AK sells interest in Double Eagle

PITTSBURGH — U.S. Steel on Monday announced that it bought AK Steel’s interest in the Double Eagle Steel Coating Co. (DESCO) in Michigan.

U.S. Steel agreed to a one-time payment of $25.2 million to AK Steel for the interest.

DESCO’s 700,000-ton electrolytic-galvanizing line (EGL) will become part of the larger operational footprint of U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes Works. The Great Lakes Works EGL in Dearborn, Mich., will allow customers, primarily in the automotive industry, to get steel coated products for both exposed and unexposed applications.

Staffing of the facility will remain through AK Steel for a 90-day transition and training period as U. S. Steel determines the appropriate staffing levels.

AK Steel has a plant in Butler Township.

Clearview Credit opens new branch

WEXFORD — Clearview Federal Credit Union is opening a new branch in Wexford on Wednesday.

There will be a grand opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at 3000 Village Run Road, in the Village at Pine Shopping Center.

Clearview Federal Credit Union already has a branch in Butler located at 600 Butler Crossing, and it has other locations in Allegheny and Beaver counties.

Airbags spur Mustang recall

DETROIT — Ford is recalling 1 million Mustang and GT sports cars because their driver’s side air bags could potentially explode.

The air bags made by Takata Corp. can inflate with too much force, spewing shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Ford recalled nearly 500,000 Mustangs and GTs for the problem in December. But facing government pressure, Takata agreed last week to expand the number of air bag inflators that need to be recalled to 33.8 million in the U.S.

As a result, Ford expanded its recall to include additional model years. Mustangs from the 2005 to 2014 model years are now included in the recall, as well as GTs from the 2005 and 2006 model years.

Ford will begin notifying owners next month.

Walmart raises pay for 100,000

NEW YORK — Walmart is raising starting wages for more than 100,000 U.S. department managers and workers in its deli and other specialized departments.

The moves mark the next wave of wage hikes by the nation’s largest private employer, which has been under pressure from labor-backed groups for the treatment of its workers. In February, it announced it was increasing minimum wages for entry-level and long-term hourly employees to at least $10 by next February. That increase affected 500,000 of its 1.3 million U.S. workers.

The wage hikes are part of a $1 billion program at Wal-Mart that also includes improving training and offering employees more control of their schedules.

From staff and wire reports