USW Joins Petition for Duties on Welded API Line Pipe Imports
10/27/2014 - The United Steelworkers (USW) union has joined a petition calling on the U.S. Commerce Department (DOC) and International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose antidumping and countervailing duties on welded API line pipe imports from South Korea and Turkey.
The union, along with steelmakers American Cast Iron Pipe Co., Energex, Maverick Tube Corp., Northwest Pipe Co., Stupp Corp., Tex-Tube Co., TMK IPSCO and Welspun Tubular LLC USA, is calling for duties on carbon and alloy welded API line pipe up to 24 inches in diameter, a product often used in oil and natural gas pipelines. Imports of such products from the two countries were valued at US$708 million in 2012 and US$601 million in 2013.
"These countries are exploiting the growing oil and gas drilling industry in the United States to try to tilt the playing field in their direction," said USW international president Leo W. Gerard. "They are attempting to squeeze American companies out of this growing market by unfairly subsidizing their own steel producers and by forcing their products onto our shores at below-market prices."
"These illegal trade practices have the potential to cause significant harm to American manufacturers, kill good-paying American jobs and inflict serious damage on our economy," Gerard said. "American workers and American steelmakers deserve to compete on a level playing field, and when our trade partners break the rules like this, we expect the ITC and the DOC to do what it takes to make sure that they play by the rules."
The ITC is expected to issue a preliminary determination by 1 December 2014, while preliminary decisions from the DOC are likely by next spring.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing workers in a wide range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, health care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.
"These countries are exploiting the growing oil and gas drilling industry in the United States to try to tilt the playing field in their direction," said USW international president Leo W. Gerard. "They are attempting to squeeze American companies out of this growing market by unfairly subsidizing their own steel producers and by forcing their products onto our shores at below-market prices."
"These illegal trade practices have the potential to cause significant harm to American manufacturers, kill good-paying American jobs and inflict serious damage on our economy," Gerard said. "American workers and American steelmakers deserve to compete on a level playing field, and when our trade partners break the rules like this, we expect the ITC and the DOC to do what it takes to make sure that they play by the rules."
The ITC is expected to issue a preliminary determination by 1 December 2014, while preliminary decisions from the DOC are likely by next spring.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing workers in a wide range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, health care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.
