Job losses from automation or trade pacts? Will we learn from this?

[MichMan]

3. Wouldn't that cause even more automation or production moved overseas?

Unions can be powerful in jobs that can't be easily moved overseas. In many manufacturing plants that isn't the case.

I have worked for auto suppliers for much of my life. There are a lot of suppliers in Mexico and China that we compete with business. profit margins are already quite low. Customers demand price decreases regularly.

Increasing costs of manufacturing will either require much more automation or would result in plant closures as selling parts for less than it costs to make them is not good business.