USW

Landmark reforms were aimed at halting deforestation, illegal wood products

Washington, D.C. (Nov. 3) -- The Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers (USW) today voiced concerns over a decision by regulators to grant special exemptions for pulp and paper from the Lacey Act reforms of 2008.

These landmark reforms aim to protect the world’s forests and communities by halting the import and sale of illegally-sourced wood products in the U.S. Under the Lacey Act reforms importers must declare the country and harvest of origin for their products, an essential step to creating transparency in a previously unregulated market where US demand was driving deforestation around the world.

The concerns were submitted in joint comments to the Federal Register on Nov. 2.    » read more »

New bill by key Senators to reinvigorate ‘Super 301’ authority for U.S. agency

Washington, DC (Nov. 3, 2009) – Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) today announced strong support for the ‘Trade Enforcement Priorities Act of 2009’ (S. 1982) introduced by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would breakdown foreign barriers for exports to help create American jobs.    » read more »

Washington, DC (Oct. 15, 2009) – The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) began their investigation of the trade case filings by the United Steelworkers (USW) and three domestic companies against coated paper imports from China and Indonesia at a preliminary hearing yesterday.

“We have seen thousands of job losses by multiple plant shutdowns in coated paper manufacturing caused by imports since the period examined in the last petition to enforce fair trade rules against the flood of subsidized imports from Asia,” said Leo W. Gerard, USW international president.    » read more »

Washington, DC (Oct. 2, 2009) – Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) joined an environmental leader, a U.S. Senator and manufacturing advocates yesterday to unveil a new report on what is needed in climate change legislation to protect American manufacturing jobs as the U.S. Senate gets underway with completing work on a new bill.

The report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) showed a state-by-state breakdown of 4.1 million jobs could be at risk unless Congress maintains international competitiveness by enacting measures to help energy-intensive and trade sensitive manufacturers dealing with new climate change standards and to prevent what is called carbon leakage.    » read more »

Savannah, Ga—Several international unions representing hundreds of thousands of chemical and food industry workers today again criticized the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) for not recommending strong standards to prevent deadly explosions in factories handling combustible dusts, despite the board’s prior endorsement of such a step.

The unions reacted to the CSB’s new report on the deadly sugar dust explosion on Feb. 7, 2008, at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Ga. The explosion killed fourteen people, injured scores of others and severely damaged the plant.    » read more »

Sept. 15, 2009 -- PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said President Obama’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese consumer tires was simply a matter of enforcing existing trade laws.

“It’s our union’s responsibility to defend our members and to do it in a way that is within the law and that’s what we have done,” USW International President Leo W. Gerard said. “We’re not against trade. We want a level playing field.

"President Obama rightly rejected groundless retaliation threats and imposed relief based on the merits of this case." The President correctly explained today that "enforcing trade agreements is part and parcel of maintaining an open and free trading system," said Gerard.    » read more »

Now seeks President Obama’s support to save U.S. jobs & plants

Washington, D.C. (Jun. 29) – The United Steelworkers (USW) applauded today’s vote by the International Trade Commission (ITC) for a tariff remedy in the union’s Section 421 petition against a surge of low-priced and market disrupting consumer tires from China.

Leo W. Gerard, USW international president, declared: “Today’s remedy vote by the ITC is a great victory for the USW, its members and for all U.S. tire workers. The tariffs voted by the commissioners should remedy the market disruptive surge in Chinese tire imports that have caused harm to the domestic industry.”    » read more »

Says China’s export quotas, taxes are illegal trade barriers that hurt U.S. manufacturing workers

Washington, D.C. (Jun. 23) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today gave strong support for a new World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute filed by the United States and European Union, challenging China’s export restrictions on key raw materials and minerals used in manufacturing.

The U.S. and the EU have requested WTO consultations with the Chinese government regarding export restrictions placed on a variety of raw materials and minerals, including bauxite, coke, zinc, silicon metal, silicon carbide, fluorspar, yellow phosphorous, magnesium and manganese.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) International Executive Board has unanimously endorsed Richard Trumka as the next president of the AFL-CIO.

Trumka, the federation’s current secretary-treasurer, is looking to succeed retiring AFL-CIO President John Sweeney at its convention in Pittsburgh this September. Trumka was first elected AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer in 1995.

“Not only does Richard have the experience and the intellectual capacity to do the job, he brings great heart and passion to the fight for issues that matter to America’s working families,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- (Pittsburgh) – This week’s U.S. Commerce Department’s report of the $29 (B) billion April trade deficit highlights the continued threat China poses to a possible economic recovery fueled by a resurgence in industrial manufacturing.

While the 2009 imbalance to date remains below last year’s record pace, China is still responsible for more than half (57%) of the overall U.S. trade deficit in April, the most recent month for which data is available.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Pittsburgh – Workers employed at a Los Angeles carwash who are seeking to improve their standard of living by forming a labor union with the United Steelworkers (USW) are one step closer to achieving victory following a complaint issued May 28 against Vermont Hand Wash Inc., by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

When some 40 employees decided in April 2008 to exercise their rights to organize a union to bargain collectively with carwash owner Benny Pirian, they became subject to threats, intimidation, humiliation, unlawful interrogation and surveillance, according to the NLRB’s complaint. Vermont Hand Wash management has been charged with targeting and firing three union leaders because of their union activities.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard today asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to give the U.S. tire industry a “fighting chance” to survive the waves of low-priced and unfairly traded imports of consumer tires flooding the domestic market from China.

Gerard and other USW officers on the trade petition that seeks to stem those imports and rebuild the domestic industry. Members of Congress also testified and dozens of tire workers from affected plants sat in the hearing room.

Senators Robert Casey and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and other Democratic lawmakers argued before the commission that the case is a chance for President Barack Obama to chart a new course for U.S. trade policy.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) will present testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Tuesday, Jun. 2, along with other USW officers involved with the domestic tire industry in a major trade case that seeks to stem the flood of imported consumer tires from China. Ten Members of Congress will also testify.    » read more »

Cites Her Strong Interpretation of Law; Enforcement of Statutory Rights for Workers

May 26, 2009 -- PITTSBURGH, -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today commended President Obama on his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court. First nominated by President George H.W. Bush to the federal court, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic justice -- and only the third woman justice -- in the history of the nation's highest court.

"Judge Sotomayor is a sound, progressive judge who is blessed with a brilliant legal mind," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. "Her journey from a South Bronx housing project to the pinnacle of the legal profession proves that the American Dream is true: with hard work and perseverance, nothing is beyond imagination."    » read more »

Washington, DC (May 22) – The United Steelworkers (USW) called today’s affirmative vote by the U.S. International Trade Commission to proceed with the trade case investigation against China imports of oil country tubular goods an urgent step for the thousands of laid-off workers at idled pipe production facilities of seven domestic companies.

“The OCTG producers and jobless pipe workers are paying the price of China’s massive government subsidies and unfair dumping of imports in our market,” USW President Leo W. Gerard declared. “More than a third of this industry’s 6,000 workers are now laid off, threatening the future of a critical product used in our energy extraction industry.”    » read more »