Nippon Steel Releases Communications with United Steelworkers
On September 11, Nippon Steel Corp., Japan's largest steelmaker, publicly released communications with the United Steelworkers (USW), a trade union opposed to its acquisition of U.S. Steel. This move aimed to gain approval for the deal from the U.S. administration.
The company published over 20 emails and other correspondence exchanged with the USW leadership since the acquisition announcement in December on a website jointly operated with U.S. Steel. These materials included emails to and from David McCall, president of the USW.
Media reports have indicated that the Biden administration plans to block the acquisition due to national security concerns.
In a statement, Nippon Steel explained that it had kept the correspondence confidential until now to foster a positive environment for negotiations. However, the company decided to release the materials due to "public mischaracterizations of our communications with the USW and the commitments we have offered." The statement did not elaborate on these mischaracterizations.
Nippon Steel hopes that disclosing these materials will help U.S. Steel employees and other stakeholders understand the full scope of their engagement with the USW.