NAHANT — Nahant Village Church is gearing up to present a unique new topic of discussion to complement the monthly community breakfast on Sept. 5: the impact of tariffs on the American Labor Force.
Community members are encouraged to head to the church at 27 Cliff St. at 8 a.m. sharp to get a better understanding of what tariffs are, how they work, and how they impact the workforce, led by guest speaker Linda Andros.
Andros began her career as a teacher in Lynn before obtaining a law degree, where she went on to become an Essex County Assistant District Attorney. She moved on to the office of the MA Attorney General before moving to Washington to work for the US Department of Commerce, with experience in Eastern Europe and China.
During that period, she engaged in negotiations that often involved tariffs. She completed her career in the private sector and also worked as Legislative Counsel to the United Steelworkers, where she brought cases at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international groups.
Andros said that she’s excited to bring her expertise to lead the upcoming discussion on tariffs.
“I like to bring these types of talks wherever I can,” she said. “I’ve actually been giving talks on trade for the last several years.”
Andros also aims to talk about a recent decision on behalf of the Appeals Court, which followed the District Court.
“The Appeals Court came out with a decision on Friday, which followed the District Court’s opinion, which came out several months ago… And, I want to talk about that, because, essentially, both courts are saying that for most of the tariffs the President is using, he doesn’t actually have authority under the law to do what he’s doing.
“It’s a huge area that he’s working on, and our trading partners are well aware. I want to talk about that as well,” she said, explaining she wants to keep the audience informed on the latest developments.
Andros will also walk attendees through how the current Administration has been utilizing the tariffs and will elaborate on what she sees, subsequently, as two different outcomes going forward.
“There’s really two scenarios that flow from that rationale — one is a good outcome, and one is not — and nobody knows for sure, but I think it will ground everyone.”
She added that it’s a good chance to educate others, as most people don’t know much about tariffs.
“With everything being discussed, people should walk away with an understanding of what it’s been like in the past, what the current administration is doing now, what the courts are saying… They might be able to get a better understanding of what might happen going forward,” she said. “I want people to explain: here’s what it used to be, and here’s what they’re doing now.”
