U.S. Steel temporarily cutting almost 200 jobs from Ecorse plant

Citing "current market conditions," a U.S. Steel plant in Ecorse will temporarily cut 200 jobs from the facility.

In a notice addressed to the Workforce Development Agency, the company said layoffs will be coming due to the "idling of the operations" at a blast furnace at its Great Lakes Works facility, as well as a decline in customer demand for the plant's products.

Based in Pittsburgh, the steelmaker had laid off 48 workers as of early August and said more would come in September. The positions affected included utility workers and operating technicians. 

The company said it was performing operational adjustments at the facility as a result of a drop off in business. 

The steel industry has faced a challenging economic situation since President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariff on steel imports in 2018. Since the announcement, the value of U.S. Steel stock has fallen more than 70 percent.