This is because blast furnaces operate around the clock and need more workers. Goncalves is also betting that producing iron ore in-house for blast furnaces, rather than sourcing scrap steel for electric arc furnaces, will give Cliffs a competitive edge. While a few carmakers use aluminum for automotive bodies, most prefer high-grade steel from blast furnaces. Cliffs' devotion to blast furnaces, which are unionized unlike some electric arc furnaces, won it the support of United Steelworkers. The union's international president Thomas Conway said it's backing Cliffs' bid for U.S. Steel because of Goncalves' commitment to blast furnaces.

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Persons: Lawrence Bryant, Lourenco Goncalves, Goncalves, Josh Spoores, Donald Trump, Phil Gibbs, Thomas Conway, Joe Biden's, Isla Binnie, Bianca Flowers, Greg Roumeliotis, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Steel, U.S . Steel Granite City, REUTERS, Cliffs Inc, U.S, U.S . Steel Corp, AK Steel, CRU Group, Steel Dynamics, Steel, Reuters, United Steelworkers, Thomson Locations: U.S . Steel Granite, Granite City , Illinois, U.S, CHICAGO, United States, Cleveland, North America, Asia, Toledo , Ohio, New York, Chicago