Ralph Lee Abraham: “a week ago I met with a national workforce coalition of unions that came out in support of establishing Permanent Normal…”

“a week ago I met with a national workforce coalition of unions that came out in support of establishing Permanent Normal Trading Relations with China. I had encountered some of the labor leaders who belong to this coalition on several other occasions, including at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in August. I simply rise today to note for my colleagues that organized labor in this country is not monolithic in their views on such matters as trade and protectionism. The members of the coalition I met with last week came primarily from the aerospace industry in the Pacific Northwest, building the jet airplanes, engines, and other aerospace subsystems that are competing globally with the likes of Europe's Airbus. However, I have previously met members of this coalition that extend beyond the aerospace industry and the Pacific Northwest. They represent such traditional manufacturing industries as steel, aluminum, diesel engines, farm equipment, and rail locomotives. They represent a diverse array of the American workforce--everything from production workers on the line to engineers and scientists. And they are from across this great nation. The message these union officials had was that they understood that China was a burgeoning market for U.S. exports.”