ITC announces new tariffs to help level playing field for American workers
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on September 12 voted to establish new tariffs on hot-rolled steel imports from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Turkey – helping to level the playing field for American workers in the ongoing fight against illegal foreign steel dumping.
The decision follows a September 2 ITC vote to establish new tariffs on cold-rolled steel products from Brazil, India, Korea, and the United Kingdom. The new tariffs will be in effect for five years. Fact sheets for the U.S. government’s determination, antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CVD) duties can be viewed at: USDOC hot-rolled steel fact sheet, and USDOC cold-rolled steel fact sheet.
American steel companies and workers praised the ITC’s decision. U. S. Steel President and CEO Mario Longhi said the new tariffs are “yet another positive step towards establishing a level playing field,” vowing to continue efforts “to ensure fair trade and adherence to the rule of law.”
“The trade commission final rulings will back-off the river of illegal steel imports,” said United Steel Workers International President Leo W. Gerard, adding that the decision will hopefully return laid-off steelworkers. “Trade cases are only part of the solution. America’s steelworkers need immediate, forceful action on the bigger crisis of global steel overcapacity.”
Selling steel products below cost in order to gain market share and harm domestic producers, known as “predatory dumping,” has hit workers, families, and communities on Minnesota’s Iron Range hard. The Iron Ore Alliance – a joint initiative between the United Steelworkers and U. S. Steel – has been working hard to support a fairer trade system that helps American steel manufacturers and industries thrive.