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Apr 14, 2008 12:16 pm US/Eastern
Steel Execs Want Help In Dealing With China
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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U.S. Steel Corporation's Clairton Coke Works plant
KDKA
According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Pennsylvania has lost 78,000 jobs as a result of the trade deficit to China.
KDKA's Bob Allen reports the list of local companies is a who's who of manufacturers starting with U.S. Steel.
"U.S. Steel spends about ten times as much on environmental compliance as these Chinese firms do," said Scott Paul of the Alliance of American Manufacturing. "This has a big impact. Allegheny Technologies, which is a local company that makes high-tech metals which are important to or national defense, faces subsidies competition from China. Wheatland Pipe and Tube just up the road towards Butler is facing all sorts of competition from China."
Right now the U.S. has a $256 billion trade deficit with China.
Everyday $700 million worth of products are sent here which is far more that what's exported.
China is accused of not playing by the rules by subsidizing its industries by dumping cheap products on the market, manipulating its currency, and by lax labor and environmental laws.
"The Chinese government has a manufacturing policy and our nation does not," said Hollie Hart of the United Steelworkers Union. "They realize the value of manufacturing jobs. They realize that it's created our middle class and we're losing our middle class as we lose our manufacturing base."
The alliance claims the current administration has not done anything.
That is why it held today's forum to find out where the presidential candidates stand on the issue.
After losing 1.8 million jobs to china since 2001, the Alliance for American Manufacturing and the United Steelworkers say the candidates are now paying more attention to this issue.
The groups say the job losses will only get worse if nothing is done.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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