American Steel

Hundreds of people gathered on site and online Wednesday for the first public opportunity to buy the silenced remains of the Sparrows Point steel mill - from forklifts and slab haulers to cabinets and snowblowers. Among the hopeful bidders: welders, scrap dealers, equipment resellers and steel companies, some as far flung as Egypt and others just down the road. "We're doing some purchasing to help with our expansion," said Stacy Casey, project manager and bookkeeper for Tiemann Construction, a welding company near the mill.

Hundreds of people gathered on site and online Wednesday for the first public opportunity to buy the silenced remains of the Sparrows Point steel mill - from forklifts and slab haulers to cabinets and snowblowers. Among the hopeful bidders: welders, scrap dealers, equipment resellers and steel companies, some as far flung as Egypt and others just down the road. "We're doing some purchasing to help with our expansion," said Stacy Casey, project manager and bookkeeper for Tiemann Construction, a welding company near the mill.

B. Marvin Thomas Jr., 79, a retired executive of a steel and aluminum company, died of kidney failure Wednesday at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Calvary Baptist Church, 120 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson.Mr. Thomas lived on Dunkirk Road in Anneslie. He retired about 15 years ago as vice president of the American Steel and Aluminum Co. Earlier, he was president of the John McKenzie Steel Co. The McKenzie firm, where he started as a salesman in the 1940s, was sold to American Steel and Aluminum.

Steel from Sparrows Point built the Golden Gate Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, hundreds of ships for World War II and livelihoods for tens of thousands of Baltimore-area families. The story of the massive steel mill follows the arc of American manufacturing — rapid ascent, years of dominance, a generation of shrinking employment and decline. In the last dozen years, the mill has had five owners, two bankruptcies and many furloughs. Last week came a stark warning that the final chapter in its 125-year history could be at hand.

Five years ago, there would have been few takers for the steel plants in Sparrows Point and Weirton, W.Va. Bethlehem Steel Corp., which owned Sparrows Point at the time and was once the largest steelmaker in the world, was in its death throes, joining the list of Rust Belt companies that buckled under the weight of high costs and fierce competition. But if either plant goes up for sale early next year, there could be multiple bids for each. And there's a good chance the buyer won't be American.

Growing up in Dundalk, Kent Mosmiller knew about Sparrows Point Country Club. He spent summers on little boats along Bear Creek where he could check out the 40-foot cabin cruisers at the club marina and, beyond that, the green expanse of the golf course. It wasn't for him or his family. The club was an enclave for what he called "white hats" at Bethlehem Steel, which established the club as a benefit for supervisors in the 1920s. Neither Mosmiller nor his parents ever worked for the company.

TORONTO -- The Canadian government imposed provisional tariffs on steel from the United States yesterday, two days after the United States imposed steep duties on Canadian steel imports.Canadian officials insisted that the proximity of the decisions was coincidental. But they left little doubt that their investigation of unfair trade by American steel makers was a tit-for-tat reaction to similar moves by Washington in relation to Canadian steel imports.Canada and the United States both took action against imported steel that they say is sold in their markets at prices below what it fetches in the country of origin.

Services for B. Marvin Thomas Jr., a retired executive of a steel and aluminum company, will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Calvary Baptist Church, 120 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson.Mr. Thomas, who was 79 and lived on Dunkirk Road in Anneslie, died of kidney failure Wednesday at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.He retired about 15 years ago as vice president of the American Steel and Aluminum Co. Earlier, he was president of the John McKenzie Steel Co. The McKenzie company, where he started as a salesman in the 1940s, was sold to American Steel and Aluminum.

Bethlehem Steel Corp. and other American steel companies received an early Christmas present yesterday as the U.S. Commerce Department slapped higher duties, ranging from 0.71 percent to 90.09 percent, on steel imports from 12 countriesThe ruling is expected to depress steel imports and to boost the prices of steel plate and sheet products, which are made at Bethlehem's Sparrows Point mill in Baltimore County.The amount of the conditional duties on various steel plate and sheet products varied depending on the company, country and the type of steel produced.

CAN YOU hear that sound? It is the sound of the U.S. steel industry melting into obscurity. In a largely political move, President Bush took the easy way out Wednesday by imposing limited tariffs ranging from 8 percent to 30 percent, but exempted America's two largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. He didn't go far enough. What would you do if you lost your pension and health care in retirement? Would you go back into the work force? Do you have the skills to start a new career at 65?

Growing up in Dundalk, Kent Mosmiller knew about Sparrows Point Country Club. He spent summers on little boats along Bear Creek where he could check out the 40-foot cabin cruisers at the club marina and, beyond that, the green expanse of the golf course. It wasn't for him or his family. The club was an enclave for what he called "white hats" at Bethlehem Steel, which established the club as a benefit for supervisors in the 1920s. Neither Mosmiller nor his parents ever worked for the company.

The current owner of Sparrows Point is a rapidly growing multinational steel giant controlled by one of the world's richest men. Sparrows Point's new owner will be a rapidly growing multinational steel giant controlled by one of the world's richest men. But there are some key differences. Seller ArcelorMittal is controlled by the world's fourth-richest man, Lakshmi N. Mittal, according to Forbes magazine, which this month estimated his net worth at $45 billion. Mittal was already a billionaire when he began buying up steel companies, and the behemoth he's assembled is the world's biggest steelmaker.

Five years ago, there would have been few takers for the steel plants in Sparrows Point and Weirton, W.Va. Bethlehem Steel Corp., which owned Sparrows Point at the time and was once the largest steelmaker in the world, was in its death throes, joining the list of Rust Belt companies that buckled under the weight of high costs and fierce competition. But if either plant goes up for sale early next year, there could be multiple bids for each. And there's a good chance the buyer won't be American.

Foreign ownership of steel is big threat Jay Hancock's article "Another new owner might not be bad for the Point" (Nov.15) lays out a very clear picture of what's ahead for the American steel industry. Some bells should be going off in the heads of our politicians with the United States still at war and the biggest part of the American steel industry owned by non-American citizens. Mr. Hancock says that "for Sparrows Point, one more change might be better than the status quo." Yes - but I take that to mean American ownership of Sparrows Point steel mills.

CHICAGO - Speculation mounted yesterday that the Bush administration, under increasing pressure from key international trade partners, is preparing to eliminate controversial steel tariffs it imposed 20 months ago. Such talk intensified after the European Union and other foreign opponents of the tariffs agreed to briefly hold off on punitive sanctions they plan to impose. The World Trade Organization had been slated on Monday to formally adopt a finding that the U.S. steel tariffs violate international regulations.

Bethlehem Steel Corp. plants at Sparrows Point in Baltimore County and elsewhere are expected to become some of the lowest-cost producers of American steel under a new labor deal that will significantly reduce Bethlehem's work force. The deal announced yesterday between the United Steelworkers of America and Bethlehem's buyer, International Steel Group Inc., would drastically loosen traditional work-rule restrictions in the plants and tie worker compensation to productivity and profitability.

The American steel industry, long a symbol of decay in industrial America, has undergone a transformation in the last decade that has drastically sharpened the industry's competitive position.Now, after the government has provided a decade of protection from imported steel, the Bush administration has decided not to extend quotas on imported steel that expire today. The move reflects the industry's improved condition and the administration's preference for using existing laws to fight what it sees as unfair trade practices.

Steel from Sparrows Point built the Golden Gate Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, hundreds of ships for World War II and livelihoods for tens of thousands of Baltimore-area families. The story of the massive steel mill follows the arc of American manufacturing — rapid ascent, years of dominance, a generation of shrinking employment and decline. In the last dozen years, the mill has had five owners, two bankruptcies and many furloughs. Last week came a stark warning that the final chapter in its 125-year history could be at hand.

New tariffs on steel help a vital industry remain competitive I strongly disagree with a number of points in The Sun's editorial on steel tariffs ("Caught `steeling,'" March 7). First, there is strong factual evidence that the domestic steel industry has been harmed by unfair foreign trade. The International Trade Commission's determination on this point was unanimous. These time-limited tariffs are an appropriate remedy that is consistent with U.S. and international trade law. Second, there is no "maybe" about the importance of a healthy domestic steel industry.

CAN YOU hear that sound? It is the sound of the U.S. steel industry melting into obscurity. In a largely political move, President Bush took the easy way out Wednesday by imposing limited tariffs ranging from 8 percent to 30 percent, but exempted America's two largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. He didn't go far enough. What would you do if you lost your pension and health care in retirement? Would you go back into the work force? Do you have the skills to start a new career at 65?