Tariffs Can Lift Up America
From the AFL-CIO
For years, America’s labor movement has called for targeted measures to counteract trade violations by China, which has used cybertheft, discriminatory policies and illegal government subsidies to systematically undermine U.S. technologies and intellectual property and gain unfair advantages in trade.
“Tariffs aren’t an end goal, but an important tool to end trade practices that kill American jobs and drive down American pay,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
America and our allies can and should employ tariffs to strategically target bad actions by trade partners when diplomacy fails.
China routinely has used cybertheft, discriminatory policies and illegal government subsidies to gain anti-competitive advantages that harm America’s industries, including aerospace products, computer technologies, movies, steel and aluminum, as well as other critical technologies and intellectual property.
Tactics like these from America’s trading partners cause real and lasting harm to working families and our communities. Factories close. Parents find themselves unable to find jobs to support families. And tax revenues for local governments dry up.
Strategic tariffs, used in cooperation with our allies and as part of a wholesale rewrite of rigged trade rules, will bring tough pressure to bear on China to play fair and are an important step toward creating a level playing field for America’s businesses and workers.
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