Portman Op-Ed in Sandusky Register Highlights Efforts to Protect Ohio Whirlpool Workers Against Unfair Trade Practices
In a new op-ed published in the Sandusky Register, Senator Portman highlighted his successful effort working alongside the Trump administration to level the playing field for Ohio workers at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio. Since joining the Senate in 2011, Portman has fought on behalf of Ohio Whirlpool workers against unfair trade practices. Specifically, Portman has consistently worked to level the playing field for Whirlpool and its 10,000 Ohio workers, including the more than 3,000 workers at Clyde -- Whirlpool’s largest American factory.
Portman is the co-author of the ENFORCE Act and the Leveling the Playing Field Act, legislation that is paying dividends for Ohio’s workers, and he has worked closely with Whirlpool and its Ohio employees to combat unfair foreign trading practices. In 2012, Portman sent a letter urging the Commerce Department to defend Whirlpool, which returned all production to the United States in 2008. He also provided testimony to the ITC on four separate occasions on behalf of Whirlpool. In response to evidence of foreign companies dumping their washers in the U.S. market, the ITC heeded Portman’s concerns and penalized those foreign companies with anti-dumping tariffs. After foreign competitors moved production to other countries to avoid paying those anti-dumping tariffs, Portman advocated for Whirlpool’s Section 201 “safeguards” case to impose global tariffs on washing machines. President Trump imposed those Section 201 tariffs in January 2017.
The op-ed can be viewed here and excerpts are below:
Trump’s Tariffs Helped Whirlpool
Senator Rob Portman
August 11, 2020
For nearly 70 years, the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio, has produced some of the best washing machines in the world. I was proud to recommend to the Trump Administration that the president visit the plant, especially given the successful efforts we have undertaken with President Trump to protect the workforce from unfair foreign trade.
The impact of Whirlpool on the Clyde community is hard to measure. In a town of less than 6,500 residents, Whirlpool employs 3,200 workers. The factory has produced marriages, families, and friendships, and the tax contributions have helped pay for schools, bridges, and roads.
But despite Whirlpool’s deep Ohio roots, the future of its Clyde plant looked bleak up until fairly recently. Foreign competitors had for years been participating in an unfair trade practice known as “dumping,” where their washing machines were sold in the United States at less than it cost to produce. As with any kind of cheating, Whirlpool found it hard to compete.
That’s why, since I got elected to the Senate in 2011, I have joined with Senator Sherrod Brown to successfully level the playing field for Whirlpool’s workers to ensure they can effectively compete with their foreign competitors, including passing legislation and testifying before the International Trade Commission (ITC) four times to combat these unfair foreign trading practices.
…
With approval from the ITC in hand, President Trump took decisive action to protect Whirlpool and its workers at Clyde. President Trump’s decision to impose global tariff-rate quotas on finished washing machines as well as parts has led to a decline in unfairly-traded imports and given Whirlpool a fair chance to compete. These measures have been critical to preserving the thousands of jobs at Clyde, and Whirlpool has taken advantage of this opportunity by investing in new products, in new technology, and in its workers.
…
Through it all, Whirlpool is an example of how American companies can compete and win when we’re given a fair chance. As we continue to fight for a level playing field for our businesses and their workers, we should look to the success story of Clyde, Ohio. I am glad the president got to see the best washing machines in the world being made and I’m committed to continuing to protect Clyde’s world class workforce from unfair trade.
###