Wheatland, Sharon Tube workers to receive bonus

The largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in the U.S., Zekelman Industries, the parent company of Wheatland Tube and Sharon Tube,  announced Friday, March 19, that employees will be receiving a $1,000 bonus. 

A drop in steel imports is a result of tariffs placed on imported steel was approved in Aug. 2020, and according to Zekelman Industries CEO and Executive Chairman Barry Zekelman, has created tremendous opportunities for domestic steel manufacturers.

Zekelman said "We congratulate the Biden/Harris administration on their support of the domestic steel industry. The tariffs that resulted from the Section 232 investigation regarding domestic steel are critical to level the playing field for domestic producers who too often in the past have been forced to compete against unfairly traded foreign products."

According to Zekelman, since the tariffs came into effect, his business has increased its capital investments more than $350 million over historical levels, hired over 400 new employees, and paid out $10.3 million in annual bonuses to employees.

In a letter to employees, Zekelman stated:

The tariffs have led to a significant drop in steel imports and, in particular, pipe and tube imports from countries that have abused and gamed our trading rules for decades. Although the tariffs have been a big help, we continue to see violations and abuse of our trade systems. Without the continued bipartisan support of our steel industry and its consumers, I fear we may slip back to the old days of abuse and attack from foreign bad actors.

We want to thank the Biden/Harris administration for maintaining the 232 tariffs. We encourage the Biden/Harris administration to further enhance the current international trade system to close gaps that allow continued cheating and abuse. If these tariffs are rolled back it would surely lead to a flood of imports and negatively affect our industry. We would no longer be able to pay these bonuses which we are so proud to do.