Duluth News Tribune - National View: Level Playing Field for Minnesota Steelworkers

Op-Ed

By Rep. Rick Nolan, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Al Franken

With a level playing field, steelworkers on the Iron Range can compete with anyone in the world. Unfortunately, with the U.S. Steel announcement that it is idling operations at its Minntac and Keetac plants, on top of the idlings at the Magnetation and Mesabi Nugget plants, it is clear that this level playing field needs to be restored.

These temporary plant closures and job losses are a result of the illegal dumping of foreign steel products in our country and the declining prices stemming from an excess of steel on the global market. Basically, Iron Range workers are being forced to compete with foreign companies that aren't playing by the rules.

That's why we recently called a meeting with top Obama administration officials at the White House to press for action to address this problem. Administration officials shared our concerns about illegal dumping. While these talks represented progress, we know action is needed. As was recently pointed out in this newspaper, the specifics of that action are important.

The needed changes start with strengthening laws intended to protect our industries and workers from illegal foreign imports. Our laws should be changed to improve standards used to determine if anti-dumping enforcement actions are necessary, to make faster determinations of whether foreign nations are illegally dumping steel into the United States, and to ensure that the workers and their families affected by plant closures receive the full slate of federal benefits available to them.

One of the most important things we can do is restore the strength of our anti-dumping laws by expanding the list of factors that the government can consider when determining whether a domestic industry has suffered "material injury" as a result of unfairly traded imports.

We also need to streamline investigations and strengthen enforcement actions against countries dumping steel in America. Under the current system, countries like South Korea or China can flood the market and then simply wait out the process or funnel nearly identical products into the U.S. through a different country. Between the hearings, appeals and legal wrangling, it can take years before a decision is made and by that time the damage already has been done. Penalties assessed against violations would provide a much-needed deterrent to foreign exporters that are circumventing the system to gain market share in the United States.

We can also tackle this problem at our ports by boosting inspections of shipments coming in from overseas. We should add more Customs and Border Protections officers in the ports and provide better training to help the officers identify and crack down on illegal shipments. This is a simple, common-sense solution that could make a huge difference.

Lastly, we need to do everything possible to support and protect the well-being of workers and their families facing layoffs. On a federal level, that means ensuring access to Trade Adjustment Assistance. This program is designed to assist workers who have lost jobs due to foreign imports by providing 104 weeks of job training and unemployment benefits. Congress needs to renew this program, which is set to expire at the end of September, and we will be fighting to make that happen.

We are committed to working together and standing up for our dedicated and hard-working steelworkers. Action is needed to bring back the level playing field that will allow the Iron Range to thrive for generations to come.

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