Last week, Alliance for American Manufacturing Field Coordinator Dan Lawson met with Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI).  Joining him in the meeting was Ed Matias, President of USW Local 4543 of Lincoln, Rhode Island. [Pictured: Matias and Cicilline]

Lawson and Matias thanked the Congressman for co-sponsoring HR 639, a bill to address China's undervalued currency.  Rep. Cicilline explained that manufacturing is important to the recovery of the economy of Rhode Island and the country.
 
The Sunday Providence Journal described the meeting at length:

They wanted to talk about China, in particular about its trade practices and monetary policies that Lawson said illegally undermine the U.S. steel industry.

The Chinese are accused of undervaluing their currency, making their goods cheaper in the United States and American goods more expensive in China, making for a huge trade deficit for the United States.

The Chinese, Lawson said, are manipulating their currency. The result, he said, is that the Chinese are getting “a false 40-percent discount on shipping goods to our country.” He and Metias wanted Cicilline to do something to support the U.S. steel industry.

All the steel industry wants, he said, is a level playing field.

Cicilline said he’s on the job.

Read more.  Video taken by the Providence Journal is available here.