Washington, D.C. – As China floods the U.S. with tire imports,
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today urged the International Trade
Commission to immediately hold a hearing on this issue. The United Steelworkers’ (USW) has filed a case
under Section 421 of U.S. trade laws to address rising imports of tires from
China. In Tonawanda, Goodyear Dunlop Tires was forced to offer a buyout package
to its 1,110 employees to scale back production due to the increase in imports.
Additional jobs remain in jeopardy without government action.
“Over the last four years, tire imports
from China have increased by more than 200 percent in volume and close to 300
percent in value. This dramatic increase in imports – close to 46 million
tires – has disrupted the market for many of our domestic tire manufacturers,
affecting jobs in New York and across the country,” said Senator Gillibrand “I
hope that the International Trade Commission will provide an expeditious
hearing of the United Steelworkers case, and that the Administration upholds
its responsibility to fairly enforce our trade agreements.”
Section 421 of the
Trade Act of 1974 allows relief to be granted in response to a surge of Chinese
imports that may cause a market disruption for domestic producers. The
case is heard by the International Trade Commission which proposes relief if
appropriate, with the President making the final decision.