[2banana]

That decline is especially noticeable in manufacturing and the federal government, two strongholds of black employment that have gone through cutbacks in union workers in recent years.

When has union Federal employment ever gone down in the last 50 years???? About the only thing I can think of is when Clinton cut the US military by 40%, and claimed he had "shrunk" the federal government...

[Redbob]

""The impact on blacks has gradually drawn the attention of labor leaders, including John J. Sweeney, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. ''The percentage of black workers who have been knocked out of union jobs is one of the little-known tragedies of the last five years,'' he said..."

Would that be the same "AFL-CIO" that tried valiantly for many years to exclude blacks from membership?

Might be time to explain to the members that education is the new requirement for work in this country, John; "just showing up" means you're competing with Mexicans, Chinese,...

[rarestia]

I wonder if Ford will still honor the warranty on my recently-purchased Mercury Montego once the Japs and the Germans take over the auto industry?

[Fielding]

I did some contract work for GM in the seventies. The meetings were amazing. There were more layers of management in the engineering lab than in the federal government. Politics ruled the day. Power corrupted every aspect of vehicle design.

[HawaiianGecko]

	''The percentage of black workers who have been knocked out of union jobs is one of the little-known tragedies of the last five years,'' he said..." Apparently it's still "little-known" as he didn't menion the percentage.

 

 

[sgtbono2002]

That settles it. If it hurts Blacks and Women we just wont allow them to go bankrupt.

[Frenetic]

Toyota builds it's cars in the US, employs Americans to do the building, has no labor unions and they are doing just fine.

Cry me a river.

[BurbankKarl]

First week of December GM is supposed to announce some huge closures.

[gg188]

"Immigration, retirement, automation, the shifting of work overseas, low seniority and privatization have all played a role in the lopsided decline of unionized jobs held by African-Americans....

One thing overlooked here that I would agree with: young blacks in technical, computer and engineering fields are hit disproportionately hard by Indian and Asian immigrants and outsourcing because companies can meet diversity and minority-hiring guidelines---necessary for gov't contracts and for enormous PC pressure that exisits withing organizations now---by hiring Indians, effectively eliminating the need to ever hire a black person for these jobs.

For the companies, it's a twofer, heck a threefer: they meet diversity guidelines; they save money; and they assuage their white- and American-guilt by hiring those poor dark people suffering around the world due to US greed (you've got to understand how important that is to people educated in our colleges and universities.)