Foreign Purchase of US Steel Tests Union’s Legal, Political Sway

US Steel Corp.'s sale to a Japanese company will serve as a test of unions’ ability to wield US labor law—and political influence—to block the foreign takeover of a major domestic employer.

The United Steelworkers union, which represents employees of the Pennsylvania-based company, says the firm’s sale to Nippon Steel Corp., announced Dec. 18, violates the terms of its collective bargaining agreement negotiated in 2022. The union contends US Steel didn’t provide advance notice before announcing the deal as the contract requires.

To fight back, the union has amassed a remarkably bipartisan bloc of support on Capitol Hill, urging ...