·  USW, White House

Obama appoints Gerard to Advisory Committee on Trade Policy, Negotiations

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Sept. 17, 2010

Contact: Wayne Ranick (412) 562-2444,  wranick@usw.org

Pittsburgh -- United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard today said he is pleased to accept an appointment by President Barack Obama to the President's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.
 
"International trade and how it is conducted is of vital importance to the future of the United States and the members of the union I am so privileged to represent,'' Gerard said.
 
"I am grateful to President Obama for the confidence he has shown in me, and I pledge to work closely with the Administration to help resolve some of the issues we face in maintaining a fair trading system among nations."
            
The committee is part of a private sector advisory system established by Congress in 1974 to ensure that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiating-objectives adequately reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. It is made up of members who broadly represent key sectors and groups of the economy.
            
Gerard is a member of the AFL-CIO's Executive Committee and chairs the labor federation's Public Policy Committee. He is also co-chairman of the BlueGreen Alliance and a board member of the Apollo Alliance, Campaign for America's Future and the Economic Policy Institute.  He is a member of the IMF and ICEM global labor federations and was instrumental in creating Workers Uniting, the first global union.
            
The president appointed Gerard and several other influential leaders to the committee on Sept. 15, 2010. He is expected to announce additional members to the committee at a later date.

President Obama said, "I am grateful that these highly qualified men and women have agreed to lend their talents to this administration as we work to boost our nation's exports over the next five years. When ninety-five percent of the world's customers are beyond our borders, it is crucial that we compete for that business and those jobs. And we need to do so in a way that is responsible and fair, and that levels the playing field for American workers. I look forward to the wise counsel these individuals will provide on these issues as we work together in the coming months and years."

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