The Top 4 Things to Know About #SOSJobs

By Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch
Jul 09 2014 |
Enforcing Americas Trade Laws

Over the past several months, the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has rallied alongside thousands of steelworkers, public officials, businesspeople, and everyday citizens to Save Our Steel Jobs.

And now we wait.

The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to decide on Thursday whether to enforce our trade laws and impose tariffs on dumped Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) imports from South Korea, leveling the playing field for U.S. steelworkers. Ahead of the agency’s decision, let’s look at the Top 4 Things to Know About #SOSJobs.

1.Thousands of people rallied across the country — and across party lines — to tell Washington to act. The video below highlights some of the action from six rallies held nationwide. 

2.This isn’t just about saving jobs. It’s about saving entire communities and preserving a way of life. AAM’s Jeff Bonior profiled some of the steelworkers at the Fairfield Works and Tubular Operations facility outside Birmingham, Alabama in a piece for the American Prospect. As one worker explained: “My job, it means everything, it’s my whole life, my livelihood… If they shut this place down, I don’t know what I’d do.”

3.The fight to Save Our Steel Jobs has gotten national attention. The OCTG case has been covered in numerous media outlets across the country. MSNBC’s Ed Schultz has covered it extensively on his program, including in the clip below.

4.U.S. Steel and United Steelworkers are joining forces to save jobs. United Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard penned an op-ed with U.S. Steel Corporation President and CEO Mario Longhi for The Hill newspaper on the importance of this case for the future of the U.S. steel industry. The pair also appeared at a recent Senate hearing together, detailing the impact the Commerce Department's decision could have on U.S. manufacturing as a whole.