<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 class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><b class="">IFPTE Says Trump Tariffs on Canada Will Do “great</b></div><div class=""><b class="">damage” to Canadian and American Working Families</b></div><div class=""><i class="">Union also calls Trump’s 51st State declaration “highly insulting”</i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">WASHINGTON, DC - International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers</div><div class="">(IFPTE) President Matt Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson issued the following joint</div><div class="">statement in response to President Trump's decision today to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian</div><div class="">goods to the United States:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">"Last month when President Trump announced this nonsensical tariff proposal, IFPTE issued</div><div class="">a strong and comprehensive statement of condemnation. At that time, we nonetheless held out</div><div class="">some hope that the ‘adults in the room’ of this administration would impart upon the President</div><div class="">how tariffs would not only start a trade war with our closest friend, Canada, but also the great</div><div class="">damage this would inflict on Canadian and American working families. Sadly, and probably</div><div class="">not surprisingly, this administration has moved forward with this reckless policy which will</div><div class="">cause economic harm to workers and will lead to steep inflation on everyday goods that</div><div class="">citizens on both sides of the border depend so heavily on.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">“This administration has undertaken a tariff policy aimed more at punitive measures over a</div><div class="">policy that is strategically targeted at increasing manufacturing and the good paying, union-</div><div class="">represented jobs that come along with them in both Canada and the United States. Sadly, the</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">President has done so while continuing to insult the people of Canada with this ridiculous</div><div class="">notion of becoming the 51st State. This notion is as highly insulting to the Canadian people as</div><div class="">tariffs are destructive to our economies and workers.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">“As a Union IFPTE will do everything in our power to urge Congress to use the power of the</div><div class="">purse strings in blocking the President from continuing to impose these tariffs. In the</div><div class="">meantime, IFPTE is proud to stand in Solidarity with our IFPTE Sisters and Brothers in</div><div class="">Canada as we all fight together against the destructive policies being put forth by this</div><div class="">administration.”</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">IFPTE is a labor union representing 90,000 workers throughout Canada and the United States</div><div class="">in the public, private, and federal sectors.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">###</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">=====</div><div class="">=====</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="title" style="margin-bottom: 30px; caret-color: rgb(86, 86, 86); color: rgb(86, 86, 86); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h1 style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1); font-size: 1.875em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.267em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 0px;" class="">UAW Statement on New Tariff Action</h1></div><div class="summary" style="caret-color: rgb(86, 86, 86); color: rgb(86, 86, 86); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></div><div class="body" style="margin-bottom: 40px; caret-color: rgb(86, 86, 86); color: rgb(86, 86, 86); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em; text-align: justify;" class="">For 40 years, we’ve seen the devastating effects of so-called “free trade” on the working class. Corporations have been driving a non-stop race to the bottom by killing good blue-collar jobs in America to go exploit some poor worker in another country by paying poverty wages. Tariffs are a powerful tool in the toolbox for undoing the injustice of anti-worker trade deals. We are glad to see an American president take aggressive action on ending the free trade disaster that has dropped like a bomb on the working class. </p><p style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em; text-align: justify;" class="">There’s been a lot of talk of these tariffs “disrupting” the economy. But if corporate America chooses to price-gouge the American consumer or attack the American worker because they don’t want to pay their fair share, corporate America bears the blame for that decision. The working class suffered all the pain of NAFTA, and we won’t suffer all the pain of undoing NAFTA. We want to see corporate America, from the auto industry and beyond, recommit to the working class that makes the products and generates the profits that keep this country running. </p><p style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em; text-align: justify;" class="">The UAW is in active negotiations with the Trump Administration about their plans to end the free trade disaster. We look forward to working with the White House to shape the auto tariffs in April to benefit the working class. We want to see serious action that will incentivize companies to change their behavior, reinvest in America, and stop cheating the American worker, the American consumer, and the American taxpayer.</p><p style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em; text-align: center;" class=""><strong class=""># # #</strong><strong class=""> </strong></p></div></div></body></html>