WASHINGTON (May 15, 2009) — The United Steelworkers and the Alliance for American Manufacturing will sponsor a “Keep It Made in America” presentation May 19 at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington.
Members of Congress, economists, labor and business leaders and mayors of cities in Michigan and Ohio will participate in the event, which will stress the need to protect U.S. auto industry jobs and present principles for revitalizing the auto and auto parts manufacturing sectors. These principles, the USW said, include an incentive program for purchasing new vehicles with a high ratio of domestically made parts; targeting tax dollars to support U.S. jobs and investment in the auto industry; restoration of cooperative innovation and research and development projects; changing health care policy to eliminate structural projects for the domestic auto industry; and ensuring that U.S. trade policy promotes U.S. interests.
The highlight of the event will be a roundtable discussion titled “The Auto Supply Chain, Community Impacts and What Congress Can Do.” The roundtable will be moderated by MSNBC's Ed Schultz and include USW International President Leo Gerard; Wilbur Ross, president of the New York investment firm WL Ross & Co.; and Susan Helper, professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, may also participate.
The USW represents 850,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada employed in the rubber, metal, chemical, paper, oil refining and service industries.