Factory Closures Devastate U.S. Towns

[Julien Sorel]

For you free trade opponents:

When Jerry Wilmouth moved to Galesburg, Illinois, five years ago, everyone told him to get a job at Maytag Corp.'s refrigerator plant. Maytag paid the best, they said, and the 50-year-old factory was the lifeblood of the city.

Now, Wilmouth and 379 others are spending their first week of life after Maytag -- the first of 1,600 workers to be laid off between now and the end of 2004, when the plant closes for good and Maytag moves the work to Mexico.

...

Since the end of the 2001 U.S. recession, job losses have ballooned in many sectors despite economic growth. This "jobless recovery" has drained one in six factory jobs, squeezing many of the nation's more highly paid workers.

Manufacturing pays an average $45,580 in annual wages -- about 17 percent higher than the average U.S. job, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

The layoffs have carved a swath of unemployment through the Midwest, where cornfields made way for factories after World War II as industry shifted from big cities to comparatively low-cost rural areas.


Link

[E_Zapata]

1. We are going to have to close our border at Mexico

so that illegal agric workers ARE taking our jobs -- the ones that are left, that is.

4 more years of Bush -- and we will be an agricultural society again.

[mhr]

2. One More Reason To Repeal NAFTA

And one more reason to elecet Dennis Kucinich as he is the only candidate that has called for the end of NAFTA!

Go Dennis Go!

[dkf]

3. I don't get it.

Why are you posting this if you are a Wes Clark supporter. It seems to me that with Bob Rubin and Mickey Kantor at Clark's side, more of the same will occur.

[RichM]

6. Don't ask him; he doesn't know.

[Julien Sorel]

7. Clark has stated he is in favor of 'fair trade.'

As for why I posted this, my life and world do not revolve around Clark. I support him because he's the best candidate, but I don't see the world through the prism of Clark. You might want to keep that thought in mind.

The topic itself is interesting to me. I am reflexively pro-free trade, partially because I have a strong background in economics, but recent events are leading me to re-assess my position. I came across this article while reading up on the effects of free trade, and thought it would be of interest to other people as well.

[Maple]

4. Globalization

when it works in our favor....self-interest when it doesn't.

Great message to send the world.

[blackcat77]

5. Just like my home town

In the late 70s, we had two GM opersations here employing almost 30,000 people. Yes, THIRTY thousand. It had been the heart and soul of Anderson for over half a century.

When Reagan left office, there were only about a fifth as many jobs. Now they're gone completely. Thirty thousand jobs gone in one town.

The population of the town has fallen by almost 40% and the tax base is ruined. The schools are falling apart and basic services are shoddy. A couple years ago there was an "incident" at the sewage plant which resulted in toxins getting into the river and half a million fish were killed.

I hate NAFTA. I hate free trade. And I hate the people who are getting rich because they send American jobs everywhere else.

[Politiclo8]

8. Jobs are now leaving Mexico for...............

Asia and those who used to be employed in towns like Nuevo Larado are feeling the same sting that many Americans felt when their jobs left for Mexico. The only question is where will it end?
One day soon those jobs may leave places like China and Vietnam for even lower wage countries.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi Politiclo8!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[pstokely]

10. things won't even be made on earth in 500 years

probably not even in this universe

[dbt]

11. We don't HAVE 500 years left,

Do we?

:evilgrin:
dbt

[bearfan454]

12. Welcome to DU.

Now you can get the real news.