United Steelworkers Emphasis on Buying North American Construction Materials

By Joel ScanlonJun 7 2012

The National Director of United Steelworkers, Ken Neumann has stated that the United States and Canada should come up with a policy that enforces the purchase of construction materials from North America. He also added that Canada should support the purchase of materials from North America particularly for the construction of the new Windsor-Detroit Bridge since it is financing the construction entirely.

Earlier newspaper reports state that the Government of Canada which has provided Michigan state’s share for the project amounting to $1.4 billion is keen on supporting the purchase of low-cost materials specifically steel from China. This matter is seen as one of the major obstacles to the agreements for the commencement of construction.

Neumann quoted an earlier incident where 65% of the welds on the new Bay Bridge were failed by inspectors since it used cheap steel from China. The private company that owns the present Ambassador Bridge has been consistently campaigning against the new bridge. Neumann also added that if the construction of the bridge used the right resources it would contribute towards the economies of both countries in a significant manner.