Stelco to Lay Off Hundreds at Hamilton Steel Plant, Union Says

As many as 350 workers at Stelco's Hamilton steel plant could lose their jobs, according to an estimate from the union representing them, Global News reports. The figure makes the Hamilton facility the latest flashpoint in a broader wave of Canadian steel-industry job cuts.

United Steelworkers local 8782, which represents roughly 1,500 employees at the Hamilton lakefront plant, is pinning the number at 350 positions — a cut that would remove close to a quarter of the site's workforce if the estimate holds. The union has not yet confirmed which departments or roles the layoffs would hit first.

Stelco itself has not publicly matched the union's figure. The company said only that it is planning layoffs at the Hamilton plant, without specifying how many workers are affected or when notices will go out.

For Hamilton workers, the timing matters. A layoff of this size would land in a local labor market where manufacturing employment has already been under pressure, and steelmaking jobs at Stelco are among the better-paid industrial positions in the region. An affected employee's fallback options depend heavily on whether the cuts target production roles, maintenance trades, or salaried staff — a breakdown neither the company nor the union has released.

The scale also matters relative to the site. Stelco's Hamilton operations employ roughly 1,500 people, so a 350-person reduction would be significant for the plant's remaining staffing levels and shift structures. It is less significant for Stelco's overall Canadian footprint, which includes the larger Lake Erie works in Nanticoke, Ontario.

Cleveland-Cliffs, which acquired Stelco in a deal completed in November 2024, has been cutting capacity across its North American operations since early 2025. The Hamilton layoffs fit that pattern: the parent company has cited weak demand, low steel prices, and tariff-driven market disruption as reasons for pulling back production at multiple plants.

That macro pressure translates directly into individual risk. Workers at integrated steel plants in Ontario face a shrinking set of comparable employers, and the union's estimate suggests the Hamilton cuts will be deep enough to push hundreds of skilled workers into the regional job market at the same time — a dynamic that typically weighs on wages and lengthens job searches in affected trades.

What remains unclear is the timeline. Neither Stelco nor USW has said when the layoffs would begin, whether they will be temporary or permanent, or whether the 350 figure could shift as the company finalizes its plans. Union representatives have indicated they expect more details once the company issues formal notices.

Cleveland-Cliffs has not said whether further reductions at Stelco's Canadian operations are under consideration beyond the Hamilton cuts.