Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
(PITTSBURGH) – The United Steelworkers (USW) union today welcomed the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) final affirmative determination on certain dumped and subsidized freight rail couplers from China.
“USW members at Amsted in Granite City, Ill., proudly manufacture coupler systems and railway components that contribute to our critical infrastructure,” said USW International President Tom Conway. “But like too many Americans, they’re forced to compete with unfairly traded foreign goods.
“This deliberate undercutting of domestic industries not only hurts individual workers, but whole communities that are left to grapple with the erosion of good, manufacturing jobs. We’re gratified that the ITC in this case saw the harm our members experience every day.”
The USW is part of a coalition that first filed antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions against China and Mexico on Sept. 29, 2021. It refiled the petition on Sept. 28, 2022.
USW Local 1063 President Antonio Wellmaker told the ITC in May 2022 that his Amsted facility lost 725 jobs over the course of only a few years as a result of illegally dumped and subsidized Chinese imports, leaving employment at the plant at less than 300.
“Amsted says that it relocated the bulk of its production from Granite City to Mexico so that they can compete with Chinese imports,” Wellmaker testified. While Amsted was originally a member of the petitioning coalition, it dropped out within days of filing the case.
“This situation makes clear how essential it is that workers can advocate on their own behalf when they face unfair trade,” said International Vice President Roxanne Brown, who testified before the ITC last month. “Fortunately, the USW had the standing to file a petition in this case – as we have in far too many like it. Until we achieve larger, systemic fixes to our trade system, it’s essential that workers themselves can continue to engage in this process and seek relief.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.