisition following the completion of a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which later concluded several weeks later.

On December 18, 2024, a letter from the CFIUS, which was written on December 14, 2024, was obtained by Reuters, which revealed that the stage was set for Biden to block the proposed Nippon Steel deal by the December 23 deadline, concluding that "The Committee has not yet reached consensus on whether the mitigation measures proposed by the Parties would be effective... or whether they would resolve the risk to U.S. national security arising from the Transaction" and that "The President may take such action for such time as the President considers appropriate to suspend or prohibit a covered transaction that threatens to impair the national security." On December 23, 2024 the CFIUS concluded its review of the proposed Nippon Steel buyout without reaching a consensus on national security risks. The proposed Nippon buyout would then be officially blocked by President Biden on January 3, 2025. On January 6, Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel sued the Biden administration over the block.

The companies also filed a RICO complaint against Cleveland-Cliffs, its CEO, and the head of the United Steelworkers, the primary union representing US Steel employees. U.S. Steel said in a statement on January 13, 2025 that it remained committed to closing the deal with Nippon Steel.

On January 27, 2025, activist investor Ancora Holdings released a proxy fight strategy with the goal of ousting CEO David Burritt and ending the litigation focused on completing the Nippon Steel acquisition. Ancora nominated Alan Kestenbaum as the new CEO, highlighting his experience in the steel industry and his vision for restoring U.S. Steel’s legacy. Kestenbaum has sought to build support for his potential leadership of U.S. Steel by meeting with White House officials, union representatives, and lawmakers. United Steelworkers President David McCall referred to Kestenbaum as "a much better choice" than current CEO David Burritt. This comment, along with growing interest from rank-and-file members, suggests a segment of the union may prefer a change in leadership rather than continuing uncertainty surrounding the proposed acquisition.

Union members have expressed frustration with the drawn-out process involving Nippon Steel’s $14.1 billion bid. Although U.S. Steel publicly supported the merger, labor groups remain concerned about the potential consequences for jobs, operations, and the company’s future under foreign ownership.

Ancora has proposed selling the company’s Big River Steel operations in Arkansas. The plan would use proceeds from the sale to modernize older unionized steel plants in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois. Ancora argues that investing in legacy facilities would support union jobs and revitalize traditional steelmaking operations. It contrasts this approach with Big River’s newer, non-union, energy-efficient model, which some in the union believe poses risks to union employment and national industrial capacity.

Finalized deal, golden share

On May 23, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a revised "planned partnership" between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, reversing his earlier opposition to the acquisition. Under the new terms, U.S. Steel would maintain its headquarters in Pittsburgh, and the company would be led by an American CEO with a board majority being U.S. citizens. Additionally, the U.S. government would receive a golden share allowing the U.S. president to appoint one of three board members and providing veto authority over corporate decisions, including the appointment of the other board members. Trump stated that Nippon Steel would invest $14 billion into U.S. operations, including $2.4 billion directed toward facilities in the Mon Valley region of Pennsylvania. The acquisition closed on June 18, 2025. U.S. Steel was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on the same day.

According to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on June 14, the acquisition requires the president's approval for U.S. Steel to:

Relocate U.S. Steel’s headquarters from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Redomicile outside the United States

Change the name of the company from U.S. Steel

Reduce, waive, or delay the $14 billion of near-term investments into U.S. Steel

Transfer production or jobs outside the United States

Close or idle plants before certain timeframes other than normal course temporary idling for safety, upgrades, etc.

Other protections regarding employee salaries, anti-dumping pricing, raw materials and sourcing outside the U.S., acquisitions, and more.

Later disclosures by the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that, after Trump leaves office, these powers are to transfer to the Treasury and Commerce departments.

The Cato Institute said the deal "effectively nationalizes U.S. Steel". According to Cato, "U.S. Steel’s new status as an SOE or 'public body' would mean that all its domestic transactions (yes, all) are subject to scrutiny and potential discipline under the USMCA and global anti-subsidy rules, respectively."

Stocks and dividends

U.S. Steel is a former Dow Jones Industrial Average component, listed from April 1, 1901, to May 3, 1991. It was removed under its USX Corporation name with Navistar International and Primerica. An original member of the S&P 500 since 1957, U.S. Steel was removed from that index on July 2, 2014, due to declining market capitalization.

