AFCJF offers tips for ITC questionnaire process
Jonathan Train, president of the Alliance for Free Choice and Jobs in Flooring (AFCJF) has released a statement on the Aug. 10 deadline for submitting U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) questionnaires.
"The Alliance would like to remind the industry that the Aug. 10 deadline for the International Trade Commission questionnaires is fast approaching. If you received a questionnaire from the ITC, you are required by law to complete it, but any company may also volunteer to send in information. Copies of the ITC forms may be accessed at www.choiceandjobs.com/comments.html
"If you haven’t talked to your suppliers, do so today! The ITC asks the origin of products, so companies must request a breakdown of origin of all products purchased from their suppliers. This includes distinguishing the origin of material supplied by many large US manufacturers such as Mannington, Armstrong, etc., since they sell both imported and domestically produced material.
"The Alliance encourages companies to send a cover letter with additional commentary or make additional notes directly on the questionnaire. If the same explanation is appropriate in more than one area, it is fine to repeat a comment several times. ITC staffers often divide up the workload by topic, so a repeated comment may be new to different readers.
"Companies need to help the ITC understand the detailed and complicated dynamics of our industry by providing detailed commentary. After all, customers base purchasing decisions on any number of reasons from species performance to finish warranties-or the deciding factor could be the width, average length, veneer thickness or production method. Everyone has different priorities and they should tell the ITC what is important to them.
"This is the only opportunity for any and every interested party to put their opinion on the record in their own words. If you don’t participate, then your opinion will not be heard."
"The Alliance would like to remind the industry that the Aug. 10 deadline for the International Trade Commission questionnaires is fast approaching. If you received a questionnaire from the ITC, you are required by law to complete it, but any company may also volunteer to send in information. Copies of the ITC forms may be accessed at www.choiceandjobs.com/comments.html
"If you haven’t talked to your suppliers, do so today! The ITC asks the origin of products, so companies must request a breakdown of origin of all products purchased from their suppliers. This includes distinguishing the origin of material supplied by many large US manufacturers such as Mannington, Armstrong, etc., since they sell both imported and domestically produced material.
"The Alliance encourages companies to send a cover letter with additional commentary or make additional notes directly on the questionnaire. If the same explanation is appropriate in more than one area, it is fine to repeat a comment several times. ITC staffers often divide up the workload by topic, so a repeated comment may be new to different readers.
"Companies need to help the ITC understand the detailed and complicated dynamics of our industry by providing detailed commentary. After all, customers base purchasing decisions on any number of reasons from species performance to finish warranties-or the deciding factor could be the width, average length, veneer thickness or production method. Everyone has different priorities and they should tell the ITC what is important to them.
"This is the only opportunity for any and every interested party to put their opinion on the record in their own words. If you don’t participate, then your opinion will not be heard."
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