Steelworkers Applaud Obama Administration Acceptance of Trade Case

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.usw.org/media_center/releases_advisories?id=0335

(Pittsburgh) – The United Steelworkers (USW) released the following statement from International President Leo W. Gerard regarding the announcement by the Office of the United States Trade Representative that the Obama Administration has accepted the USW’s petition under Section 301 of the trade law seeking the elimination of Chinese policies and practices that adversely affect U.S. producers and their workers in the clean energy sector. A description of the petition appears below.

“President Obama showed again today that fighting for U.S. workers and their jobs is his top priority. He’s backed up his commitment to a clean energy future by making it crystal clear that that future is going to benefit all Americans.

“By accepting the petition the Steelworkers filed against China’s predatory and protectionist policies, it sends the message that America is not going to stand by while our jobs get outsourced. China and all of our trading partners need to understand that we want fair trade and that we’re not going to allow unfair and illegal trade practices to deny our farmers, workers and businesses of the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

“The Administration’s decision today starts an intense process designed to resolve our concerns about China’s vast array of policies and practices that they have assembled to dominate the alternative and renewable energy sector. Our goal, with the acceptance of this petition and the further verification and improvement of the potential cases, is that the Chinese will abandon their continuing effort to steal our jobs and ignore their commitments. Enough is enough: China needs to start playing by the rules they agreed to when they joined the WTO.

“Our nation has gone through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Today’s decision is further evidence that job creation and economic recovery are the central efforts of President Obama’s Administration and that his promise of a high and rising standard of living for all our people is one he intends to keep.

“Since we filed our petition on September 9, there has been a flood of support from the public and a growing number of elected officials. More than 185 Members of the House and 44 Senators have voiced their support for our case by signing letters urging acceptance of the petition. While a small handful of Republicans joined in supporting this effort, the overwhelming majority of support in the House and every signatory in the Senate were Democrats. Fighting for those who work hard and play by the rules shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but most Republicans appear to disagree.

FULL story at link.