Improvements and teamwork at Butler Works the focus of open house
Retirees and active employees, along with other trade union members and the public, gathered at the UAW Local 3303 Hall in Butler on Tuesday, Dec. 10, for a Community Open House presented by Cleveland-Cliffs to learn more about upgrades coming to the Butler Works steelmaking facility.
A steady stream of visitors came throughout the night, getting a chance to visit with former and current co-workers and union brothers from other trades and government representatives.
“This is a community event,” said Traci Forrester, Cleveland-Cliffs executive vice president, environmental and sustainability. “We have invited Butler Works employees, community members, organizations we work with and corporate and civic organizations. Everybody is invited.”
Cleveland-Cliffs planned the event to not only discuss an upcoming project at the plant, but as a social event as well.
“We’re not here to stand and make speeches. We’re here to have conversations with the community, tell them a little bit about who Cleveland-Cliffs is and to give employees a chance to talk about their areas of expertise within the plant and the benefits of this project.”
The project mentioned by Forrester is a $190 million upgrade to the steel slab reheat furnaces at the Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works facility on Armco Drive in Butler Township. The project consists of replacing two existing furnaces with four high-temperature electric induction furnaces.
“We’re going to be relying on electricity going forward. It’s about reducing the carbon emissions associated with the natural gas being used on the current furnaces,” Forrester said.
Cleveland-Cliffs hopes the upgrade will show the commitment they have to Butler Works and the area as a whole.
“This is most importantly a signal to the workers that we feel committed to the Butler Works facility,” said Forrester.
The cost of the project will be shared between Cleveland-Cliffs and funding through the U.S. Department of Clean Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
“Their cost share is up to $75 million,” Forrester said. Cleveland-Cliffs will provide the rest of the money required to finish the project.
The upgrade is currently in the engineering stage, with a projected completion date sometime in 2029.
Butler Works retiree Rob Domhoff, of Butler, came to the event to learn more about the improvements planned.
“I think it’s great,” said Domhoff, who worked at Butler Works for 20 years and retired in 2021. “It’s a good investment for the community. Hopefully it will help us stay around for another hundred years.”
Brent Sopko, president of Carpenters Union Local 432, came to the event to get more information.
“All of the trades are going to be here to see what is going on,” said Sopko. “We all want to be a part of it. It’s good for Butler County and we want to keep (Butler Works) in Butler County.”
Forrester couldn’t agree more.
“It should be a sense of confidence and pride in the future of electrical steel production here in Butler,” said Forrester.
More detailed information on the upgrade project can be found on the Cleveland-Cliffs website www.clevelandcliffs.com.
