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AAM director urges Congress to strengthen, enforce trade laws; hold violators accountable
Paul says flaws in U.S. trade policies create uncertainty for America’s
workers, manufacturers; threaten their economic security
Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2007) - Calling on Congress to strengthen and enforce U.S. trade laws, the head of a new labor-management alliance said that the current unwillingness to hold violators, like China, accountable is threatening the economic security of America’s workers and manufacturers.
Citing the experiences of workers from a cross section of industries, including furniture manufacturing and steel, Alliance for American Manufacturing Executive Director Scott N. Paul noted the personal impact U.S. trade policy has on Americans.
“The inability, and in many cases the unwillingness, of policymakers in Washington to enforce current trade laws has allowed the deck to be stacked against U.S. manufacturers and workers,” Paul said. “This has contributed to the anxiety and uncertainty many Americans feel about their jobs, their future, and perhaps most importantly for them, their children’s future.”
Paul’s remarks during a hearing on trade and the American worker came before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. In his testimony, Paul noted that:
- America’s future growth, security and leadership in the global economy will depend on the strength and viability of its manufacturing base. Manufacturing generates about $1.4 trillion of the U.S. gross domestic product, directly employs 14 million Americans and supports eight million more.
- However, since 2000, the U.S. has lost nearly 3 million manufacturing jobs and seen more than 40,000 manufacturing facilities shut down.
- Open markets can benefit everyone – investors, consumers, companies and workers – but only if the rules are fair and only if those rules are aggressively enforced and appropriately enhanced.
- Americans are all too aware that dependency on foreign sources of energy creates daunting limitations for foreign policy and national security. It makes no sense to exacerbate that problem by also relying on other nations to make what America needs to protect its citizens and defend itself.
“In industries as diverse as garlic, honey, computer chips, cement, steel and many others, American businesses and workers are facing a torrent of subsidized products made by workers overseas who are paid artificially low wages in deplorable conditions,” Paul said. “Americans need rules that are fair to everyone, and they need those rules enforced.”
Click here for a PDF of this release: 03.28.07 Paul Testimony
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The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a unique non-partisan, non-profit partnership forged to strengthen manufacturing in the U.S. AAM brings together a select group of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers to promote creative policy solutions on priorities such as international trade, energy security, health care, retirement security, currency manipulation, and other issues of mutual concern. For more information: www.americanmanufacturing.org.
