Laid-off Stelco worker: one week of pay, grievance ask, no CEO reply
A laid-off Hamilton Stelco worker reached out to Windsor News. Jordan Williams says he now expects one week of pay instead of the two he budgeted for, has asked USW Local 1005 to review a grievance, and has had no reply from Cleveland-Cliffs' CEO as of Oct. 13.
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Jordan Williams, a Stelco employee in Hamilton who received a layoff notice this month, contacted Windsor News with his account. He says he is speaking personally and not for United Steelworkers Local 1005.
His account
Williams says his posted schedule showed work that was then cancelled, so he now expects one week of pay instead of the two weeks he had planned around. He says he has asked Local 1005 to review whether the hours can be reinstated or the wages recovered through a grievance. No outcome has been confirmed.
He says other workers describe finishing assigned tasks before being handed notices and told to leave, with no confirmed return date. He says he had received no response from Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves as of Oct. 13. Windsor News has not independently confirmed his pay figures or the grievance request.
The layoffs
Stelco, owned by Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs since 2024, announced on Sept. 28 that up to 500 jobs could be cut in Hamilton and at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, citing the trade dispute with the U.S., weak demand and imports. Notices began Oct. 8, and Local 1005 expects 333 layoffs in Hamilton over three weeks. Goncalves has called the layoffs temporary and said workers will be recalled if Canada and the U.S. reach a steel deal. Ottawa has threatened legal action under the Investment Canada Act; Stelco says it is meeting its commitments.
Why it matters here
Stelco is idling cold-rolled and galvanized steel lines, products used by sectors including auto and parts manufacturers. In Windsor, Stellantis has idled Windsor Assembly for the weeks of Oct. 19, 26 and Nov. 2, citing tariffs and demand, and Unifor Local 444 estimates 1,500 to 1,600 workers at local supplier plants will feel it.
