Why was USW Almost Completely Silent on U.S. Steel Clairton Plant Explosion?

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Nearly a month has passed since the tragic event at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works that left two workers dead and ten injured, yet the United Steelworkers Union has remained largely mute about it. In 2025, the incident happened on August 11.

In order to identify the factors that contributed to the explosion, the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) has launched an impartial, rank-and-file investigation into the tragedy. The probe is entirely separate from the union's and the company's investigations.

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The bureaucracy of the union, according to IWA-RFC, collaborates with US Steel management to increase output and profits at the expense of steelworkers' health and safety. The fact that the union only issued a brief statement after the incident makes this quite clear. Furthermore, the deaths of two of their employees are not mentioned on the USW website.

In an effort to maintain the mills' profitability, USW has jeopardised the health and safety of its employees. Workers at the facility have apparently been informed that, in order for the plant to survive, they will have to work twelve hours a day, six days a week, to repair the blast furnace damage.