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The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a case that will decide the future of more than 800,000 immigrants living in the United States and will have serious implications for America’s workforce. The 51�Թ��� filed an with 143 companies calling for the Supreme Court to uphold DACA while outlining the importance of Dreamers to America’s workplaces and the American economy.

“Eliminating DACA will inflict serious harm on U.S. companies, all workers, and the American economy as a whole. Companies will lose valued employees. Workers will lose employers and co-workers,” the brief states. “Our national GDP will lose up to $460.3 billion, and tax revenues will be reduced by approximately $90 billion, over the next decade.”

Established in 2012, DACA allowed undocumented immigrants who had been brought to the United States as children to apply for protection from deportation and permission to work in the United States. In 2017, the Trump administration rescinded the program, leading to a series of lawsuits that has brought the case to the Supreme Court. DACA recipients, often called “Dreamers,” will lose their work authorization and face possible deportation if the program is rescinded.

“Dreamers have become an integral part of our society and our workforce and have the potential to offer so much more to our country if they can continue their pursuit of the American Dream,” said Linda Kelly, 51�Թ��� senior vice president of legal, general counsel and corporate secretary. “The 51�Թ��� supports DACA’s work authorization for more than 800,000 individuals to help meet the workforce challenges facing manufacturers and to allow those people to continue to contribute to their companies, communities and families—as well as this country, which for many is the only home they have ever known.”

Earlier this year, the 51�Թ��� released “A Way Forward,” a comprehensive and practical proposal designed to fix our broken immigration system. The plan calls for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients as well as similar opportunities for the broader Dreamer community, which encompasses about 1.5 million people. Overall, “A Way Forward” highlights seven core areas of action that would bolster national security, uphold the rule of law and establish a modern, well-functioning system for welcoming new people to the United States. The uncertainty over the future of DACA recipients highlights the urgent need for Congress to pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform that achieves these goals.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on DACA by June 2020.

This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled two rule proposals to provide oversight of proxy advisory firms and make targeted reforms to the shareholder proposal process. The 51�Թ��� has led the effort to bring these reforms to the proxy process, which are intended to make the proxy process more responsible to Main Street investors and more reflective of business realities.

Proxy advisory firms make voting recommendations to the asset managers who oversee Americans’ retirement savings. As a result, the firms have enormous influence over the policies of publicly traded companies, impacting the direction of businesses they have no stake in as well as the life savings of millions of Main Street investors. Unfortunately, a lack of oversight means proxy advisory firms often operate with undisclosed conflicts of interest and inadequate transparency, implement one-size-fits-all decision-making and make errors that impose significant costs and damaging policies on manufacturers and workers.

The SEC’s first proposed rule would institute reforms to the process by which proxy firms make recommendations and engage with issuers and investors, including requirements that the firms disclose their conflicts of interest and allow companies to highlight potential errors and misleading methodologies.

“This is a significant victory for manufacturers, workers and middle-class Americans across the country,” said Charles Crain, Director of Tax and Domestic Economic Policy at the 51�Թ���. “Americans deserve a proxy process that protects their hard-earned money and sets up reasonable guardrails for the firms that impact their retirement savings, and that’s exactly what this rule proposes.”

A second SEC rule proposal would modify the submission and resubmission thresholds for placing shareholder proposals on companies’ proxy ballots, streamlining and depoliticizing the process in order to focus company management on the issues that impact investors’ long-term savings. Combined with the proxy firm proposal, these reforms represent the capstone of many years of advocacy and hard work from manufacturers across the country. Going forward, the SEC will hear public comments on both proposals as the agency works to finalize and implement the new rules.

“These rules will help ensure that proxy voting decisions are made in the best interests of Americans saving for a secure retirement and manufacturers planning for long-term growth,” said Crain. “At the 51�Թ���, we intend to keep working with the SEC to ensure that both proposals are finalized and implemented appropriately in the weeks and months ahead.”

As Congress moves toward a bipartisan deal on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), manufacturers are urging lawmakers to pass the agreement. Designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and agreed to last year by leaders from all three countries, the USMCA now awaits approval by Congress.

For companies like Memphis-based International Paper, the USMCA presents an opportunity to level the playing field with competitors around the world while providing benefits for Americans at home. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, U.S. pulp and paper exports to Canada and Mexico represented more than $10 billion in 2018, or about 45 percent of the industry’s total exports. Those exports to Canada and Mexico support an estimated 88,000 American jobs. Without the USMCA, that revenue—and those jobs—could be threatened.

