CONTACT: Holly Hart, 202-778-4384, hhart@usw.org
(Pittsburgh) –United Steelworkers (USW) International President Thomas M. Conway issued the following statement in advance of the Democratic debate, calling on the 2020 presidential candidates to discuss the details of their proposed trade policies.
“Each of the Democratic presidential candidates who will debate tonight offers a vision dramatically different from the current president who has only made America less secure and more divided and has left U.S. workers and communities less safe due to deregulation. On so many issues, the president is taking America in the wrong direction.
“On the issue of trade policy, the candidates tonight must provide more specific answers and identify a clear path forward for America’s manufacturing workers.
“American workers and their employers have faced barriers and predatory practices from bad actors across the globe. More than 3.4 million U.S. workers have lost their jobs as a result of China’s illegal trade. Democratic candidates must offer a realistic plan for containing the Chinese dumping and overcapacity that have devastated so many American industries as well as for ending theft of intellectual property.
“Democratic presidential hopefuls must also detail their plans for reforming NAFTA and fashioning any future trade agreements to include better affordable medicine provisions, while incorporating enforceable labor and environmental standards.
“The candidates owe it to all American workers to identify what they will do to ensure that those who work hard and play by the rules have a chance to succeed in the global economy.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.