When Sault Ste. Marie’s Algoma Steel announced layoffs in July 2025 citing tariff-growing pressures, many on the production floor were hit first. But for UA Local 800 — whose pipe-fitters and plumbers have stood shoulder to shoulder with plant employees for generations — the cuts were felt just as sharply.
“Many friendships between the UA and Algoma Steel workers have extended beyond the work place … our lives are connected,” Local representative Adam Mick said.
It’s not just about lost jobs and an uncertain economy, Mick said. It’s about a partnership that has powered one of Canada’s industrial anchors and now braces for its next seismic shift.
For generations, UA Local 800 members helped build, repair and modernize the plant through economic booms and busts. Most recently teams worked on the new electric arc furnace that will guide Algoma into a lower-carbon future.
It’s a transition that brings uncertainty, Mick said, but he believes the union’s role remains the same. Even as the economic cycles turn, the local will be there to provide the skilled tradespeople who keep local industry running.
“We’ve been integral in their maintenance as well and grateful for the opportunity,” Mick said, noting that UA members have worked alongside Algoma’s planners on turnaround and emergency maintenance.
“Our members work shoulder to shoulder with Algoma Planners for outages and fill manpower needs when we’re required,” he said. “Fluctuating our manpower to meet their demand has eased the need for fluctuating theirs for generations.”
That adaptability has meant that when production at the plant slows, UA members feel it too — both professionally and personally.
“I don’t want Steelworkers Local 2251 to get the impression the UA won’t feel these lay offs,” Mick said. “I’d like them to understand we feel for them and we will work along side them as we always have with their situation in mind.”
Local 800’s presence in the community extends well beyond the steel mill. Its members are at work on major Northern Ontario projects in mining, energy, health care and municipal infrastructure — from installing high-efficiency mechanical systems in hospitals to supporting new water-treatment and pipeline developments.
The local also trains a new generation of apprentices through its state-of-the-art training facility in Sault Ste. Marie, ensuring the region continues to have a steady pipeline of qualified tradespeople ready for whatever comes next.
Mick says that foundation of skill and service has helped sustain both the local and the industries it serves. Having a trained, responsive workforce available “has been beneficial in times of emergency to get production back on line.”
That long-standing relationship, built on adaptability and trust, continues to serve both sides and ensure Algoma has access to the skilled manpower it needs, when it’s needed.
But as the plant’s new furnace nears completion and the community faces another period of change, Mick says Local 800 will continue to stay firm.
“Members have left the Steel plant and became UA members, UA members have left the local and became Algoma Steel employees,” he said.
“Our lives are connected.”
For UA Local 800, that connection extends to every project and every apprentice it supports — more proof that skilled trades are more than a profession. They’re a cornerstone of Sault Ste. Marie.
To learn more about the local’s work and training opportunities, visit ualocal800.com.