The United Steelworkers union president is moving to dismiss a lawsuit from U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, saying it’s against First Amendment rights.

“It is both our right and our responsibility to speak out against the kinds of mergers that U.S. Steel and Nippon were proposing — a sale that would have hurt both our members and our national security,” President David McCall said in a Wednesday news release. “This includes lobbying our elected officials at all levels of government and is a fundamental protection for all Americans.”

The steel companies filed the lawsuit in January after former President Joe Biden blocked the $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel. If approved, the deal would have brought more than $1 billion to the company’s Gary Works facility.

Multiple lawsuits were filed in January, which the companies promised to do in a Jan. 3 statement. The first — in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit — alleged the blocking violated due process and statutory procedural requirements and unlawful evidence, and asked the court to set aside the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ review process and Biden’s blocking order.

The second was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Cleveland-Cliffs, its CEO Lourenco Goncalves and McCall for “illegal and coordinated actions” to prevent the deal. The steel companies allege McCall and the union violated federal anti-trust laws and Pennsylvania state tort laws for interference with contract.

The lawsuit came three days after Biden blocked the deal, according to USW’s news release.

In a statement Wednesday, a U.S. Steel spokesman said the two companies would be responding to McCall’s motion to dismiss. The lawsuit will be heard by the court on March 12.

“We will continue to pursue our claim that the defendants have entered into an illegal agreement to subvert the transaction, as Cleveland Cliffs attempts to monopolize key North American steel markets critical to the American economy and its consumers,” the statement said. “There are no valid legal defenses to that illegal conduct. We remain confident that the facts and law are on our side.”

Mike Millsap, director of District 7, didn’t respond to request for comment Wednesday.

McCall and USW leadership had expressed opposition to the potential deal multiple times. Biden blocked the deal on national security concerns.

Biden and President Donald Trump both understand that it’s imperative for the U.S. to have a robust domestic steel industry into the future, McCall had previously said.

He also mentioned problems with U.S. Steel’s business model, specifically idling or closing operations in Gary, Great Lakes, Granite City and UPI, according to Post-Tribune archives. Nippon Steel intended to follow that business model.

McCall claimed U.S. Steel canceled investments in Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley and invested in Big River Steel, a non-union facility in Arkansas.

“At the same time, Nippon and U.S. Steel were dumping tens of millions of dollars into lobbying and public relations campaigns, trying to convince us, our elected leaders and the public at large that they had a vision for a future,” McCall said. “The public relations campaign caused some public officials to focus on the short-term gain of community benefit promises, but if they had investigated the facts, they would have realized kissing (the) ring in the long-term is an effort in futility.”

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and two Pennsylvania mayors were critical of USW leadership’s position on the deal.

Following Biden’s decision, Melton said he was deeply disappointed and that the purchase would’ve been best for families. He had been supportive of the deal since August.

Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori said if the deal was approved, the company planned to invest $1 billion in Gary Works and nearly $3 billion into its union-represented facilities.

Last August, Nippon Steel announced it would put about $300 million toward the facility, updating the blast furnace and extending its life by up to 20 years. Northwest Indiana environmental activists have called blast furnaces outdated and said they would prefer a direct reduction furnace because it is more environmentally and economically friendly.

“The potential sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel presented a significant opportunity for Gary and the American steel industry to grow and prosper,” Melton said in a statement following Biden’s decision. “Now, we face an uncertain future, with Gary Works potentially losing investment and jobs.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune .com