Strong show of support for Hibbing Taconite during march and rally in Chisholm

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A strong turnout for Hibbing Taconite, as the steelworkers there know there is a limited amount of ore left. Over 700 people work there.

Hundreds of supporters lined Lake Street in Chisholm, and marched down to the armory on a sunny Saturday morning.

They held signs that said Save Our Jobs, Save Our Region, and Stand Up For Hibbing Taconite.

It was a confusing week, according to the union president, because of one message about a closure in 2024.

But the CEO, Lourenco Goncalves, is adamant he will keep Hibtac open for decades to come, once he can access ore in Nashwauk.

Local 2705 president Chris Johnson said the rally was about getting the word out. “Just to inform our communities and hopefully this makes it down to the metro and everywhere else that doesn’t really understand what’s going to happen if these jobs go away. Just to inform, that’s all this was.”

He added, “This is what we do up here. We have for hundreds of years. This is what built these communities. This is what keeps these communities going, schools, everything. So we just need you to know that if these jobs go away, a lot of these communities are going to probably go away as well as we’ve seen in the past.”

Lawmakers pledged their support, saying they will continue to work on this with the governor.