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Brown, Ryan talk to steelworkers about unfair trade
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, had a roundtable discussion Monday with about a dozen steelworker union leaders about unfair trade practices affecting factory workers.
The talk took place at the United Steelworkers Union hall on North Park Avenue.
Mark Murray, who works at Thomas Steel Strip in Warren, also known as Tata Steel, said the United Steelworkers have filed “numerous trade cases” with the U.S. Industrial Trade Commission regarding unfair trade practices, but it costs millions of dollars. And, the process of filing such cases takes “way too long,” he said.
“You’ve got to cut that down. First, you have to show harm, and when harm’s already been done ... it’s hard to go back and say here’s the action ... let’s go back and hire the 200 or 300 people who have lost their jobs.”
Brown said he and Ryan have seen this in unfair-trade cases filed by Vallourec Star of Youngstown and Wheatland Tube, “where it’s clear China is cheating. While we’re proving it – because we’re a country of laws – it takes 18 months,” he said. Brown said the process requires a company to prove it’s been damaged “and sometimes companies go out of business. And each time it inflicts a whole lot of damage on the company and the workers. ... that’s exactly what we’re trying to speed up,” Brown said.
Rich Sayers, who works for ArcelorMittal, which makes steel for appliances and automobiles and has a coke plant in Warren, says bad trade deals over the decades have have “hurt the American worker for far too long.”
“My local used to have 1,500 people. We’re down to around 200 now,” he said. Local 1375 used to represent workers at the WCI Steel plant south of Warren that closed several years ago, idling more than 1,000 workers. Most of the mill has since been demolished.
Carla Sattler, among several United Steelworker Union members in attendance who work at Comprehensive Logistics of Austintown, said she’s concerned about the impact of losing manufacturing jobs. The company assembles rear axles and other parts for GM Lordstown cars.
“My worry is where are young people going to have jobs?” she said. Comprensive Logistics recently laid off its third shift of about 150 workers when GM Lords- town eliminated its third shift. Comprehensive Logistics also will lose about 50 more workers because of the slowdown at GM Lords- town that will take place this July, said George Carson, president of Local 0621 of the United Steelworkers Union.