The Board of Directors considers the declaration of dividends four times each year, with checks for dividends declared on common stock mailed for receipt on March, June, September, and December. In 2008, the dividend was $0.30 per share, the highest in company history By April 27, 2009, however, it was reduced to $0.05 per share. In February 2020, the dividend was reduced to $0.01 per share but was then later increased back to $0.05 per share in November 2021.

U.S. Steel operates a sheet and tin finishing facility in Portage, Indiana, known as Midwest Plant, acquired after the National Steel Corporation bankruptcy. U.S. Steel acquired National Steel Corporation in May 2003 for $850 million and assumption of $200 million in debt. U.S. Steel operates Great Lakes Works in Ecorse, Michigan, Midwest Plant in Portage, Indiana, and Granite City Steel in Granite City, Illinois. In 2008 a major expansion of Granite City was announced, including a new coke plant with an annual capacity of 650,000 tons.

U.S. Steel operates Fairfield Works in Fairfield, Alabama (Birmingham), employing 1,500 people, and operates a sheet galvanizing operation at the Fairless Works facility in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, employing 75 people.

U.S. Steel operates three pipe mills: Fairfield Tubular Operations in Fairfield, Alabama (Birmingham), McKeesport Tubular Operations, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and Texas Operations (Formerly Lone Star Steel) in Lone Star, Texas. A fourth pipe mill, Lorain Tubular Operations in Lorain, Ohio is no longer operating at this time.

U.S. Steel operates two major taconite mining and pelletizing operations in northeastern Minnesota's Iron Range under the operating name Minnesota Ore Operations. The Minntac mine is located near Mountain Iron, Minnesota, and the Keetac mine is near Keewatin, Minnesota. U.S. Steel announced on February 1, 2008, that it would be investing approximately $300 million in upgrading (project later abandoned) the operations at Keetac, a facility purchased in 2003 from the now-defunct National Steel Corporation. In December 2022, an investment of $150 million was made in the plant.

U.S. Steel has completely closed nine of its major integrated mills. The Duluth Works in Duluth, Minnesota, closed in 1973. The Worcester Works in Worcester, Massachusetts closed in 1977. The Ohio Works and Macdonald Works in Youngstown, Ohio, closed in 1980, the Duquesne Works in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, and Ensley Works in Ensley, Alabama in 1984, the Homestead Works in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1986. Geneva Steel in Vineyard, Utah, was sold in 1987, South Chicago's South Works closed in 1992, followed by the National Tube Works in Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, in 2014.

Internationally, U.S. Steel operates facilities in Slovakia (former Východoslovenské železiarne in Košice). It also operated facilities in Serbia – former Sartid with facilities in Smederevo (steel plant, hot and cold mill) and Šabac (tin mill).

U.S. Steel added facilities in Texas with the purchase of Lone Star Steel Company in 2007.

The company operates two joint ventures in Pittsburg, California, with POSCO of South Korea.

U.S. Steel added facilities in Hamilton and Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada, with the purchase of Stelco (now U.S. Steel Canada) in 2007. These facilities were sold in 2016 to venture capital firm Bedrock Resources and has since been renamed Stelco. The blast furnace in Hamilton has not been reactivated as they were shut down by U.S. Steel in 2013, and since has been demolished. The blast furnace in Nanticoke is now operating.

The company opened a training facility, the Mon Valley Works Training Hub, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, in 2008. The state-of-the-art facility, located on a portion of the property once occupied by the company's Duquesne Works, serves as the primary training site for employees at U.S. Steel's three Pittsburgh-area Mon Valley Works locations. This site also served as the company's temporary technical support headquarters during the 2009 G20 Summit.

In January 2021, U.S. Steel fully acquired Big River Steel in northeast Arkansas. In February 2022, U.S. Steel began construction of a new mill in Osceola, Arkansas, which is expected to be operational by 2024. The new Osceola plant will be adjacent to U.S. Steel's Big River Steel. Together the facilities will be known as Big River Steel Works.

In June 2022, U.S. Steel signed a non-binding letter of intent with SunCoke Energy that would allow SunCoke to purchase two blast furnaces from U.S. Steel's Granite City Works for use in pig iron fabrication.

In June 2026, the company announced major upgrades to its Mon Valley Works, with a plan to include a new hot strip mill at the Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock.

