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Steelworkers want a crackdown on "cheaters" in the global steel industry

Mar 2, 2018
The international president of the United Steelworkers says we're already in a trade war.
Tom Mihalek/Getty Images

U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs could draw swift retaliation

Mar 1, 2018
In announcing the tariffs today, President Trump said they are necessary for national security.

The Trump Administration’s options around tariffs and quotas

Feb 26, 2018
The Trump Administration is trying to figure out how to act on a campaign promise to make trade with China more fair. One thing the administration is considering is imposing tariffs or quotas on imports of steel and aluminum. The justification? National security. Here’s a look at the theory behind that connection, and the administration’s […]

The emerging demand for "greener" aluminum

Oct 20, 2017
Can U.S. aluminum producers that use hydroelectricity distinguish their products from many Chinese producers, by touting their lower carbon footprint?
The Alcoa Barra Grande hydroelectric power dam in southern Brazil. 
Photo courtesy of Alcoa

Kobe Steel falsified data about the strength of its metals used in planes and cars

Oct 10, 2017
Copper and aluminum from the Tokyo-based company went into products at about 200 companies.

Sometimes a layoff can lead to more happiness

Mar 15, 2017
How two Alcoa workers faced with industry downsizing and lost income found work they were better suited for.




Chris Morales, 40, was hired as an EMT at LifeLine Ambulance Inc. in Wenatchee, Washington, after being laid off from Alcoa's aluminum smelter in 2016. The work pays less but is more fulfilling.
Courtesty of Michelle Naranjo/Wenatchee World

For public good, not for profit.

Aluminum workers say they wouldn't want their kids to do the same work

Mar 13, 2017
The Alcoa aluminum plant laid off hundreds of workers last year. They miss the pay and camaraderie, but say they wouldn't want their kids following them into smelter work.
Bob Greiner teaches automotive technology to laid-off Alcoa workers in a retraining program at Wenatchee Valley College.
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

Laid-off aluminum workers look to retraining

Feb 16, 2017
Some are learning to become auto mechanics at Wenatchee Valley College as part of the government-supported program.
Alcoa's aluminum smelter in Wenatchee, Wash., idled since early 2016, was built in 1952. It's adjacent to the Rock Island Dam, built in the 1930s to produce hydroelectric power.
Center for Land Use Interpretation

Aluminum lawsuit underscores troubled trade relations between U.S. and China

Jan 18, 2017
This case could provide more fodder for the president-elect's plans.