Date: October 28, 1999
Weirton, WV--The Independent Steelworkers Union today joined the United Steelworkers of America and Weirton Steel Corporation in challenging the dumping of illegally priced tin plate products from Japanese producers.
The two steelworker unions and Weirton Steel filed a trade suit today before the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Today's trade suit is the latest legal action brought by the Independent Steelworkers Union in a year long battle to halt illegal steel imports being dumped into the United States.
According to Mark Glyptis, President of the nearly 4,000 member Independent Steelworkers Union, Japanese steel makers started dumping tin plate into the United States as a result of the hot-rolled steel trade suits filed late last year.
"It is a never ending battle with the foreign steel companies who are intent on producing steel and selling it at very cheap prices in this country in order to take over our customer base," Glyptis said.
"All you have to do is visit some of the warehouse facilities in the Half Moon Industrial park here in Weirton to see the cheap foreign steel being shipped into this country," Glyptis added.
"It's almost a crime to see illegal foreign steel imports brought into a community where good quality American steel has been produced for nearly the last 90 years," Glyptis proclaimed.
Imports of tin mill product increased by 15 percent from 1986 to 1998. But foreign tin plate imports have now increased 51 percent from the first half of 1998 to the first half of 1999.
Glyptis said the American steel industry is suffering because of price cutting moves by the Japanese.
"The American tin producers are losing roughly 200,000 tons a year to the cheap Japanese tin imports and that means the loss of American jobs," Glyptis said.
"Earlier this year, approximately 10,000 American steelworkers lost their jobs because of the illegal foreign steel imports. At Weirton Steel we still have 134 Union members laid-off to the street," Glyptis declared.
"I am extremely pleased to be joined in this trade suit by the United Steelworkers because these Japanese imports affected all steelworkers across this country," Glyptis remarked.
"And I can assure the Japanese tin producers the people of Weirton will not go away. We have been in this fight for the past year and we will remain in the fight until we obtain a victory," Glyptis stated.
Contact:
Dave Gossett
304-748-8080 Union Hall
304-794-1045 Pager
740-264-7529 Residence