Wher are the jobs?

[Abigale Applewhite]

Where are the jobs?
U.S. should make future work force a high priority

The collapse of Pillowtex, the giant textile manufacturer based in Cabarrus County, is only a nearby example of a disturbing national development: the disappearance of manufacturing jobs in the face of low-cost competition from overseas. Yet the federal government, which makes the rules about U.S. participation in global trade, seems to view the problem as the natural evolution of the nation's work force. That's a narrow and dangerous view. Here's why.

Manufacturing has been the industry most likely to offer good wages and benefits to workers who don't have a college degree or unusual skills -- a category that includes nearly three-fourths of American workers. When manufacturing jobs vanish, as they are at a startling pace, displaced workers usually find new jobs, but often in industries that pay lower wages. Alan Tonelson analyzes this effect in his provocative 2000 book, "The Race to the Bottom."

more
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/opinion/6467679.htm

[Bluzmann57]

1. Very true

A Maytag plant about 50 miles from here is displacing 1600 people because they are moving to Mexico. A local farm implement and construction equipment manufacturer is shutting down the plant sometime in '04, when the labor contract is expired. This plant employs about 900 workers. These are just two examples of high paying manufacturing jobs moving elsewhere. Coincidentally(or not?) both of the aforementioned plants are unionized. I forget the address now, but someone posted a website about "Cheap Conservative Labor". In short it says that righties want plants to shut down, they want people out of work because then people are desperate and will take almost anything, including jobs which are very low paying. Incidentally, I have been through this myself, although I'm doing well now. If the person who runs the above mentioned website is out there, maybe he or she could post the URL.

[Virgil]

2. Cheap labor conservative- link

I thought it was a good article too and something people should read. It is not just unemployment that makes things bad. It is the raise you are not going to get and the way you are treated/abused in the job you do have. Here is the link- http://www.conceptualguerilla.com/beattherightinthree.htm

[sam sarrha]

4. they will regret moving to mexico.... i hear so many stories from Mexicans

and get have such bad luck with things made there i wont buy anything from Mexico. i bought 2 fuel pumps for my car that vapor locked got a Japanese part and it worked fine. the sweatshop mentality there dooms any attempt for workers to do the right thing. my wifes company sent the sewing dept to mexico... the company folded and went out of business, due to the sweatshop mentality. no one can deal with the tyrannical management, they lost their biggest contract because the sewers sewed the fronts of pants on inside out, and the sleeves of coats inside out on 50,000 pairs of levis...

[Nay]

3. I like the essay generally, but

I take issue with one statement:

"One is to accept this trend and expect more U.S. workers to hold lower-paying jobs, while working to provide a sound education that prepares them to find better jobs in a changing work force."

Right after they talk about the highly-paid and well-educated IT workers getting laid off, they make the statement above. Lack of educated workers in a field is not the problem!!! The corporations have shown that they do not want to pay high wages EVEN IF the worker is educated and skilled, so more ed and more skills will not solve the problem. Only reining in the corporate pigs will work.

[Catshrink]

5. Mexico and India

That's where the Cheap-labor conservatives are exporting the jobs, low or high skilled.