USW: Stewart Mills III Does Not Get to Decide What Matters to 8th District Workers

Contact: John Rebrovich, 218-744-2757 , jrebrovich@usw.org

(Duluth, Minn.) – United Steelworkers (USW) members in District 11 have called on Stewart Mills III, candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 8^th District, to stop stalling and take a position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

This comes after the multi-millionaire told a TV reporter he was not going to talk about the trade deal, because he does not want to talk about “issues that have nothing to do with moving the 8^th district forward.”

“Stewart Mills’ pollsters should have told him that the TPP has everything to do with Minnesota’s 8^th District,” said John Rebrovich, a USW member and District 8 voter. “Thousands of laid-off miners are without a job because of the same job-killing, unfair trade policies of the past that have outsourced American manufacturing to Mexico and allowed Asia to illegally dump tons of foreign steel into our markets.

“Mills would know that if he had even once met with a laid-off steelworker.

“Back in October, Mills’ spokesperson said he was reviewing the text of TPP. Now he tells a reporter that he just doesn’t want to talk about it. The details of the deal have been public for months – but Stewart Mills has simply decided that it doesn’t matter to workers. Minnesotans who have to struggle to put food on the table don’t have that luxury.

“Stewart Mills should listen to the working families he supposedly wants to represent. Minnesotan mining built our economy and helped America win World War II. Does Mills honestly need another three months to read the deal? Or is he following the advice of outside special interest groups who pour money into his campaign?”

The USW represents 850,000 men and women 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 public sector and service occupations. For more information:  www.usw.org.

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