As Cheaper Chinese Tires Roll In, Obama Faces an Early Trade Test By Peter Whoriskey ALBANY -- At the vast Cooper Tire plant here, workers heard for years about their rivals in Chinese factories. In meetings, managers urged employees to run production lines faster and more efficiently to help the company keep up. Overseas laborers…

China, United Steelworkers Union keeps eyes on U.S. tire ruling By the Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Workers at the Cooper Tire plant in Texarkana used to be busy laborers with big paychecks. But these days the plant, where they used to mix rubber, mold treads and put together tires on a continual basis, sits idle…

President Obama's Upcoming "Section 421 Tire Case" Trade Enforcement Decision By Dave Johnson When China was accepted into the World Trade Organization, they agreed that if we experienced import surges of Chinese goods that caused "market disruption," we would be allowed to limit the import of those goods. The particular section of the agreement is…

USW, Importers Pleading Cases at USTR Hearing By Tire Business Staff Reporter WASHINGTON -- Representatives of the United Steelworkers (USW), tire importers/distributors and Chinese tire makers are scheduled to plead their cases today at a hearing at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for and against proposed duties on imported Chinese passenger and…

Officials Hear Pros, Cons Of Curbing Chinese Tire Imports By Judith Burns WASHINGTON -- In a case that is the first major test of the Obama administration's stance on Chinese trade, U.S. officials heard conflicting arguments Friday on imports of low-priced Chinese tires, with labor unions urging hefty tariffs that distributors said would punish U.S.…

K Street Files: Democrats Move On By Anna Palmer and Kate Ackley BGR Group’s PR gurus Michael Meehan and David DiMartino are leaving the firm after a little more than a year to strike out on their own. The duo is set to launch Blue Line Strategic Communications on Thursday. “We feel like in this…

Flat Tire By Greg Rushford This is the third of four articles in a series on how President Barack Obama's trade agenda is shaping up. Today's report focuses on one key decision that the president will have to make personally. Obama is being asked by the United Steelworkers union to decide by mid-September to roll…

Tire coalition reacts to ITC ruling By Tire Business Staff WASHINGTON -- The American Coalition for Free Trade in Tires, representing six tire importers/marketers opposing the recent U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decision to impose duties on Chinese tires, claims the action could hurt both small businesses and consumers. The ITC, in a majority opinion,…

Push For Extra Tire Duties Escalates China Trade Dispute By Meena Thiruvengadam WASHINGTON -- The U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday recommended imposing punitive duties of up to 55% on low-cost Chinese tire imports, a move that could sharply increase costs for consumers while escalating a trade dispute between the countries. "The duty will not…

Bill to Force Renegotiation of Pending Trade Agreements in House By Kate Ackley More than 100 House Members introduced a trade reform bill Wednesday that would put the breaks on pending trade agreements and could result in re-opening existing pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Supporters of the legislation said it also…