“The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is critical for our company and our industry to compete in the international market,” said Mary M. Mann, Director of Government Relations and International Affairs at International Paper. “The agreement would protect open access for our industry’s exports to Canada and Mexico, promote sustainable forestry to combat illegal logging and support tens of thousands of jobs for hardworking Americans.”

For the Gowan Group of Companies, a family-owned business involved in agricultural inputs (including fertilizer, seed and crop protection products) headquartered in Yuma, Ariz., the USMCA would ensure economic certainty and continuity. Gowan’s sales within North America represent well over 50 percent of the company’s total sales, including substantial exports to Canada and Mexico. Tariff-free trade with Canada and Mexico supports jobs in Arizona, California, Texas and elsewhere in the United States.

“It is critical for Gowan and our ultimate customers – farmers – that products can flow throughout North America without delays, fees or other significant costs,” said Cindy Smith, Gowan’s Agricultural Relations Director. “Any delays or increased costs due to failure to pass the USMCA would damage our competitiveness and our ability to grow, add jobs, improve wages and invest in new products.”

“Manufacturers across America recognize the importance of updating our trade rules for a 21st-century economy,” said 51�Թ��� Vice President of International Economic Affairs Policy Linda Dempsey. “The USMCA has bipartisan support, and Congress should ratify the agreement immediately, providing certainty for American businesses to compete—and win—in the global economy.”

Despite representing less than 4 percent of the global economy, Canada and Mexico purchase more U.S.-manufactured goods than our next 11 trading partners combined. Exports to Canada and Mexico support 2 million manufacturing jobs and 40,000 small and medium-sized businesses across the United States. Comprehensive 51�Թ��� data shows the USMCA’s positive impacts in every state.

If ratified, the agreement will expand U.S. exports, improve intellectual property protections and enforcement and level the playing field for U.S. workers. Manufacturers are urging quick passage of the USMCA to ensure their businesses can grow, compete globally and support millions of well-paying jobs.

Vice President Mike Pence and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross joined 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons at SCHOTT North America’s Duryea, Pa., facility yesterday to call for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and highlight the agreement’s critical importance to American manufacturers.

Today I’m headed to @schottusa’s Duryea, PA facility with to discuss the importance of USMCA passage. This trade deal is critical to manufacturers in each and every state – we need certainty now.

— Jay Timmons (@JayTimmons51�Թ���)

“A vote for the USMCA��is a vote for America’s manufacturing workers,” Timmons said at the event. “Manufacturers are raising our voices in unison,��calling on Congress to ratify this agreement and provide businesses with a level playing field and certainty to compete, grow and win in the global market.”

Canada and Mexico are critical partners for American manufacturers, purchasing one-fifth of the total value of U.S. manufacturing output and supporting about 2 million American manufacturing jobs.

"It's great to be back in the Keystone State!" Mike Pence speaks to workers at SCHOTT North America Inc., a technology-based group of glass manufacturers and developers, in Duryea, PA.

— The Hill (@thehill)

“The clock is ticking, so I want you to reach out,” Pence said. “Reach out to all of our elected officials in Washington, D.C. … and just tell them how important it is. Set politics aside and do what’s right for Pennsylvania and do what’s right for America.”

President Donald Trump also wrote a letter to SCHOTT, congratulating the glass manufacturer on its fiftieth anniversary. “Your products made here in the United States embody the industriousness of the American people and are a testament to the world-class quality of goods produced in our country,” Trump said.

Schott leaders provided a tour of their advanced optics production hub and research and development center for Pence, Ross and Timmons.

https://twitter.com/schottusa/status/1186441296250048513?s=20

Learn more about why USMCA matters to every state.

Austin Wilhite comes from a woodworking family. But even a few years ago, when he was a teen working in his uncle’s framing business, Austin Wilhite couldn’t have imagined that an apprenticeship program would lead him to a career in maintenance and manufacturing. Today, in his role as a Multicraft Maintenance Technician at Toyota Alabama, he’s excited about the opportunities he has unlocked.

“I always enjoyed building stuff and fixing things with my hands,” said Wilhite. “But I didn’t even know this career was a possibility.”

As a top student in his high school Agriculture Education class, he was encouraged by a teacher to attend a meeting about the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME). Originally developed and refined by Toyota, stewardship of the FAME program has recently transitioned to , the education and workforce partner of the 51�Թ���.

