Why Some Unions Oppose the Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

This anti-establishment approach to trade (national versus international governance) was the core of the appeal of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in industrial America. We are told that we cannot have capitalism without free trade and the need for international governance is settled economic theory. Manufacturing workers know the pain of the status quo.  We must also identify those who favor the status quo of high tariffs on American products. These are very predictable based on Adam Smith’s theory that individuals make decisions based on what is good for them. The banking and financial sectors historically favor trade regardless of the direction. Big banks know trade volume is a necessity for their large profits going back to J. P. Morgan. International banking, like the casino, profits on volume regardless of which country wins or losses. The British move to free trade in the 1800s traded manufacturing for banking ( which resulted in the growth of industrial and military dominance of the United States in the world). International companies and organizations, like banks, unions, and the European Union (which favors international governance versus nationalistic governance) are big supporters of this free trade because they advantage regardless of the direction of trade. International unions favor this global approach versus nationalistic. Recently, the United Steelworkers opposed the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada because they have a significant number of dues-paying members outside the United States. Soybean farmers dependent on the Chinese favor the status quo. Shipping similarly can make money on trade in either direction. The diversity of the opponents allow for facts and statistics to be viewed in various perspectives.