Section 201 Investigation Sought on Tire Imports

The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to call for the initiation of a Section 201 investigation “to limit tire imports, develop relief measures that will strengthen the sector, and save domestic jobs and production.”

The letter alleges that U.S. tire production has declined by about 40 percent since 2000 as “imports have eaten away at our market” and “multi-national firms execute long-term strategies to offshore and divest from their American workers.” The U.S. already maintains antidumping and countervailing duties on tires imported from various countries, but the letter asserts that production has shifted to countries not subject to those duties and that pursuing additional AD/CVD duties “is costly and creates uncertainty for American workers.”

The union urges relief in the form of “graduated import limits and measures to retain and grow production through capital costs, preferential procurement strategies, and other measures.” The union wants this relief to apply to passenger vehicle and light truck tires, truck and bus tires, off-road tires, and aircraft tires.