PITTSBURGH (Jan. 25, 2017) — The United Steelworkers (USW) union is calling the prospect that the U.S. will impose elevated antidumping and countervailing duties on truck and bus tire imports from China a "major victory for American rubber workers, their families and their communities…."
The Department of Commerce (DOC) this week affirmed that there should be elevated antidumping duties Chinese-sourced truck and bus tires in the range of 9 to 23 percent and countervailing duties ranging from 40 to 65 percent.
The case — prompted by a USW petition a year ago — now goes to the International Trade Commission (ITC), which still must decide if workers and industry have been injured by these imports before any duties become permanent. The ITC is scheduled to rule by March 6.
The DOC investigation looked into whether truck and bus tires from China were benefitting from illegal government subsidies and were being dumped in the U.S. at below-market prices. The DOC said it found evidence to support both claims, the USW said.
"Every sector of the U.S. tire industry has been under siege from China's unfair and illegal trade practices," said USW International Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, who chairs the union's national rubber and tire bargaining conference.
The USW claims China's "predatory policies" have allowed it to capture an increasing share of the U.S. market, threatening jobs at tire plants throughout the U.S. Imports of truck and bus tires from China totaled more than $1 billion in 2015, accounting for nearly half of all imports.
"The USW has consistently fought for relief for the entire rubber and tire industry, from passenger car and off-road vehicle tires to truck and bus tires," Mr. Johnson said. "We're extremely pleased to see strong action to protect good-paying, family-supporting jobs and preserve market share for American employers."
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.