This week, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance, a coalition of American kitchen cabinet manufacturers, filed a historic trade case against China’s illegal trade practices at the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission.
Our political leaders on Capitol Hill should take note, as today’s filing is one of the largest ever filed by U.S. manufacturers against China, and it has the potential to revitalize an American industry worth more than $9.5 billion.
Many museums across the United States often pay homage to America’s woodworking and kitchen cabinet industry. While patrons are quick to pass through to find something more easily identifiable as “art,” it’s important to take a moment to respect American craftsmanship. America has had a strong tradition of quality woodworking since our establishment.
There are more than 250,000 Americans employed across the industry in the U.S. But the threat of unfair Chinese trade practices poses a dire threat to that tradition and has the potential to destroy America’s kitchen cabinet industry. Chinese exports of kitchen cabinets to the U.S. are up by more than 75 percent since 2015. That doesn’t happen without massive Chinese government subsidies and other unfair trading practices.
China is taking advantage of American consumers and American workers by dumping their products into the U.S. market. The Chinese government is subsidizing these products, which is ultimately taking jobs away from American workers. The U.S. has lost much of its furniture and textile industries, and China is now targeting American kitchen cabinets in the same way. I have witnessed the destruction of these industries in my native state of North Carolina. That is why I urged the cabinet industry to form the AKCA, which is comprised of American businesses that account for the majority of cabinetry manufactured and sold in the U.S.
Manufacturing in the U.S. is under threat. From 2007 to 2016, U.S. manufacturing output fell by 6.4 percent, largely due to China’s unfair trade practices. From 1990 to 1995, U.S. manufacturing grew 23 times faster than it did between 2011 and 2016. The American kitchen cabinet industry has not been immune to this national slowdown. Based on economic modeling, the American kitchen cabinet industry is growing at a much slower rate than it should be. At factories across the country, workers can feel this slowdown. Despite a strong market, factories are not growing and business is not booming, as a result of China not playing by the rules.
As the CEO and President of Master Woodcraft Cabinetry, I walk the factory floor and meet with our 540 workers every day. They are concerned about the real threat to their way of life posed by China’s cheating. Our values are simple: We are committed to crafting excellence. Our products are made here, made well, made sustainably, and made by family.
Our American products are made through environmentally safe processes. Companies like mine are engaged with our local communities and committed to local philanthropy. American kitchen cabinets are high-quality, using the best materials to produce the best product for you in your home. Can China say the same?
The American kitchen is the heart of the American home. Families gather there, trading recipes and jokes, cooking Thanksgiving dinners, and putting birthday candles on cakes. When your children open a cabinet to set the table or sneak a cookie, you want to know that you have a safe, high-quality product in your kitchen. With American kitchen cabinets, you can be sure that you do. Demand that quality. Demand that we stop China from dumping their products into your kitchen.
Democrats and Republicans have come together to support common-sense trade policies and solutions that put American workers first. When China cheats, American workers and American families lose. America needs to start winning again, and today’s historic legal filing will allow us to level the playing field for hundreds of thousands of American kitchen cabinet workers and their families.
Mark A. Trexler is president and CEO of Master Woodcraft Cabinetry, executive vice president and COO of AC Products Inc., and a founding member of the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance.
