WARREN, Ohio – Thomas Steel Strip, a Warren-based division of India-based Tata Steel, plans to appeal to the Trump administration for tariff exemptions on imported steel and has asked the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners for support.
Commissioner Denny Malloy said he’s received a request from managers at Thomas Steel and United Steelworkers District 1, Sub District 1, to sign on to a letter petitioning members of Congress and the White House for the exemption.
Malloy, speaking during a workshop session of Trumbull County commissioners Tuesday, related that the company could no longer sustain a 50% tariff penalty on steel it imports from China.
“Their management reached out to me, and with the unions, said they would like a letter from the commissioners that they’re going to submit to senators and the president to exempt battery-grade steel,” Malloy said.
The letter specifically demands “an exclusion for battery quality hot-rolled steel,” he said. Malloy, fellow commissioners Rick Hernandez and Tony Bernard, have agreed to sign the letter, along with Warren Mayor Doug Franklin and Mark Murray of the Steelworkers union.
Commissioners are expected to address the matter during their regular meeting Wednesday.
Thomas Steel Strip processes steel for use in battery casings and has supplied major customers such as Duracell. It also provides specialty steel used in electric vehicles and automotive fuel lines. The company employs approximately 170 workers.
Thomas Steel needs to import battery-quality steel from China, since no other company in the U.S. manufactures this type of steel.
“They can’t afford a 50% tariff added on to the product that they’re making,” the commissioner said of Thomas Strip. “If they don’t get this, they said they could go under and lose all 170 jobs.”
In June, the Trump administration introduced sweeping tariffs of 50% on steel and aluminum originating from most countries. New tariffs that took effect Monday include more than 400 additional product categories that contain imported steel or aluminum.
“Today’s action expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention – supporting the continued revitalization of the American steel and aluminum industries,” Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffery Kessler said in a statement Tuesday.