Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, jkamm@usw.org, 412-562-2444
PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers union (USW) today welcomed President Joe Biden’s announcement strengthening and strategically redesigning tariffs on Chinese goods as a result of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 tariff review.
“The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, and flawed Chinese trade policies have had an outsized negative impact on our members,” said USW International President David McCall. “Now, the Biden administration’s work to strengthen relief measures shows we’re not backing down. Instead, we’re backing up our domestic producers and workers.”
The president will be highlighting the newly redesigned tariffs today at the White House, at an event in which USW members will proudly participate.
“The key to President Biden’s success in building a worker-centered trade policy is his multi-pronged approach,” said USW International Vice President Roxanne Brown. “His administration has been diligently confronting foreign unfair trade using established trade tools to stand up to the unfair and anticompetitive policies of trading partners like China. But just as importantly, President Biden has been strategically using investments here at home to reignite and renew America’s manufacturing capacity.”
McCall stressed that strengthening America’s manufacturing base requires a comprehensive approach, with no one-size-fits-all solution.
“From the CHIPS and Science Act to the Inflation Reduction Act, from new approaches on outbound investment to today’s tariff announcements and more, President Biden is addressing trade through an integrated set of solutions,” McCall said. “And moving forward, we know this administration will continue to show this same grit and ingenuity in standing up for workers, including the investigation it initiated last month into China’s transportation, logistics and maritime policies.
“President Biden’s comprehensive approach is achieving real results for real workers, promoting economic recovery and fostering a brighter future.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed 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.
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