WEIRTON — Officials with Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers International are, once again, responding to a decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission denying a request by the company and union to initiate tariffs on tin imports from several nations.

The ITC made its determination on Feb. 6, voting 4-0 that there were no damages to the domestic tin industry as a result of imports from Canada, China, Germany and South Korea, despite recommendations in favor of the trade duties by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Weeks after the ruling, Cleveland-Cliffs announced it would be idling the tin operation in Weirton, leaving more than 900 area residents out of work.

In new comments, Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland-Cliffs, pointed to what he said was a lack of support from U.S. Steel Corp. as contributing to the ITC’s determination.

“It is now clear that the decision by United States Steel Corporation not to participate as a petitioner in this trade case — or provide a substantive response to the ITC’s request for further information on the idling of tin lines in Gary and East Chicago, Indiana and the closure of UPI in California — directly led to the ITC’s negative determination,” Goncalves said. “Had U.S. Steel cooperated with the ITC, the Commission would not have been left without the information needed to discern the market forces behind U.S. Steel’s withdrawal from the tin mill products market in the United States.”

Goncalves also pointed to a decision by U.S. Steel to close down a tin facility in California as contributing to the import issue.

“This decision played a major role in the surge of imported tin mill product that hit the U.S. in mid-2022 and decimated the domestic industry, harming workers and communities,” he said. “In spite of U.S. Steel’s intransigence, I am grateful for the partnership of the USW that allowed this case to go forward. The report issued this week made clear that, unfortunately, the ITC discounted the filings and testimony of the USW that clearly articulated how its members at Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel had been materially injured by unfair trade.”

In August, U.S. Steel rejected a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from Cleveland-Cliffs, which included an offer of $35 per share of U.S. Steel stock. U.S. Steel announced in December its plans to sell to Japan’s Nippon Steel for $14.9 billion. The USW has come out against the proposal, which also has become part of political debate in the last few months.

USW International President David McCall said the union and company had requested the duties in an effort to provide a “level playing field” for American workers.

“Dumped and illegally subsidized tin mill products have already cost far too many good, American jobs, and USW members understand as well as anyone that without relief, foreign producers will continue to undercut our market until we are wholly dependent on them,” McCall said. “It’s clear that our nation urgently needs strategic reform of our broken trade system so that domestic workers and industries aren’t forced to fight on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have a future.”

The final report on the determination by the ITC was not available through its website as of Friday afternoon. The ITC has said it would be released to the public by March 13.