美國工會撤回限制鋁進口請願行動

HONG KONG — The United Steelworkers union has suspended indefinitely an unusual effort to push the United States government to restrict all aluminum imports after the campaign ran into opposition from aluminum companies, the Canadian government and even Canadian members of the union.

香港——美國鋼鐵工人聯合會(United Steelworkers)之前開展行動，推動美國政府限制所有鋁材進口，但在遭到鋁業公司、加拿大政府和甚至該工會的加拿大成員的反對之後，他們無限期暫停了這項不同尋常的行動。

The union on Friday withdrew its petition to an American trade panel, which was filed the preceding Monday, after an aluminum industry group agreed to work with the union to address its main concern: Chinese aluminum production overcapacity and exports. “The Aluminum Association shares many of the concerns expressed by the United Steelworkers regarding Chinese aluminum overproduction,” the group said in a statement. “Overcapacity must be addressed to maintain a vibrant and healthy North American aluminum industry.”

上週五，聯合會撤回了上週一向美國一個國際貿易委員會提交的請願書，在此之前，一個鋁業行會同意與聯合會合作，解決他們關切的主要問題：中國的鋁產能過剩以及鋁材出口。“對於中國的鋁產能過剩，鋁業協會(The Aluminum Association)與美國鋼鐵工人聯合會有很多共同的關切，”該組織在聲明中說。“必須應對產能過剩的問題，以維護北美鋁業的活力和健康。”

The statement provided no specifics, saying only that, “The industry supports ongoing efforts by the U.S. and Chinese governments to address this critical issue.”

這份聲明不涉及任何細節，只表示，“美國和中國政府正在努力解決這一關鍵問題，行業對此表示支持”。

China’s aluminum exports have surged as the country’s economy slows. Those exports have displaced Canadian exports in some international markets, triggering an increase in Canadian shipments to the United States, where they now account for two-thirds of all American imports of raw aluminum.

就在中國經濟放緩之際，該國的鋁材出口量猛增。這些出口取代了加拿大在某些國際市場的出口，導致加拿大對美國的出貨量增加，目前美國三分之二的原鋁進口來自加拿大。

At the same time, American companies including Alcoa have also been expanding in countries including Canada, Iceland and Saudi Arabia while closing less efficient operations in the United States.

同時，美國鋁業(Alcoa)等美國公司也在加拿大、冰島和沙特阿拉伯等國家進行擴張，同時關停了美國境內效率較低的業務。

The union tried to address the issue by invoking Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act — an obscure trade law not employed since 2001, when President George W. Bush used it to restrict steel imports. That nearly set off a trade war with the European Union. In a Section 201 case, American industries or unions facing serious injury from imports may seek broad tariffs on imports from around the world rather than from a particular country.

美國鋼鐵工人聯合會試圖援引1974年《貿易法》(Trade Act)第201條來處理這個問題——這項不太起眼的貿易法上一次動用是在2001年，當時的總統喬治·W·布什(George W. Bush)用它來限制鋼鐵進口，結果幾乎掀起了與歐盟的貿易戰。第201條規定，美國產業或者工會如果面臨着進口帶來的嚴重衝擊，可以尋求對全球進口設置全面的關稅，而不是針對具體某國。

The union’s petition triggered a strong reaction from government officials and workers in Canada, especially in the province of Quebec. That was awkward for the United Steelworkers, which represents workers across North America.

聯合會的請願書引發了加拿大政府官員和工人的強烈反響，尤其是在魁北克省。這對美國鋼鐵工人聯合會來說有些尷尬，因爲它代表着全北美的工人。

Although it withdrew the petition, the union said on Friday: “We believe the Section 201 case would have resulted in immediate price increases that would have helped to maintain domestic production and employment as well as ensuring that producers in the United States and Canada would be able to obtain a fairer price for their products.”

雖然撤回了請願書，聯合會上週五仍然表示：“我們相信第201條案會立竿見影地促使價格上漲，有助於維護國內生產和就業，確保美國和加拿大生產商的產品獲得更公平的價格。”

Section 201 cases are handled initially by the United States International Trade Commission, a bipartisan panel of trade experts in Washington. But the final decision is made by the president, who decides whether to follow recommendations from the commission. Cases that involve substantial imports from Canada or Mexico are sometimes slightly harder for American industries and unions to win because they are covered by the North American Free Trade Agreement.

涉及第201條的案件的初步處理由美國國際貿易委員會(United States International Trade Commission)開展；它是一個代表兩黨的小組，由華盛頓的貿易專家組成。但最終決定權在總統，他會對委員會的建議做出權衡。如果案件涉及從加拿大或墨西哥的大量進口，美國的行業和工會要獲勝就會稍微艱難一些，因爲那屬於北美自由貿易協定(North American Free Trade Agreement)涵蓋的範圍。