Sherrod Brown : Brown, Portman Applaud International Trade Commission Decision to Protect Ohio Washing Machine Manufacturer

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) today applauded the International Trade Commission's (ITC) final ruling that Whirlpool - which has plants in Clyde, Greenville, Findlay, Marion, and Ottawa - and its workers have been harmed by theflood of unfairly traded washing machine imports from China. Today's decision means additional duties will be applied to washers imported from China into the United States, which Samsung and LG have been dumping into the U.S. market at unfair prices and at the expense of Whirlpool.

'This decision will level the playing field for Whirlpool workers in Clyde and across Ohio whose jobs have been threatened for years by dumped washing machine imports from China,' said Brown. 'Providing relief from unfair trade practices helps protect jobs and I'll continue to work with Senator Portman to root out other unfair trade practices that hurt Ohio workers and manufacturers.'

'This decision is a step in the right direction in ensuring that Whirlpool's workers in Ohio get a fair shake against unfair imports,' said Portman. 'Having been to the Clyde plant that makes these washing machines, I know that the workers there make a world-class product as efficiently as anyone, and with a level playing field can compete and win. I am committed to continuing to work with Whirlpool and Senator Brown to protect these jobs and ensure that these workers can continue to compete.'

Both Brown and Portman testified at the ITC in December 2016 urging the Commission to make a favorable determination in the case to ensure that antidumping duties would be applied to Chinese washer imports. Brown and Portman also urged the ITC to address the stockpiling of unfairly traded washers in the U.S. to avoid additional duties. In October 2016, Brown and Portman wrote to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker asking Pritzker to address the companies' pattern of serial dumping and duty evasion.

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