By: Team Sherrod

This weekend, Donnie Blatt of United Steelworkers District 1 wrote an op-ed emphasizing Sherrod’s record of standing up for Ohio workers and fighting bad trade deals. It’s a stark contrast with his opponent, Congressman Jim Renacci, who’s spent his career looking out for himself, not hardworking Ohioans.

Read the op-ed below, and then show your support by joining Team Sherrod.

—

Steubenville Herald-Star Op-Ed: Brown a trusted ally for all Ohio workers

Donnie Blatt – July 8

Key points:

• U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, is trying to fool Ohioans to believe that he can be trusted to fight unfair trade deals that have hurt Ohio communities and cost jobs. But Steelworkers know the real story—Renacci has spent his career looking out for himself, not working Ohioans.

• Since joining the House of Representatives in 2011, Renacci has consistently voted in favor of free trade, supporting free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, and voting for trade promotion authority or “fast track,” which would have let the Trans-Pacific Partnership sail to passage. When given opportunities to stand up to China, Renacci squandered them.

• Now that he’s running for Senate, Renacci is trying to convince Ohioans he is tough on China and unfair trade. But those of us who spent our time in the mill or the union hall know who’s really on our side. That’s Sherrod Brown.

• Brown recognizes the challenges facing our industry because he spends time at steel facilities and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our state’s Steelworkers. Brown, not Renacci, has worked on behalf of Ohio with President Trump and his trade team.

• Brown reached out to the administration to offer to help make good on the president’s promise to retool U.S. trade policy so it helps Ohio workers, and has stayed on top of the administration to make sure that promise is kept. His consistent outreach and a meeting with President Trump at the White House on steel helped lead to the tariffs that were announced in March.

• Brown’s work on trade is just one of the reasons Steelworkers trust him. He has stood up for our collective bargaining rights at every turn, and he’s always listened when we shared our concerns with him. For his revisionist history and false claims in this paper on July 1 (“We need more leaders who will fight for region”), Ohio workers ought to examine Renacci’s real record. They should consider if he’s really on their sides, because there’s no question that’s where Sherrod Brown is.

Read more here.