Category: Commentary/Editorial || By

I'm glad this announcement was made on Friday, April 8. If it had been made a week earlier, no one would have believed it.

Actually, the news (broken by the Daily News this morning) that U.S. Steel will resume operations of the electric-resistance weld pipe mill in McKeesport is less surprising than you may think. Although the mill has been operated by the independent Camp-Hill Corp. since Feb. 1988, it's remained under a larger U.S. Steel umbrella.

If you went to U.S. Steel's website and looked for "tubular products," and then clicked on "manufacturing facilities," one of the plants that showed up was in "McKeesport, Pa." Camp-Hill has been shipping and selling pipe to U.S. Steel customers for years. And I'd hazard that many if not most of the steel coils being used at Camp-Hill were coming from U.S. Steel's Irvin Works.

Also, before we break out the champagne and parades, it's worth noting that about 150 people work at the ERW mill. National Works employed more than 7,000 in the 1970s. Absent some major expansion by U.S. Steel, the number of people being employed and the amount of taxes collected by the city won't change.

This is not a sign of booming prosperity to come. Not that much will be different inside or outside the mill gates on May 1, when U.S. Steel resumes control of the plant.

But please don't misconstrue my remarks. I'm not being negative. This is good news. I was on Market Street on Friday morning, and saw that the Camp-Hill sign was down, and the old U.S. Steel sign --- emerging like a ghost from the past --- made me smile. Time must heal all wounds, because I never thought seeing a U.S. Steel logo in McKeesport would make me happy.

(Of course, I also never thought I'd be a U.S. Steel shareholder, either, but in the interest of unbiased reporting, I should disclose that I am one.)

McKeesport should be very grateful to former National Works managers Pat Campana and A.L. Hillegass (a McKeesport High School grad), who kept the ERW mill operating for more than two decades, making good quality products and keeping hard-working people employed. Nothing can take away from the accomplishments of Camp-Hill Corp.

However: Most people weren't really sure what "Camp-Hill Corp." did. They know what "U.S. Steel" means.

Though it's much diminished in size, a major international manufacturing company is once again flying its flag over McKeesport. If you're trying to promote the Mon-Yough area (which Tube City Online does, sometimes shamelessly), having a Fortune 500 company in town isn't a bad talking point.

So, yes, this is a morale boost, not a financial boost. We'll take small victories when we get them. Thanks, Camp-Hill Corp. Welcome back, Big Steel.

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