Sen. Sherrod Brown Works Across the Aisle to Protect Union Jobs in Zanesville
Last week, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown hosted a press call with Zanesville Mayor Donald Mason, and Eric Spiker, President of UAW Local 4104 (Zanesville), to discuss how he successfully challenged the Biden Administration to fix a regulation that would have cost Ohioans’ jobs and devastated U.S. electrical steel manufacturers— including Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs. Cleveland-Cliffs makes electrical steel for use in transformers and other end-uses at its Zanesville, Ohio plant.
“Because of our united push on this – with union workers, with steel companies, with Ohio local leaders and electric co-ops – the new, final standards are a huge improvement. They’re a step toward keeping this critical supply chain in the U.S. And they protect the jobs of Ohio workers,” said Brown. “I will always go to bat for Ohio workers and do everything possible to try to protect their jobs. That’s what this was about, and today this community can sleep a little easier knowing this rule won’t put a major employer at risk.”
“The hard-working people of the Zanesville community appreciate the efforts and support of Senator Sherrod Brown. His successful efforts in negotiating with the Department of Energy will keep well-paying American jobs in Zanesville. Without his efforts materials and supplies for the transmission grid and industry would have shifted from reliable domestic source to unreliable offshore sources,” said Donald L. Mason, Mayor if Zanesville. “His efforts also support reliability in the delivery of electricity to businesses and homes. Furthermore, his efforts support the continued investment by American companies in American cities and American workers.”
“The UAW Local 4104 in Zanesville, Ohio is pleased with the final rule issued by the Department of Energy on energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers which preserves the use of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) for the overwhelming majority of distribution transformers that will be made in the U.S. This reflects extensive input from stakeholders, like the UAW Local 4104, who explained the importance of GOES to the domestic supply chain for the grid and the associated 1,500 good-paying United Auto Worker jobs,” said Eric Spiker, President of UAW Local 4104.