Sherrod Brown : Brown Highlights Trade Victories for Ohio Workers

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today highlighted recent trade victories for Ohio workers, including a new World Trade Organization (WTO) case against China to investigate its role in aluminum overcapacity that has forced thousands out of good jobs.

'Thousands have already lost jobs because China has flooded the market with unfairly subsidized aluminum. It's past time we get tough on these violations before more Ohio workers lose their jobs,' said Brown. 'These are important steps to creating a level playing field for Ohio workers in all industries. But we can't let up. We need a complete reset of our trade relationship with China, to make it clear they can no longer get away with this cheating - whether it's in the aluminum or steel or any other industry.'

The case, launched last Thursday, follows Brown's call on U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman to address China's aluminum industry trade violations. The Chinese government has subsidized its aluminum sector at an unfair rate, leading to overcapacity and production that has left the domestic aluminum industry at a competitive disadvantage. Fifteen thousand workers in U.S. aluminum production have lost their jobs in the last decade, including 1,500 this year alone.

During Brown's weekly conference call, he was joined by Donnie Blatt, who worked for Ormet for more than 20 years before it shuttered. Blatt, who now serves as the United Steelworkers (USW) District 1's Sub District Director, highlighted the toll of unfair trade policies on aluminum workers.

'China's reckless aluminum production, government subsidization and global overcapacity have decimated the U.S. domestic aluminum market,' said Blatt. 'I have witnessed firsthand as an employee in the aluminum industry and as a staff representative of the United Steelworkers, the devastation the closing of an aluminum producer can have on the worker, her or his family and the community where they live. I worked at Ormet, for more than 22 years collecting a living wage, healthcare benefits for myself and my family and building a defined benefit pension for the future. When Ormet permanently closed its doors, more than 1200 hourly and salaried American workers lost their incomes, healthcare and pensions. More than 16 surrounding communities, local school systems and public services also lost as well.'

Brown also played a role ina major win for Whirlpool and its facility in Clyde, Ohio. The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Whirlpool and 3,000 workers at its facility in Clyde were harmed by unfairly traded washing machine imports from China. Brown had called on ITC to make this ruling and testified at the case's final hearing in December 2016.

Brown has worked to level the playing field for Ohio workers and manufacturers by cracking down on countries that unfairly import their products into the U.S. at the expense of American workers.

Brown's legislation, the Leveling the Playing Field Act, signed into law in June 2015, has restored strength to antidumping and countervailing duty statutes that allow businesses and workers in the United States to petition the Commerce Department and the ITC when foreign producers sell goods in the U.S. below market price or receive illegal subsidies. The law led to key wins for Ohio steel companies in major trade cases last year on cold-rolled, hot-rolled, and corrosion-resistant steel, including U.S. Steel, Nucor, ArcelorMittal, and AK Steel, which together employ more than 8,200 Ohio workers.

To build on the success of recent cases, Brown wants to reset America's trade relationship with China to ensure that America's steel and aluminum industries can compete on a level playing field.

Brown wrote to President-elect Donald Trump in November 2016 offering specific ways to work together in order to overhaul U.S. trade policy to put workers first and hold China to its trade obligations. Specifically, Brown called on Trump to work with him to fight currency manipulation, maintain China's nonmarket economy status, and crack down on China's steel overcapacity, which has led to job losses in Ohio and nationwide.