U.S. Steel cuts Hamilton jobs

Updated video U.S. Steel in Hamilton is laying off 50 workers at the end of the week and has decided not to restart the blast furnace at the plant.

It’s been shut down since October 2010, just shortly before 600 plus workers were locked out for nearly a year over pension disputes. When the lockout ended, only 250 employees were guaranteed work until the end of this week.

United Steelworkers union Local 1005 is outraged at the cuts and posted a letter on its website saying the move not only “harms workers, but the community and the company” itself.

The company says it has no choice but to make the cuts after experiencing a net loss of $219 million in its first quarter.

Video: Scot Urquhart reports: