Leaders of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) issued a statement on Wednesday condemning President Donald Trump’s announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to the U.S.
On Monday, Trump said he will impose a 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum entering the U.S. The move is expected to largely impact trade partners Mexico and Canada, which export billions of dollars in aluminum and steel annually to the U.S.
IAM International President Brian Bryant – residing in the U.S. – and Canadian General Vice President David Chartrand said in a joint statement emailed to FreightWaves that the tariffs would harm workers.
“A 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum imports would be a gut punch to workers on both sides of the border,” they said. “It will lead to job losses, higher consumer prices, and broken supply chains vital to industries like automotive, aerospace and defense.”
“These proposed tariffs will not protect or grow American jobs – it will destroy them. The U.S. and Canadian economies are linked at the hip. Slapping a 25% tariff on these critical materials from Canada would put our national security at risk.”
IAM represents over 600,000 members from across North America. The union’s leaders stated that many of those members rely on aerospace and defense jobs that require those parts and materials to flow freely between the U.S. and Canada.
“Instead of fighting with our closest ally, we should collaborate with Canada to take on real threats like China and Mexico,” they said. “Unfair trade practices by China and Mexico have decimated the American aluminum industry, not Canada. We need cooperation, not conflict, to build a strong North American manufacturing sector. We urge President Trump to pull all stakeholders – government, business, and labor – together to forge a comprehensive strategy to protect and grow critical manufacturing in the United States and Canada.”