Clemson, S.C.—The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) recently honored Tennessee sixth congressional district representative John Rose as a “friend of the U.S. tile industry.” A specially designed ceramic tile noting the designation was presented to Congressman Rose in his Washington office.
“We appreciate the important contributions made by Representative Rose in support of the many tile producers in his district, in the State of Tennessee and in the nation,” said Eric Astrachan, executive director of Tile Council of North America. “He has taken the time to get to know the manufacturing base in his district, meet the people who work there and understand their concerns. Today, more so than ever, tile producers and Tennessee clay suppliers—and the families who rely on their success, face unprecedented dumping and unfair trade practices from overseas. Representative Rose is pushing for a level playing field and we in the North American tile industry applaud his efforts.”
The congressman concurred that the ceramic market should stay available to those in the state. “Tennessee jobs are at risk due to unfair and uncompetitive trade practices in the ceramic tile market,” Rose said. “Tennessee’s manufacturers deserve a fair shake on the world stage. Foreign countries all too often subsidize and dump ceramic tile into the U.S., upending the domestic market and hemming in American manufacturers. The Department of Commerce should do the right thing and use the tools at its disposal to aggressively counteract these nefarious trade practices to protect Tennessee jobs and domestic manufacturing.”