Former employee Charles Lehrer on how surging imports and a lack of investment led to the closure of a 121-year-old factory in Portland.
The Alliance for American Manufacturing recently released A new report calling for stronger policy measures to combat China’s massive, unchecked overcapacity — and we warned that failing to do so will result in a catastrophic loss of jobs and production in the United States.
But we know that it isn’t enough to hear just from us. Sometimes, things are easier to understand when you hear from the people whose lives are most effective by what’s going on.
That’s why as part of the report, titled SHOCKWAVES: The Ripple Effect of China’s Industrial Overcapacity on American Manufacturing and Factory Workerswe also spoke with people who work in the steel, paper, tires, and other industries who have seen firsthand the devastation caused by surging imports.
Charles Lehrer worked on the maintenance team at Columbia Steel Casting Company for 11 years before being laid off at the end of 2022 when the Portland, Oregon company permanently closed its doors after 121 years in business. Columbia Steel’s foundry and machine shop manufactured replacement wear parts used in the mining and metal recycling industries.
The entire workforce, which included 185 United Steelworkers (USW) members, was laid off when Columbia ceased operations of its two electric arc furnaces. The 39-year-old Lehrer was not surprised by the closing, since Columbia was not investing in its foundry and casting operations.
“I think why Columbia Steel shut down can best be described by using the metaphor ‘death by a thousand cuts,’” Lehrer said. “Chinese steel dumping was one of the many factors. Other things like environmental issues and air quality were just things they didn’t want to continually invest in at the plant.
“They weren’t investing in their workforce or investing in their equipment. They were just doing the bare minimum. It was stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime mentality.”
In the company’s Official WARN notice announcing the closure, President and CEO Martha Cox listed “Fierce offshore competition (often government subsidized)” as the top reason for Columbia’s decision. Cox also cited supply chain disruptions, COVID-19 related restrictions, and state and local regulations on “energy intensive industries exposed to overseas competition” as additional reasons for the permanent shutdown of the plant. The site of the old mill is now Being redeveloped.
Lehrer, who served as the financial secretary and business manager for USW Local 139B, is currently enjoying his time off from Columbia before he jumps back into the workforce.
“I’ve been able to manage and put away a little money, but I had coworkers that didn’t have the luxury I had, and they had to take the first job that came their way,” Lehrer said. “Being in maintenance , there are a lot of job opportunities out there that will leave me better off than I was at Columbia Steel.”
Lehrer believes the economy is headed in the right direction and that tariffs on China are helping American companies.
“There are new tariffs, unemployment is low, and the recent rate of inflation is not as significant as expected,” he said. “But there has to be tax incentives for business expansion because if a business isn’t growing, it’s dying. Columbia Steel is a great example.”
