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Apr 24, 2004 Right now we're in what has been called a "Jobless Recovery" in this country. What does that mean? Simple, the economy is growing again, but without any growth in the job market. Now, I'm not an economist by any means. I can balance my checkbook and my weekly budget, but stocks and such are beyond me. What I have seen up close though, is the fact that there are no where near the jobs there were just a few years ago. I'm not going to place blame with any politicial party, remember, it was Bill Clinton that passed the North American Free Trade Act, and the recession began just as George Bush was taking office. What we're looking at is the way that companies conduct business. Corperations have learned that they can trim the excess people from their staffs. In some cases, they hire temps for long periods of time to take the place of people they pink-slipped. In others, they simply do without and find ways to be more efficient. The idea of "lean manufacturing" has made it's way into the middle management staff. All departments are open to being cut, thousands more people are one bad bottom line from being put on "indefinate lay-off." For example, I have been employed where I work through a temporary agency for nearly three years. Approximately 15% of the rest of the work- force is also made up of "temps." The company receives the benifit of only paying us a base wage, no benefits such as retirement or insurance, nor do they have to give us annual raises or profit sharing. They get straight labor at a fixed rate, for however long they want. If you don't like it, they will show you the door and get someone else the next day. This idea has worked it's way into the engineering and quality control departments. The engineers no longer do research and development, and the QC department will be losing nine people by June. One of the main reasons for this is competion from companines that have moved over-seas. A corperation can move to Mexico or South America and hire a workforce that they can pay in a week what an American worker makes in a day. Schlage Lock, who is based in Colorado Springs CO, moved the majority of its assembly operations to Mexico several years ago, has now moved assembly to China. There, the people work for a Communist system, where they are paid pennies a day whether they work or not. So now, not only have several hundred people in Colorado lost their jobs, but their former employer is supporting a Communist government. I have seen the price of Schalge Locks at Menards. The price hasn't come down any since the company moved. What can we do about this? The State of Illinois has introduced legislation that no items made by a company that has off-shored its jobs will be purchased for state owned buildings. That may not seem like much, but think about all the doors on all the state buildings. Everything from the Department of Motor Vehicles to the Capitol building. Another idea would be to repeal NAFTA. That would prevent any more companies from leaving. It's doubtful that would happen after this many years, but miracles do happen. What might make the most sense and be the easiest would be to institute import tariffs on companies that have off-shored their jobs. Companies might cry foul, but as I said, thier new business practice hasn't saved the consumer a dime. Who knows, if it works, myself and the thousands of others out there might be able tio find a decent job. ------------ About the author David M. Youngquist: I am a former teacher and reporter who now works in a factory. I do however free-lance for magazines and newspapers and have written a novel that I am trying to find an agent for. Email: davidystep@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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