Cleveland-Cliffs to cut up to 500 jobs at Stelco Hamilton plant amid compliance dispute

The federal Industry Minister says Stelco — owned by Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. — has planned layoffs affecting up to 500 workers at its Hamilton steel plant, and has given the company 15 days to reverse the cuts or face potential legal action that could force a sale of its Canadian operations. The dispute relates to a 2024 agreement requiring minimum employment levels at Cleveland-Cliffs' Canadian operations through 2029, including specific baselines for unionized and non-unionized staff. Cleveland-Cliffs disputes the government's interpretation, saying the commitments do not prohibit layoffs or require maintaining daily headcounts, and asserts financial pressures such as U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel have contributed to the decision. The government warns it could pursue court action if the company does not comply; Cleveland-Cliffs says affected Hamilton workers would be offered positions at its Lake Erie facility.

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. cut 500 jobs affecting its cold-rolled and coated steel production (Hamilton operations) team.

That is roughly 1.9% of the 26,000 people Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. employs.

LayoffTalk has tracked 7 layoff events at Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. since June 2025, including 947 jobs documented in official WARN filings, with 5 additional events known from news reporting.