I was not surprised to see Rep. Richard Neal shedding crocodile tears for American workers who lost their jobs from dislocations due to trade with China. (“Neal addresses cybersecurity, US trade with China,” June 29.)

Rep. Neal has compiled an extremely corporatist record by supporting policies that have caused massive job losses due to trade deals that did not include enforceable provisions against currency manipulation and lacked strong safeguards for workers, consumers and the environment. Conversely, Neal has often not used his leadership to back legislation to promote fair trade and workers’ rights by failing to co-sponsor key bills and sign onto letters urging the executive branch to take needed actions.

Between 1990 and 2001, Neal voted to support Most Favored Nation status for the products of the People’s Republic of China. These votes upheld former President’s George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton’s policy of preferential terms including the lowest U.S. tariffs on imports from China and to stop linking trade policy to human rights abuses, military actions and nuclear exports by the Chinese.

Thanks to Rep. Neal, our state and congressional district have suffered huge losses of jobs because of his China trade votes. According to data compiled by the Economic Policy Institute, between 2001-2013, Massachusetts had 97,200 net jobs displaced due to our goods trade deficit with China, the ninth-most job losses among the 50 states. In Neal’s congressional district, the job loss was 14,600, placing it 24th among all 435 House districts. This data is for Neal’s old MA-2 district, which he represented until 2013. (24% of the old MA-2 congressional district is now part of the current MA-1 district). Now, Neal says “a lot of good people got hurt.”

The economic casualties in our communities due to shifts in production to China or imports from China are numerous and include:

■ Danaher Tool Group in Springfield where 350 workers who made hand tools were laid off in February 2004.

■ Janna Ugone Associates in Easthampton where 32 employees who made decorative lamps got pink-slipped in August 2005.

There would be many more sad examples such as these across central and western Massachusetts.

Matt L. Barron

Chesterfield