Railroad ownership

U.S. Steel once owned the Northampton and Bath Railroad. The N&B was an 11-kilometer (6.8 mi) Shortline railroad built in 1904 that served Atlas Cement in Northampton, Pennsylvania, and Keystone Cement in Bath, Pennsylvania. By 1979 cement shipments had dropped off such that the railroad was no longer economically viable, and U.S. Steel abandoned the line. A 1.5-kilometer (0.93 mi) section of track was retained to serve Atlas Cement. The remainder of the right-of-way was transformed into the Nor-Bath Trail. U.S. Steel also owned the Atlantic City Mine Railroad, whose 76.7-mile (123.4 km) line in Wyoming operated from 1962 until 1983 and served an iron ore mine north of Atlantic City, Wyoming.

Through its Transtar subsidiary, U.S. Steel also owned other railroads that served its mines and mills. Those properties included the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway in the iron-mining region of northeast Minnesota; the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern that served its Gary Works in northwest Indiana; the Birmingham Southern Railroad serving the U.S. Steel mill in Birmingham, Alabama; and the Bessemer & Lake Erie and Union railroads in western Pennsylvania that delivered iron ore and provided plant-switching services at its mill complex in Braddock, Pennsylvania and coke works in Clairton, Pennsylvania.

U.S. Steel also owned a large Great Lakes commercial freighter fleet, under the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, that transported its raw materials from the Duluth area to Ashtabula, Ohio; Gary, Indiana; and Conneaut, Ohio. The laker fleet, the B&LE, and the DM&IR were acquired by Canadian National after U.S. Steel sold most of Transtar to that company. The ships are leased out to a different, domestic operator because of the United States cabotage law.

In December 2022, a new four-year contract was ratified between members of the United Steelworkers union and U.S. Steel. This contract covers 11,000 workers at 13 locations. The new agreements were retroactive to September 1, 2022, and included a 5% base wage increase each year for the four years, a $4,000 bonus upon ratification of the deal, $0.50/hour increase in hourly contributions to the Steel Workers Pension Trust, $0.10/hour increase in 401(k) contributions, and uncapped profit-sharing.

Environmental record

During the 1948 Donora smog, an air inversion trapped industrial effluent (air pollution) from the American Steel and Wire plant and U.S. Steel's Donora Zinc Works in Donora, Pennsylvania.

In three days, 20 people died... After the inversion lifted, another 50 died, including Lukasz Musial, the father of baseball great Stan Musial. Hundreds more lived the rest of their lives with damaged lungs and hearts. But another 40 years would pass before the whole truth about Donora's bad air made public-health history.

Today the Donora Smog Museum in that city tells of the influence that the hazardous Donora Smog had on the air quality standards enacted by the federal government in subsequent years.

Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute have ranked U.S. Steel as the 58th-greatest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States (down from their 2000 ranking as the second-greatest). In 2008, the company released more than one million kg (2.2 million pounds) of toxins, chiefly ammonia, hydrochloric acid, ethylene, zinc compounds, methanol, and benzene, but including manganese, cyanide, and chromium compounds. In 2004, the city of River Rouge, Michigan, and the residents of River Rouge and the nearby city of Ecorse filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for "the release and discharge of air particulate matter...and other toxic and hazardous substances" at its River Rouge plant.

The company has also been implicated in generating water pollution and toxic waste. In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an order for U.S. Steel to clean up a site on the Delaware River in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, where the soil had been contaminated with arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals, as well as naphthalene. Groundwater at the site was found to be polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trichloroethylene (TCE). In 2005, the EPA, United States Department of Justice, and the State of Ohio reached a settlement requiring U.S. Steel to pay more than $100,000 in penalties and $294,000 in reparations in answer to allegations that the company illegally released pollutants into Ohio waters. U.S. Steel's Gary, Indiana facility has been repeatedly charged with discharging polluted wastewater into Lake Michigan and the Grand Calumet River. In 1998 the company agreed to payment of a $30 million settlement to clean up contaminated sediments from a five-mile (8 km) stretch of the river.

With the exception of the Fairless Hills and Gary facilities, the lawsuits concern facilities acquired by U.S. Steel via its 2003 purchase of National Steel Corporation, not its historic facilities.

In 2021, U.S. Steel announced a goal to target net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company previously set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 20% by 2030.