Pros
Great learning opportunity for young engineers to get heavy industrial experience if you are self motivated and are not expecting any formal mentoring, or development. There are a few very experienced and knowledgeable people left to work with in the engineering and and plant maintenance areas. Competitive salary and benefits. Good vacation (3 weeks after first year). Company was bought out by Cleveland Cliffs, so maybe they will get things straightened out.
Cons
No formal mentoring, or development programs. Very little job specific training, they rely completely on sink or swim, which is unfortunate especially when bringing in young engineers who need guidance. High turnover rate after a couple years, leaving a huge knowledge gap in key areas, with just a few very knowledgeable people and the rest being very new on the salaried side. Union has deteriorated to the point where it has the same problems as the salaried side, with huge gaps in knowledge and work ethic between the electricians who have been around for along time, and those just coming in. The union fosters laziness, and the company let's the union dictate everything in terms of the contract. The hours are long, and you are either working a swing shift rotating between days, afternoons, and nights, or you are straight days and on call 24/7, 365 with rotating weekends and holidays. Upper management is bloated, has no direction, and at times is utterly clueless to important issues. Tons of people collecting huge salaries and riding it out until they retire in a few years, with little to no impact on day to day operations. They rely on a handful of people.to hold things together, and give them no support or resources to effectively do their jobs. Infrastructure is decaying, and obviously the place is hot/ cold depending on where you are and what time of year, dirty, noisy, and hazardous work environment.