USW Urges USTR to Launch 201 Tire Investigation

Union Cites Spate of Recent Closures in Calling for Widespread Relief

Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, 412-562-2450, [email protected]; Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, [email protected]

Read the USW's letter to USTR here.

PITTSBURGH - The United Steelworkers union (USW) today sent a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer calling on him to initiate an investigation on imported tires under Section 201 of the Trade Act.

Domestic tire production has declined by roughly 40 percent since 2000, the USW wrote. Nine U.S. tire plants have announced closures in the past two years alone, resulting in the loss of more than 7,000 jobs.

"The domestic tire industry is in crisis," said USW International President Roxanne Brown. "This is not localized to a single part of the country or a certain product. These devastating losses are widespread and require immediate attention so that we can rebuild production."

The USW's letter notes that as domestic market share falls, countries like China have been rapidly expanding their capacity and targeting the U.S. market, with China's overall capacity estimated to be more than 1 billion tires.

"This surge in imports threatens our economic and national security, impacting not just transportation but also industrial, mining and agricultural operations. We call on USTR to institute measures that will help strengthen the domestic industry."

Brown called on the administration to prioritize workers and their communities as it works to stem further loss of production and jobs.

"Tire plants often serve as the bedrock of the communities in which they operate, paying good wages and strong benefits in areas where these types of jobs are hard to come by," said Brown. "Our fight to save the domestic tire industry is on behalf of all the workers who count on these careers so they can raise their families, support their local economies and give back to their communities."

Read the USW's letter to USTR here.

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 people in tech, higher education, public sector and service occupations.

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