Monday's Forum to Put Clinton, Obama Trade Policies in National Spotlight

Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, issued the following statement in advance of the organization's presidential candidate forum on Monday in Pittsburgh:

"Our forum will be an opportunity for Senator Obama and Senator Clinton to tell us what they would do to strengthen the economy, create jobs, and revitalize manufacturing in communities all over Pennsylvania. American workers have very compelling reasons to be concerned about the past and anxious about the future precisely because our trade policies are not working for us. On Monday, we hope to learn what the candidates will do to hold cheating countries like China accountable, reform our flawed trade policies, and strengthen manufacturing."

MORE: The candidate forum is part of a larger effort by AAM to highlight the impact that China's unfair trade practices -- and our unwillingness to hold them accountable -- have on American workers and manufacturers. Scott Paul is available for taped or live interviews this weekend and pre- and post-event on Monday. The event will be held from 8:30a.m. - 12:30p.m., Monday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center 1000 Ft. Duquesne Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

AAM has launched a statewide advertisement and grassroots campaign entitled, "China Cheats. Pennsylvania Loses." A PDF of the ad is posted at: http://www.americanmanufacturing.org

FACTS: The damaging effects of unfair trade are clear across the state. AAM's analysis of Economic Policy Institute data found that Pennsylvania lost 78,200 jobs from 2001-2006 (all sectors) as a result of the U.S. trade deficit with China [source: EPI, 'Costly Trade with China'], for an average of 15,640 lost jobs per year. Using an identical analysis, AAM found that Pennsylvania lost 44,173 jobs from 1993-2004 (all sectors) as a result of NAFTA, for an average of 4,016 jobs lost per year [source: EPI, 'Revisiting NAFTA'].

The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a non-partisan, non-profit labor-management partnership forged to strengthen manufacturing in the U.S. AAM promotes creative policy solutions on priorities such as international trade, energy security, health care, retirement security, currency manipulation, and other issues of mutual concern. For more information: http://www.americanmanufacturing.org.