U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (pictured, below) wants new laws to be passed that would stop foreign companies from dumping steel in the U.S. at bargain-basement prices, NewsChannel5's Paul Kiska reported.

The dumping process indirectly forced LTV Steel to lay off 500 workers last month. LTV, which employs 5,000 people and creates countless number of related jobs in the Cleveland area, is losing hundreds of millions of dollars because of cheap foreign steel.

During the first nine months of last year, LTV lost $106 million. In the same time period this year, the company lost $161 million -- $80 million in the third quarter alone.

LTV blames foreign companies that are dumping steel in the U.S. at prices so low they don't even cover the cost of making the steel.

LTV communications director Mark Tomasch said Thursday that the entire American steel industry is being systematically destroyed by the dumping of steel.

Kucinich said that he's forming a coalition to come up with a plan to help LTV.

"At this very moment, tens of thousands of families are affected directly and indirectly by this," Kucinich said.

The coalition will include members of northeast Ohio's corporate, financial and political community.

"I think LTV can survive, but only if the community goes all out, unlike anything we've seen in many years," Kucinich said.

Truck driver Willie Williams said that he is seeing the ripple effect of cheap foreign steel. He used to haul 20 loads of LTV steel a week, now he hauls just four loads a week.

"Things will probably get worse before they get better," Williams said. "I know that they'll do some laying off."

LTV workers, including George Maty, said that they have seen too many co-workers get laid off, and that it's time to dump dumping.

"I think America needs to help America first," Maty said.

Kucinich said that he plans to call Paul O' Neil, the man President-elect George W. Bush chose as U.S. Treasury Secretary.

Kucinich and LTV workers said that O' Neil and the next administration in Washington have to create and enforce new laws against dumping.