The letter urges that Japan be excluded from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations unless it opens its market to exports of steel from the United States and stops manipulating its currency to create a competitive disadvantage for U.S. manufacturers and workers.
 
March 2, 2015
Via Hand Delivery
The Honorable Michael B. Froman
United States Trade Representative
Office of the United States Trade Representative
600 17^th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20508

Re:	Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations

Dear Ambassador Froman:
On behalf of the Specialty Steel Industry of North America (“SSINA”) and the United Steelworkers (“USW”), we write to you concerning the negotiations to establish the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (“TPP”).
SSINA, the USW and our members believe that the TPP must provide enhanced market access overseas to U.S. products and encourage fair conditions of trade..  We are very concerned, however, about reports of continued intransigence of the Government of Japan on a variety of market access-related issues.  In seeking to join the TPP negotiations in 2013, senior officials in the Japanese government made clear that their country’s offers on market access would be consistent with the high ambition of the TPP.  The offers of Japan to date, however, appear to have fallen far short of these representations.  Accordingly, absent immediate offers by the Japanese government to provide meaningful new market access, we urge you to exclude Japan from further participation in the negotiations.
SSINA and USW members have been frustrated for many years by their inability to compete for business in the Japanese market, despite the fact that we produce highly competitive, state of the art products that are sought throughout the world.  Indeed, while many of SSINA’s members have significantly expanded sales of their products in overseas markets over the last several years, no significant new opportunities have been available in Japan.  The failure of the Japanese government to come forward with meaningful market access offers – despite their representations to the contrary – is unsurprising given our experiences in the Japanese market.
Further, like many other representatives of U.S. manufacturers and their workers, we are concerned about efforts by certain economies (including several in Asia) to depreciate their currencies in order to strengthen artificially the competitiveness of their domestic companies.  To the extent that a determination is made to provide the Japanese government with additional time to come forward with revised market access offers, we believe it is vital that the United States secure meaningful disciplines in the TPP on currency manipulation.  The inclusion of such provisions would be consistent with the support of bipartisan majorities of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, as well as leading labor and company executives throughout the United States.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Sincerely,

Leo W. Gerard International President United Steelworkers 60 Boulevard of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA  15222

Carl R. Moulton Chairman Specialty Steel Industry of North America 3050 K Street NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC  20007

 

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Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA) is a Washington, DC-based trade association representing virtually all continental specialty metals producers, which include high technology, high value stainless and other specialty alloy products.
 
The USW is the largest private-sector union in North America, representing 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining plus renewable energy products, chemicals, health care, and municipal governments.