A WTO victory for Obama administration & labor on Labor Day

[carmenjones]

China loses WTO appeal against U.S. tire tariffs
GENEVA | Mon Sep 5, 2011 1:52pm EDT

(Reuters) - The United States was entitled to impose extra safeguard duties on imports of Chinese tires, the World Trade Organization's top court said on Monday, upholding a ruling made in December 2010.

The United States imposed the 35 percent duties in September 2009 after the United Steelworkers union complained that surging Chinese imports were hurting U.S. producers.

WTO rules allow members to impose temporary extra tariffs on goods to counter a destabilizing flood of imports.

"This is a tremendous victory for the United States as well as for American workers and manufacturers," U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a statement. "We have said all along that President Obama's decision to impose duties on Chinese tires was fully consistent with our WTO obligations.

"The Obama Administration will continue to fight for U.S. jobs and businesses. We will use our trade laws to stand up for our workers and address harm to them."

China said it regretted the decision and urged the United States to scrap the tariff to ensure fair competition. It said the measure had not helped to reduce U.S. imports of tires, but had merely pushed China out of the market.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/05/us-china-usa-tyres-idUSTRE7842EH20110905

[demosincebirth]

1. The less Chinese imports the better for American workers.

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. K&R

:kick:

[pipoman]

3. Sounds appropriate for most consumer items,

"WTO rules allow members to impose temporary extra tariffs on goods to counter a destabilizing flood of imports."

If Obama would take this position for most consumer goods, it would go a long distance toward earning the votes of workers...Alas, I'm not holding my breath..