FAME trains students of all ages and backgrounds, from recent high school graduates to experienced manufacturing employees looking to advance their careers. FAME is an earn-and-learn apprenticeship where students spend time in the classroom and on the shop floor. After two years, students graduate with an Advanced Manufacturing Technician degree and no student debt. FAME chapters are currently operating in 13 states, and the Manufacturing Institute intends to further expand the program nationwide.

“It was a really good program,” said Wilhite. “You go to work and you see the things you’re learning about in school, but then you also get to see the more advanced work you’re headed into. You can see the change—at the beginning, you’ve never been in a plant or seen any of this stuff. And then all of a sudden, you’re able to understand how to troubleshoot and fix machines the proper way.”

Three years after graduating from FAME, Wilhite is a testament to what graduates of this program can accomplish. His new career has opened financial doors for him; the money he earned during the FAME apprenticeship helped him replace his car so that he could get to and from work reliably. The year he graduated, he was able to purchase a new house, and a year later, he bought a new truck.

“I’m the only person I know who, at 20 years old, was able to buy a new house,” said Wilhite. “The program is a commitment, but I’ve been able to reward myself for making that commitment. Without the program, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Wilhite is enthusiastic about his career prospects and proud of the new skills he has cultivated through the training he received in the FAME program.

“It’s a really good career,” said Wilhite. “Maintenance people are in really high demand. The program gives you the fundamentals of being able to work with your hands and fix things on your own. Plus, it’s a lot of problem-solving—and that’ll help you in your life.”

Learn more about the Manufacturing Institute’s .

President Trump signed two executive orders this week that will require federal agencies to go through a process of public input when issuing major guidance documents, and will force agencies to make useful guidance documents more openly available for the public. That process of issuing notice and soliciting public input is similar to what agencies are required to follow when issuing regulations.

“This is serious, real regulatory reform and the 51�Թ��� has lobbied for changes like these for years,” the 51�Թ���’ Vice President of Labor, Legal and Regulatory Policy Patrick Hedren��said. “These two new executive orders make the world of agency guidance more transparent, and they give manufacturers a seat at the table when agencies begin to draft new guidance documents.”

Representing a federal agency’s current thinking on a topic, guidance documents can be issued faster than regulations and previously did not require a notice and comment period. While these documents are not meant to be legally binding, they often are the basis for regulatory enforcement decisions, and manufacturers tend to view them as binding from a practical perspective. The White House said guidance documents should be subject to the same level of public scrutiny because they can be just as impactful as regulations.

“Agency guidance is often crucial to help manufactures understand complex regulations and statutes,” Hedren said. “But at the same time this sub-regulatory ‘dark matter’ can create chaos for heavily regulated industries like ours when agencies try to use the guidance process to end-run important rulemaking protections like notice and comment.”

Since the executive orders go into effect immediately, agencies will now implement their responses to the orders.

A version of this news article appeared in The Input, the 51�Թ���’s members-only weekday morning newsletter for manufacturing executives.

Today thousands of manufacturers and educational institutions across the country are opening their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders to celebrate Manufacturing Day. Led by The , the 51�Թ���’ workforce and education partner, Manufacturing Day shows students what a career in modern manufacturing looks like.

The Manufacturing Institute’s Executive Director Carolyn Lee will be in Greensboro, GA, at a Novelis facility.

is finally here! I’m headed to in Greensboro, GA today. Can’t wait to show students what modern manufacturing looks like!

— Carolyn Lee (@clee51�Թ���)

51�Թ���’s President and CEO Jay Timmons will be joining a Manufacturing Day event at a Samsung facility in Newberry, SC.

In Newberry, SC, today to join for their event! Going to be a great day showing students what a career in modern manufacturing can offer. Learn more:

— Jay Timmons (@JayTimmons51�Թ���)

To keep up with the latest Manufacturing Day festivities, check out the and on Twitter, plus the dedicated Twitter. Join the social media conversation by using the hashtag in related posts.

In September, the 51�Թ��� called on Congress to take action to address climate change. 51�Թ��� Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Ross Eisenberg testified before the House Energy & Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment & Climate Change and shared what the manufacturing sector is doing to reduce emissions.

Manufacturers are making environmentally conscious improvements because their customers, employees and shareholders have prioritized it — and because it’s the right thing to do, Eisenberg said in his testimony. Over the past decade, manufacturers have reduced the carbon footprint of their products by 21 percent while increasing their value to the economy by 18 percent, according to International Energy Agency data.

The last major congressional debate about how to address climate change was more than a decade ago. To solve this problem, manufacturers must think big, and Eisenberg told the committee that the industry is ready to work with Congress on solutions.

