Free trade creates jobs, benefits Ohio businesses
COLUMBUS - The AFL-CIO will hold a conference call today attacking John McCain's record on trade, but in its efforts to distort and smear, the AFL-CIO continues to ignore the facts. Independent observers throughout the state have consistently shown that free trade benefits Ohioans. Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine today released the following statement:
"The AFL-CIO isn't interested in anything more than distortion and smear tactics to further their political agenda. The facts on trade are clear: Ohio's free trade exports have created jobs and improved the business climate of this state. While John McCain offers bold solutions for the people of Ohio, the AFL-CIO offers nothing more than partisan rhetoric."
Ohioans Benefit From Free Trade Agreements
"[Jim] Cole, whose company makes pressure gauges and other instruments, is a big fan of trade agreements like NAFTA that make it easier to sell his products to other countries. Exporting, he says, helped him build a 51,000-square-foot facility in Berea in 2000 where 43 of his 49 employees are based. He hopes exports will help him eventually double not only his sales, but also the size of his building. ‘All it's going to do is create more jobs here,' says Cole. ‘We're very optimistic.'" (Elizabeth Auster, "Not All Ohioans Condemn NAFTA," The Plain Dealer, 3/31/08)
Free Trade Is Crucial For Ohio's Small Businesses
"[T]he export numbers are striking. About 11,000 companies export from Ohio. Almost 90 percent of them are small (having fewer than 500 employees). Their two largest markets are the other countries involved in NAFTA: Canada and Mexico (mainly Canada). According to the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio is the only state that has seen exports increase every year since 1998. That is a point worth keeping in mind when one hears people say that, while the country might have benefited from NAFTA, Ohio has suffered. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that the 50-plus percent of Ohio exports that go to Mexico and Canada compares to 35 percent for the nation. By that measure, free trade in North America is particularly crucial here." (Editorial, "Positive Trade Effects In Ohio Too Often Ignored," Dayton Daily News, 4/27/08)
Ohio's Exports Create Jobs
"The oft-cited statistic is that Ohio has lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000. Many of the Mahoning Valley's lost jobs occurred well before NAFTA was signed in 1993. Meanwhile, in 2005, the most recent year available, 308,500 Ohio jobs were related to manufactured exports, according to [a] Department of Development report." (Jonathan Riskind, "Trade Data Show That International Pacts Are Benefiting Ohio," Columbus Dispatch, 4/27/08)
"Ohio is the only state in the nation that has seen exports increase every year since 1998, and it has more jobs linked to manufacturing exports than any states except California and Texas, according to a report released last week by the Ohio Department of Development. Ohio exported $42.4 billion worth of merchandise last year, an 11 percent jump from 2006." (Elizabeth Auster, "Not All Ohioans Condemn NAFTA," The Plain Dealer, 3/31/08)
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