Contact: Holly Hart, 202-778-4384
Pittsburgh -- The United Steelworkers (USW) issued the following statement after the release of a report by the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity. The forum, created through the action of the G20 leaders, has met to discuss overcapacity in the global steel sector, its implications and what policy measures might be implemented to address the issue.
Two years of dialogue and meetings resulted in a 52-page report and a set of principles that acknowledges there is global steel overcapacity which is continuing to grow. For the participants in the Global Forum, this may be viewed as a victory, but for workers in the steel sector in the United States, it is just another sign that political leaders are fiddling while Rome burns.
The USW appreciates the hard work that U.S. negotiators put into this process and the strong stances they took on key principles. Yet as attacks on the U.S. steel sector continue, only further dialogue is scheduled. The new report fails to identify specific disciplines, timelines or targets for resolving the problem. A real plan for action is the only thing that will work.
Last year during the election, then-candidate Trump promised action to revitalize domestic steel-making capacity and job creation. In April, as President, he initiated an investigation on the impact of steel imports on our national security. The deadline for action has long passed, and steel workers, their families and communities across the country are still waiting for action. The Global Forum’s report makes clear that the U.S. must unilaterally act to protect our national security.
Protecting our national security and the jobs of those in the steel sector should not be held hostage to a tax cut for the rich. It is time for the Administration to do what it promised.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: http://www.usw.org/.