GRANITE CITY -- Union leaders are still waiting to learn more about how many steelworkers will be affected by temporary layoffs that could begin as early as next week.

On Tuesday, U.S. Steel Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Surma announced the furloughs were coming to those who work in one of the two blast furnaces at Granite City Works and another at U.S. Steel's plant in Gary, Ind. The move is a result of the company's poor third quarter results. The Pittsburgh-based company reported losses of $303 million, or $2.11 per share, during the past three months.

Those temporary layoffs will affect some of the 530 members of the United Steelworkers of America Local 50 in Granite City. Union president Jason Chism said the union had just called back its last workers after the entire steel mill had been idled beginning last December and steel workers were temporarily laid off through the summer.

Now, some of those workers could be laid off again. Chism is still awaiting definitive plans but believes the layoffs could come as soon as next week.

"We're definitely going to get affected," Chism said Wednesday. "At this time, I don't know the total impact. We will have a meeting today and tomorrow about manpower and numbers."

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