USW Welcomes USTR Investigations on Overcapacity, Forced Labor

Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, [email protected]

(Pittsburgh) – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Roxanne Brown issued the following statement today in response to the U.S Trade Representative’s (USTR) announcement of Section 301 trade investigations regarding overcapacity in multiple manufacturing sectors and forced labor:

“The USW welcomes the USTR’s investigations into global overcapacity and forced labor, two issues on which our union has long fought as we seek to preserve workers’ rights and restore fair trade.

“For too long, global overcapacity has plagued a broad array of manufacturing sectors, including steel, aluminum and many others, harming our members and their communities and jeopardizing our national and economic security. We must push back against China and other bad actors as they swamp world markets with their excess capacity and undermine our domestic industries.  

“On top of this, forced labor continues to persist not only in China, but in other countries. This is exacerbated by widespread failure to adopt and implement appropriate measures to halt imports of goods produced by those forced to toil in unacceptable conditions.

“We must uncover those abusing workers and profiting from their labor so that we can improve working conditions for workers across the world. We must also coordinate with countries like Canada and other allies to root out this issue, giving them time and technical assistance to build their capacity as together we end human rights abuses.

“While these measures may be part of a broader tariff debate, that does not diminish their importance or the urgent need to address them. Workers have suffered from a broken trade system for decades. Now is the time to provide them with relief.”

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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