Portman, Brown welcome trade enforcement win protecting USW & Ohio paper workers

U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced that they welcomed the ruling from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) protecting United Steelworkers.

Tuesday’s DOC ruling covers dumping duty determinations on uncoated paper imports from five countries including China, Brazil and Indonesia. This case affects workers at Ohio paper mills such as Glatfelter in Chillicothe, Domtar in Washington Court House and Mohawk Fine Papers in Hamilton.
 

[[In-content Ad]]“American workers are in dire need of relief from these unfairly subsidized and undersold imports that hurt Ohio jobs,” Portman said. “I’m pleased with today’s ruling and will continue my push to ensure that Ohio manufacturers and workers are able to compete on a level playing field.”
 
“Paper producers in Ohio and across the country have been hit by unfairly traded imports in the uncoated paper industry,” Brown said. “This decision shows our workers that our government stands ready to crack down on countries that cheat our trade laws, cost us jobs and jeopardize our market share. We must continue to fight illegal dumping and subsidies to ensure that American workers can compete on a level playing field.”
 
Tuesday’s ruling follows a letter written by Portman and Brown, who expressed strong support of the ITC’s preliminary phase investigations that found evidence that the imports in question are dumped at significant margins and that imports from China and other countries benefit from a wide array of government subsidies. That letter follows up on efforts last year to help other Ohio paper workers facing threats.
 
Also last year, Portman and Brown announced that their bipartisan Leveling the Playing Field Act was signed into law. This bill will give U.S. companies and workers – like the paper industry – new tools to fight against unfair trade practices.