USW Slams Trump on Broken Promises, Backs Biden

News provided by

Sep 17, 2020, 17:56 ET

EVELETH, Minn., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Steelworkers (USW) District 11 Director Emil Ramirez issued the following statement today in advance of Donald Trump and Joe Biden's respective campaign stops in Minnesota. For more on Trump's broken promises to workers in Minnesota and across the country, visit www.uswvoices.org/broken-promises:

"As Donald Trump makes his way to Minnesota, he leaves behind him a trail of broken promises.

"Three and a half years into his administration, American steel mills operate at a fraction of their capacity, steel prices have cratered, and steelworkers across the country and right here in Minnesota continue losing their jobs despite what Trump promised to do for the industry.

"His mishandling of Covid-19 – his lies and deliberate downplaying of how dangerous and deadly he knew the disease was – exacerbated the economic destruction.

"U.S. Steel Keetac remains idle and its 260 workers on layoff. And decreased steelmaking capacity across the country continues to impact taconite production.

"But this trend predates the pandemic, with nearly 8,000 steelworkers losing their jobs since January 2017, including more than 220 workers at Gerdau's steel mill in St. Paul.

"Recent videos spotlight the plight of these workers.

"It's long past time for America to have a leader who takes his responsibility to working people seriously, who deals in long-term strategic economic plans rather than fluent falsehoods.

"Joe Biden's plan to bolster domestic industries offers Minnesota a real chance for regrowth. He'll put Americans back to work by investing in our nation's crumbling infrastructure, prioritizing strong Buy American provisions, and rebuilding and securing our domestic supply chains so we no longer depend on foreign countries to meet our critical needs.

"That's why the USW proudly endorsed Biden for president: because he understands that American workers deserve a robust manufacturing policy and a genuine commitment to domestic jobs."

USW District 11 represents tens of thousands of workers in Minnesota and eight other Midwestern states. The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, [email protected]

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)