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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2020)
PAGE 6 | February 21, 2020 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS TRADE Report: Chinese imports still causing major U.S. job losses 2018, the trade deficit in the computer and electronic parts in- dustry grew the most — leading to the loss of 1.3 million jobs, 36% of total job losses. A new analysis by the Economic Supporters of China’s entry Policy Institute (EPI), a labor- into the World Trade Organiza- backed non-profit think tank, tion in 2001 claimed that the shows that trade deficits with move would create jobs and in- China cost 3.7 million U.S. jobs crease U.S. exports to China. between 2001 and 2018—in- However, China has continued to cluding 700,000 jobs lost in the engage in unfair trade practices, first two years of the Trump Ad- which have limited the growth of ministration. U.S. exports, Scott said. Mean- Despite the tariffs and other while, growth in outsourcing by restrictions imposed on China multinational companies has cre- trade by the Trump Administra- ated a flood of Chinese imports tion, the bilateral trade deficit into the United States, leading to continued to grow between 2016 rapidly growing trade deficits and 2018. and corresponding job losses. Job losses occurred in all 50 The U.S. trade deficit with China states and in has increased an- every con- nually by $19.8 CHINA TRADE DEFICIT gressional billion, or 10.0%, ■ 2001 $83 billion district, with on average since ■ 2018 $419.5 billion the highest 2001. Overall, rates of job the U.S trade loss occur- deficit with ring in New Hampshire, Oregon, China has grown from $83.0 bil- California, North Carolina, Min- lion in 2001 to $419.5 billion in nesota, Massachusetts, Wiscon- 2018, an increase of $336.5 bil- sin, Vermont, Indiana, and Idaho lion. — ranging from 2.81% to 3.66% “A fundamental transforma- of total state employment. The tion of the U.S.-China trade rela- report is authored by Robert E. tionship is long overdue,” said Scott, EPI’s Director of Trade EPI president Thea Lee, a former and Manufacturing Policy Re- national AFL-CIO trade policy search, with help from data ana- expert. “The top American trade lyst Zane Mokhiber. priority must be to address the “The growing trade deficit has structural roots of the imbalanced been driven by China’s history of and unfair trade relationship with currency manipulation and pri- China, including by ending cur- vate investors bidding up the rency misalignment and Chinese value of the U.S. dollar, making government subsidies to key in- imports cheaper in the U.S. mar- dustries. We need real dialogue ket and American-made goods with the Chinese government to more expensive for overseas make progress toward compli- consumers,” Scott said. ance with internationally recog- Scott said the Trump Admin- nized workers’ rights, ideally in istration’s newly announced coordination with our allies.” trade deal with China does noth- The impact of the trade ing to change an extremely unfa- deficit with China is not limited vorable exchange rate and fails to to direct job losses. Competition address the key structural con- with low-wage countries drives cerns responsible for the long- down wages and reduces bar- term trade imbalance, including gaining power for millions of China’s huge subsidies and mas- workers throughout the U.S. sive excess capacity in a wide economy. Scott and Mokhiber range of industries. find that trade with low-wage Job losses have occurred in countries like China is largely every industry, including sectors responsible for reducing wages in which the United States has by nearly $2,000 per worker per historically held a competitive year for all of the 100 million advantage, but three-fourths of U.S. workers without college the losses were in manufacturing degrees. Most of that income —an estimated 2.8 million jobs. was redistributed to corpora- China has also dominated global tions and to workers with col- trade in advanced technology lege degrees at the top of the in- products. Between 2001 and come distribution. The trade deficit with China eliminated 3.7 million U.S. jobs between 2001 and 2018. Who’s on our side? By Graham Trainor Oregon AFL-CIO President Humbly Recomitting to Justice for All One of the things I love about the Oregon Labor Movement is the collective in- terest in making the lives of ALL workers better, not just union-represented work- ers, on display every single day. There’s no question that at every step of the way in our fight for social and economic justice, an intentional and cynical agenda has been at play by corporations and billionaires to divide the working class by race, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, and every other wedge they can think of. And sometimes this divide-and-conquer strategy has unfortunately been successful. Our Labor Movement has been on the wrong side of history at times. During Black History Month every year, our Movement has an important re- minder to reflect on our past and prepare for our future. We have an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the struggle for social justice and civil rights at the same time we are preparing to fight for the dignity of the members we represent. And from my perspective, every one of these struggles is interconnected. Whether we’re talking about Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo and Times Up movements, the immigrant rights movement, or the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, every single one centers around justice for the working class. As Trade Unionists, we must never forget the intersectionality of our fights. We must understand and appreciate our interdependence on the broader fabric of organizations and individuals of con- science. Because corporations and the 1% want nothing more than to see us fight- ing, see us divided, and see us distracted. We in the Labor Movement also know the life-changing impacts of a union card. With wealth inequality continuing to break records and the constant attacks on working people, strong unions are essential, just as they have always been, to being a check to a profits-over-people economic system. I spend a lot of time talking about the winners and losers in today’s economy, and there’s no question that workers of color continue to fall further and further behind at far greater rates than white workers. The fact that black women earn just 61 cents on the dollar compared to their white male counterparts, while all women earn 80 cents on the dollar, speaks for itself. Our economy is not working for far too many workers. To put a finer point on this, and despite what you might have heard during the recent State of the Union address, Black workers are twice as likely to be unem- ployed as white workers even in the midst of today’s record-breaking unemploy- ment rates. Our economy is not equal, but we know union membership makes a substantial difference and helps even the playing field. That’s why it’s no surprise that Black workers are among the most likely to join unions, according to the Bu- reau of Labor Statistics. History shows us a tremendous legacy of bravery and leadership from Black unionists: Lucy Parsons, who was known as “more dangerous than a thousand ri- oters” by the Chicago police department, helped found the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in the early 1900’s. Russell Lasley, President of the United Packinghouse Workers of America fought housing discrimination in Chicago in the 1950s as well. The list goes on, and I encourage us all to continue learning more about the Black union leaders whose fights and fierceness have shaped our Movement. Our fight for fairness, dignity, respect, and equality will never stop so long as any worker is being left behind. Our work in Oregon as a national leader in tack- ling income inequality head-on with a focus on racial and gender justice as a guid- ing value gives me great pride. However, the statistics highlighting workers of color being left behind, particularly Black workers, are a stark reminder to me of the work we must continue year-round. The Oregon AFL-CIO is a 138,000-member-strong federation of labor unions.
