Citing what it calls the "current reality of weak automotive production in the United States," steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. plans a temporary idling of some operations at its Dearborn, Michigan, plant, resulting in the layoff of about 600 employees this summer.

Cleveland-Cliffs confirmed Tuesday it will lay off 600 workers at its Dearborn Works plant as part of plans to temporarily idle parts of the facility, a decision the steel producer says was driven by weak automotive production in the United States.

Facing a slowdown among their large automotive clients, the leaders of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. have in recent days said they will idle two plants in Minnesota and another in Michigan and lay off roughly 1,200 workers.