Iron Range prepares for more layoffs
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At the beginning of February, 45 more workers at Hibbing Taconite plant, known as Hibtac, will be without a job. Hibbing mayor Pete Hyduke said it’s nothing the Iron Range hasn’t seen before.
“We’re a region that has dealt with this since the turn of the century,” he said. “We’re used to the cyclical part of the mining industry and the ups and downs. We’re very resilient people up here.”
These layoffs add to 600 jobs eliminated in March by Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel company that owns Hibtac and the Minorca plant in Virginia, Minn. Hyduke added that technology and decreased demand for steel have contributed to Cleveland-Cliffs decision to idle plants and cut their workforce.
Hyduke also said that the mining industry in the Iron Range is essential to all of Minnesota because funds from the Range help support infrastructure, like school trust funds.
“We’re not isolated,” Hyduke said. “I think it’s important that people understand that.”
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