IAM General Vice Presidents Sullivan and Bennett Testify on China’s Unfair Trade Practices

IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan and Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett recently testified before the Democratic members of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

The special committee wanted to hear from union leaders about the bipartisan report, “Reset, Prevent, Build: A Strategy to Win America’s Economic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party.” The report, released late last year, included nearly 150 policy recommendations for Congress.

Sullivan and Bennett were able to communicate the IAM’s most important interests and goals.

“IAM stands ready to build and sustain our 21st century naval and commercial fleet,” Sullivan said. “We remain committed to achieving this goal. We urge lawmakers to work with us to strengthen and reinvigorate this vitally important domestic industry for the benefit of America’s long-term economic and national security.”

IAM members are grappling with issues including cyber espionage, risks to critical infrastructure, and human rights abuses in China. This hearing focused on the most pressing employment concerns, highlighting areas requiring further action. IAM commended the efforts of Congress and the Biden-Harris administration on CHIPS, the IRA, export controls, and other issues.

“China continues to use every tool at its disposal to build a strong aerospace industry at the expense of American workers,” Bennett said. “The United States must immediately find more effective ways to prevent China from engaging in market-distorting activities, such as limiting technology and production transfers. China’s commitments in the 2020 Phase 1 agreement did not address many of these concerns about forced transfers and other market-distorting practices.”