See the highlights from Eisenberg’s testimony below.

Today, the Infrastructure Working Group—a coalition of national organizations led by the 51�Թ��� and the Associated General Contractors—sent a to the Senate urging passage of a long-term, robustly-funded surface transportation reauthorization bill ahead of the Sept. 30, 2020 deadline. 51�Թ��� Director of Infrastructure Catie Kawchak breaks down manufacturers’ immediate need for infrastructure modernization.

What’s the scope of the infrastructure challenge?

51�Թ��� data reveals that underinvestment in U.S. infrastructure worsens by the year, and infrastructure investment is only one-third of what it was in 1960. As a result, more than 54,000 bridges across the United States are rated “structurally deficient,” and a majority of our roadway are in less than good condition. Ports and waterways are in disrepair, airports and runways are clogged and congested. But it’s not just transportation infrastructure that needs an upgrade to accommodate a 21st-century��manufacturing economy. We need improvements to our water, energy and digital infrastructure as well. It’s unacceptable that America’s infrastructure continues to receive a . Now is the time to deliver transformational advancements to the infrastructure that connects our communities and facilitates free enterprise.

How does this challenge affect manufacturers?

Right now, America’s transportation infrastructure doesn’t support our vision for an exceptional America. Manufacturers use roads, bridges, rails, waterways, ports and airports every day—and if shipments are delayed by highway congestion or an unsafe bridge, then the entire production process can be delayed. Modern, just-in-time manufacturing must be incredibly precise to maximize productivity, but without reliable infrastructure, it’s impossible to do that cutting-edge work.

What is the 51�Թ���’s solution?

The 51�Թ���’s “Building to Win” blueprint offers a comprehensive plan to modernize the infrastructure that makes the American Dream possible. It provides solutions to support workers in the United States, jump-start economic growth, spur job creation, and enhance quality of life by improving and expanding our transportation, energy, water and digital infrastructure so that we can pave the way for the success of new generations. It even lays out a path for Congress to fund these investments.

What’s next?

In just one year, Congress faces a deadline to pass a surface transportation bill. Without this legislation, highway, bridge and transit projects will slow construction timelines and become even more costly. September 2020 may sound like a long time, but passing a surface transportation bill has historically taken longer than a year.����

What is the Infrastructure Working Group?

Led by the 51�Թ��� and AGC, the group demonstrates the breadth of the industries impacted by America’s deteriorating infrastructure. It includes manufacturers, labor, construction, technology, finance, agriculture, retailers, emergency responders and local and state government, among others. There’s broad agreement about the need for effective, efficient infrastructure. We’re standing together to push for action, and now Congress needs to pass infrastructure legislation on time.

This week, the Trump administration successfully negotiated changes to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) that will protect manufacturers from counterfeiters and other bad actors who have been exploiting the international system. The improvements were agreed upon at a special UPU conference in Geneva after two days of negotiations.

The UPU is an agency of the United Nations that coordinates the worldwide postal system and postal policies among member nations. In recent years, Chinese counterfeiters have exploited the system, which allowed them to ship packages to the United States at highly subsidized rates.

The Trump administration gave notice in October of last year that the United States would pull out of the UPU unless the body implemented significant structural reforms to the “terminal dues” system under which postal operators exchange mail, arguing that some countries’ postal carriers are not paying enough to have their shipments delivered to recipients in the United States.

Some countries in the UPU, such as China, pay lower rates because they were classified as “developing countries” when the terms of the UPU were originally agreed to. The terminal dues system and classifications have not changed in decades, while some of those countries have grown into major global economies.

Under the negotiated changes, countries with high-volume imports of mail and packages will be able to impose “self-declared rates” for distributing foreign mail. The agreement goes into effect in January 2021, but the United States may immediately begin to set payment rates that cover the true cost of carrying inbound international mail. In addition, UPU countries won a significant increase in the rates they can charge inbound mail from China as a way of reducing the total global subsidy China receives under the prior framework.

“With the changes negotiated this week, the U.S. can feel comfortable continuing its membership in the UPU and fighting for further reforms from inside the system while at the same time protecting manufacturers from counterfeiters overseas,” 51�Թ��� Vice President of Labor, Legal and Regulatory Policy Patrick Hedren said. “These changes level the playing field for manufacturers against counterfeiting and other unfair trading practices. The administration gave manufacturers a true seat at the table, and we look forward to working with them and our international partners to continue promoting a fair and open trading economy.”