3814

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

WHEREAS, The American steel industry continues to contribute
significantly to the economies of the United States and the State
of Maryland; and

WHEREAS, The American steel industry provides hundreds of
thousands of jobs nationally and thousands of jobs in Maryland;
and

WHEREAS, The American steel industry spends annually
billions of dollars nationally and hundreds of millions of
dollars in Maryland for wages, materials, freight, and services;
and

WHEREAS, The American steel industry's contributions to our
national and state economies have diminished greatly over the
past 5 years principally due to unfair trade practices in foreign
steel imports; and

WHEREAS, Foreign steel imports unfairly traded in the United
States are devastating the American steel industry and have
resulted in the deterioration of our national and state
economies; and

WHEREAS, Over 200,000 steelworker jobs have been lost in the
United States since 1977; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of steelworker jobs have been lost in
Maryland since 1977 and the remaining Maryland jobs in the steel
industry continue to be threatened by foreign steel imports; and

WHEREAS, As of December, 1983 almost 100,000 steel industry
workers continue to be unemployed; and

WHEREAS, Major steel plant closings continue to occur
throughout the nation and in the State - triggered by an
unprecedented flood of steel imports; and

WHEREAS, Foreign steel producers have gained approximately
20 percent of steel consumed in the United States largely by
unfair trade practices and in violation of United States trade
laws and international agreements; and

WHEREAS, Foreign steel producers are assisted and encouraged
to engage in unfair trade practices by their home countries; and

WHEREAS, Foreign countries subsidize their steel producers
by financial aid, domestic market protection, antitrust
exemption, cartel formations and targeted foreign government
development assistance; and

WHEREAS, The American steel industry simply cannot compete
with such unfair trade practices by foreign nations and foreign
steel producers; and