DRAFT US union upbeat after latest tire-dumping decisions

Washington — The United Steelworkers said it is generally pleased with the International Trade Commission’s Feb. 19 decision on off-the-road tires.

The USW and Titan Tire Corp. had filed a joint petition 8 Jan requesting antidumping and countervailing duty investigations against OTR tires mounted on wheels imported from China and against both mounted and unmounted OTR tires imported from India and Sri Lanka.

On 19 Feb, the ITC voted 6-0 that there is reasonable indication that Indian and Sri Lankan OTR tire imports are causing injury to the US OTR tire industry. However, it also ruled 6-0 that mounted OTR tires imported from China have a negligible effect on the US OTR industry.

“The commission vote puts USW-represented tire workers one step closer to the relief they need from unfairly traded off-the-road tires,” USW international president Leo Gerard said in a 22 Feb statement.

“Countries around the world are dumping and subsidizing their products to take advantage of our market, forcing us to fight unfair trade after injury has already been inflicted,” Gerard said. “Our government should be initiating action, not us.”

Gerard said he was disappointed in the commission’s decision on mounted Chinese OTR tires, but he added that the USW and Titan won a previous case on unmounted Chinese OTR tires.

There have been high antidumping and countervailing duties on unmounted Chinese OTR tires since 2008, the year after Titan and the USW petitioned the ITC for relief.

Meanwhile, the USW is pleased the ITC and the Commerce Department are proceeding swiftly on the union’s petition for antidumping and countervailing duties against truck and bus tires imported from China, Gerard said.

The ITC held a preliminary hearing on the Chinese truck and bus tire petition 19 Feb, the same day the Commerce Department decided there was sufficient evidence of injury to initiate an investigation against Chinese truck and bus tire imports.

The USW represents some 6,000 workers at five truck and bus tire plants in the US.