<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.44; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">For Immediate Release</span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">:</span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">June 24, 2021</span></div><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.44; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">Contact</span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">: Carolyn Bobb, </span><a href="mailto:cbobb@aflcio.org" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;" class=""><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">cbobb@aflcio.org</span></a><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> or 202-637-5018</span></div><br style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2; text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">AFL-CIO Welcomes Administration’s Rejection </span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""><br class=""></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">of Forced Labor in Solar Product Production</span></div><br style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on today’s U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcement on forced labor enforcement:</span></div><br style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">The AFL-CIO applauds today’s announcement by CBP to issue a withhold release order on polysilicon from Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. that is produced in whole or in part with the forced labor of Uyghur workers in China’s Xinjiang region. We also commend the addition of five Chinese corporations to the “entity list” and urge the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue its investigation of forced labor and other human rights violations in global clean-energy supply chains. These actions are an important first step toward eliminating forced labor in global supply chains and changing the behavior of corporations that benefit from egregious labor exploitation. </span></div><br style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">The AFL-CIO has a long record of speaking out against forced labor at home and abroad, and today’s action underscores the administration’s commitment to enforcing our laws prohibiting the importation of products made with forced labor. The transition to a low carbon economy can only happen by upholding strong, enforceable worker rights protections. This order, once again, reaffirms President Biden’s commitment to building a greener economy with strong labor and environmental protections, and we look forward to continuing to work with the administration to achieve those goals.</span></div><br style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class=""><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">### </span></div><br class=""><br class=""><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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