Posted on 01/10/2024 10:33:37 PM PST by SeekAndFind
“...was part of a negotiated contract agreement with the UE Local 610”
Sounds like we reached the ‘rut’ of why they’re closing down.
In the past, US firms dealt with increased labor costs (which raised the standard of living) by innovation and investing in new plant and equipment to raise productivity. Now they outsource and sell shoddy goods at inflated prices.
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...but why did US companies go to China? After all, I doubt they really wanted to do that.
And likewise, why are Japanese auto plants in the US a success story, while unionized ‘American’ plants (the ones that remain) such a disaster.
“We have incredibly skilled workers in this region, people whose institutional knowledge and experiences have made them invaluable problem solvers, yet each time either a new ownership takes over, they often focus on the wrong things as assets, which is our people, and things can start to go south,” said Ameris, who represents nearly 30,000 laborers across the region.
Ameris said what happened at Wabtec and what may happen with Nippon’s purchase of U.S. Steel is that these new owners are so far removed from the people who work for them that they don’t understand that losing workers like the ones from the old Westinghouse plant isn’t just losing bodies. It is losing generations of knowledge, skill sets and pragmatic problem-solving that you can’t learn in a college classroom.
“Laborers are truly artisans, craftsmen and women that built the components of the bridges and roads and railroads and our entire infrastructure systems that make our lives better, that frankly make this world go around, and what really bothers me is that few people in power blink when these things happen,” he said.
We used to make our own shoes and underwear. There was a time when American autos were seen in every major country in the world.
used to make our own shoes
I miss that utility.
”When a company closes a steel mill in Pennsylvania or Ohio and opens another one in Arkansas or Texas, the problem here ain’t ‘globalism’.”
This is very telling. I believe 1979 saw the peak manufacturing employment in U.S. history. Before the 2020s came along it might also have been the low point in the lives of most people who are over the age of 50 today.
Yup. US Steel was going to invest $1B in the Pittsburgh area….they eventually gave up because of entrenched gov’t nonsense made it impossible. US Steel scrapped the plan and instead invested $1.5B in Arkansas. China didn’t make them do that.
Because no matter how much we talk about keeping jobs here, many if not most choose lower prices aver American made.
Ross Perot was a case in point. He openly opposed outsourcing and debated Gore on that issue. He warned of the "giant sucking sound" while Gore sold Americans on the benefits of outsourcing with bogus statistics. Americans fell for it and relished in all of the cheap prices they thought they were going to get, including many freepers at the time. Perot eventually had to give in and outsource, not because he wanted to but because he couldn't compete without it.
And here's an example of outsourcing that occurred in 2015. How much money did this save us.
“And here’s an example of outsourcing that occurred in 2015. How much money did this save us.”
LOL, but in this case it was to skirt US laws, much as the way the 5-Eyes operate to do the same.
America no longer produces buggy whips or comtometers or typewriters.
The article is pure Hotair. Drivelous balderdash.
The year is 2024, not 1956.
Japanese and Korean.
Why does any company what to leave America?
Hint: It has nothing to do with wages.
My understanding is that US manufacturing is making a huge comeback—and really its doing so on a scale the people currently do not understand.
Perot opposed outsourcing? His company was a technology outsourcing company. He opposed off-shoring.
America no longer produces buggy whips or comtometers or typewriters.
And America no longer produces artillery shells, either.
No mention of Tesla who INVENTED alternating current transmission. Although Edison was a man of vision and invented many useful products still used today, just know that when you plug his products into your house electrical outlets, you should thank Tesla for that.
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