MEMBER MEMORANDUM

Dear Members:

As you are no doubt aware, there is a proposed 10 percent increase in duty rates on many of your products.  We strongly urge you to ask management and all of your employees to send a note as soon as possible protesting the increase.

Employee / individual notes should mention the product that is affected (for example, handbags, or luggage, or rubber gloves, etc.) and state how the increase will likely result in increased costs to the American consumer and possibly the loss of jobs.

The note should be sent through the website, www.regulations.gov and then enter docket number USTR-2018-0026.  The website prefers comments to be entered as a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or as a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) file.  If the comments are sent as an attachment, the Comment field should just state “See attached”.   Sample messages are attached.

Please let us know how many employees have agreed to send messages.
If you wish to testify, you must enter your message on the website by Friday, July 27, 2018, requesting the opportunity to testify at the public hearing, which is scheduled for August 20th-23rd, AND also file a summary of expected testimony at the hearing.
We recommend that the testimony focus on (1) the impact of the proposed tariffs on your business and its employees (and, if you wish, the industry as a whole and, ultimately, U.S. consumers; (2) about the difficulties in adjusting supply chains; and (3) the lack of impact on our nation’s security.

As with comments, requests to appear at the hearings should also be sent through the website, www.regulations.gov and then enter docket number USTR-2018-0026.  The website prefers comments to be entered as a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or as a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) file.

Thank you.
Sara Mayes