“Working People are Fed Up” at Town Halls on Tariffs and Trade Across the Industrial Midwest
PITTSBURGH, PA – This week, union members, retirees, and small business owners joined town halls in Midwest cities to share their experiences with how unfair trade and economic policies have harmed working people for decades. As working class Americans nationwide express growing frustration with Trump’s chaotic economic agenda, crowds gathered at these town halls to discuss the role of trade policy and its impact on their livelihood.
At events in Pittsburgh, PA, and Dayton, Ohio they spoke directly with policymakers and labor and economic leaders, sharing frustrations with their place in a global economy that prioritizes corporate profits over the wellbeing of communities. They also discussed the need for a bold new blueprint for trade policy — one that is neither Trump’s corruption and chaos, nor a return to the failed NAFTA model.
Speakers included former U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, U.S. Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Ohio State Rep. Desiree Tims, United Steelworkers International Vice President at Large Amber Miller, IUE-CWA Local 84775 President Sam Sanders (the Industrial Division of the Communications Workers of America), labor economist Thea Lee, and Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch Director Melinda St. Louis.
These were the two latest stops on the “Building a Fair Economy for All” town hall tour on tariffs and trade, where elected officials, labor unions, and progressive groups are working to build a broad economic agenda to address growing inequality, unpredictable supply chains, and rising costs.
Photos from all events to date are available for publication.
Public Citizen, along with United Autoworkers (UAW), United Steelworkers (USW), farmers organizations, and small business groups, hosted similar events earlier this month in Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and Allentown, Pennsylvania, with speakers including Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, UAW Local 677 President Mike Shupp, Teamsters Local 623 Director of Operations Dustin Guastella, and Citizens Trade Campaign executive director Arthur Stamoulis.
Upcoming town halls in June include Chicago, Illinois on the 15th, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin on the 16th, and Erie, Pennsylvania on the 17th. Additional speakers at these events include Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Chuy Garcia, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Kriss Marion of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, and Shawn Phetteplace of the Mainstreet Alliance.
Select quotes follow. Click the hyperlinks to each event to find more quotes from speakers. Audio and video from select events are available upon request.
“For too long, politicians in Washington and the White House have prioritized trade policies that put corporate interests first and hardworking Americans last. People are working their butts off, but they still can’t get their slice of the American Dream. It’s time for a change. We need to reindustrialize America and rework America’s trade and industrial policies to put workers at the heart of it. I’m glad to have joined this conversation today, and I’ll keep fighting for this vision down in Washington.”
– Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17)
“For more than a generation, Washington’s trade policies have treated places like Pittsburgh and Dayton as flyover country. That era is over. At the Coalition for New Trade, we’re building a movement to ensure communities like these have a seat at the table because the conversations happening here are the same ones we need to be having across the country about what inclusive, responsible trade actually looks like. Now is the time to fight for the next generation of trade policies and the respect these communities deserve.”
– Ambassador Katherine Tai, former U.S. Trade Representative under President Biden
“Communities across Ohio know that trade policy is not theoretical — it affects whether factories stay open, whether small businesses can compete, and whether working families can build stable futures. As we approach the 2026 review of the USMCA, this is a critical moment to have honest conversations about what is working, what is not, and how we create a trade agenda that truly prioritizes American workers, domestic manufacturing, resilient supply chains, and long-term investment in our communities. The future of our economy should not simply be measured by corporate profits, but by whether working people and communities like ours are able to thrive.”
– State Rep. Desiree Tims (OH-38)
“We need to cut the crap and get serious about what’s needed to fix our broken trade deals. We can’t deliver for working people while billionaires are writing the rules. If we’re not fighting corporate power, we’re not going to put good jobs back in these communities.”
– Ryan Harvey, tour organizer and Global Trade Watch Field Director at Public Citizen