U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told workers at a Washington County steel plant Friday that the Obama administration was living up to its promises to protect U.S. manufacturing jobs.

Mr. Kirk, appearing at Allegheny Technologies' specialty plate plant, said the administration had won back American jobs by standing up to China over tires and auto parts, challenging the European Union on aerospace and beef exports and persuading Russia to reopen its markets to $700 million in U.S. poultry.

"Trade can and will work for you," Mr. Kirk told about 75 Allegheny Technologies workers, including chairman L. Patrick Hassey and labor union officials.

He said cooperation between management and the United Steelworkers union made the plant a "centerpiece" for "rebirth of American manufacturing."

"In order for America to compete, it's going to take business, labor and government all working together," said Mr. Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas.

His visit came four months after U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visited the same plant and pledged "to make our economy work for Main Street again."

Mr. Kirk said the Obama administration had given organized labor more of a voice after the traditionally Democratic group was shut out by the Bush White House. But being part of the discussion doesn't mean unions call the shots, he added.

"Labor doesn't have a veto over what we do, but labor has got to have a voice," Mr. Kirk said in an interview after his speech.

He said he made no bad decisions as mayor when he involved more groups in problem solving.

An administration critic said the biggest problem with White House trade policy was that it too closely resembles that of President George W. Bush, including its failure to get China to change its policy of deflating its currency value to promote exports.

"We see no significant difference whatsoever," said Alan Tonelson, of the U.S. Business and Industry Council, which represents about 2,000 medium-size and small businesses.

Mr. Tonelson said a White House plan to double exports in five years was misconceived and "will mean nothing if imports keep rising at the same level."

The Commerce Department said on Friday that a rise in imports was a major reason economic growth slowed to a 2.4 percent annual pace in the second quarter. Exports rose 10.3 percent in the quarter, but imports increased 28.8 percent, the agency said.

"All of us knew there was going to be a little bit of a correction just based on what happened in Europe," Mr. Kirk said, referring to the economic slowdown there triggered by the sovereign debt crisis.

He announced that the administration was filing a case against Guatemala for violating the labor rights provisions of a U.S. trade agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic. It is the first time the U.S. government has filed a trade complaint over unfair labor practices, he said. Mr. Kirk said the AFL-CIO has been complaining about the treatment of Guatemalan workers since January 2008.

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