Blue Collar Voters: Trade is Killing Us

McClatchy DC ^ | April 2, 2016

[VitacoreVision]

Establishment voices of economists, government and business officials argue that trade deals are critical in a global economy, and great for America. But critics such as organized labor call them “death warrants.”

And in blue collar communities in Wisconsin and across the industrial Midwest, that economic angst, coupled with some sense of betrayal, helps explain the roiling politics of 2016.

Wisconsin votes Tuesday. But soon after come other industrial states, including Pennsylvania. And all could be battlegrounds this fall in the general election.

And a lot will look like Milwaukee, once known as “the machine shop to the world,” now grappling with a new economy.

Wisconsin has lost more than more than 68,000 manufacturing jobs since the mid-1990s and the first of several controversial trade pacts with Mexico, China and others took hold.

[VitacoreVision]

How the Free Trade Agenda Is Knocking Down America
-- The New American (PDF) Special Report
http://www.thenewamerican.com/files/TNA2917.pdf

The Special Report includes the following articles:

- The "Free Trade" Agenda Threatens Our Rights
- Global Merger: Piece by Piece
- The EU: Regionalization Trumps Sovereignty
- Trade Promises... and Trade Reality
- North American Union: From NAFTA to the NAU
- Fast-track: Enabler of the "Free Trade" Agenda
- Regional Scheme for the Pacific Rim
- EU/U.S. -- Transatlantic Convergence

[MichaelCorleone]

Seems that organized labor is waking up to the fact there’s a difference between acting in self interest, and acting selfishly.

Time to serve the self interest.

[smokingfrog]

Free trade is only part of the equation.
There are other issues like high corporate taxes, government regulations, the cost of energy, heathcare costs, raising the minimum wage to unreasonable levels, unions, increases in productivity and computerization, poorly educated & motivated workers, etc. etc.

[RobbyS]

The Unions stopped serving their members back when they became bankers of the Democratic Party. This is true even of the government employees unions, like the teacher unions. Rather than try to organize the private schools and the quasi-public character schools, they make common cause with School administration and try to kill school choice.

[taxcontrol]

Exactly right. The high corporate tax rate is in large part what is driving company’s to off shore their production and to lower their labor costs.

If the government were to lower the corporate tax rate to 20% you would have companies coming back to America.

[kearnyirish2]

The scariest part is that this has now spread to all facets of the workforce; I see more and more younger Asians (particularly women) taking jobs from middle-aged and older Americans in the financial sector.

[Mears]

If we are to be “invaded” by any race or ethnicity Asians are the best.

Low crime,well educated,and hard working.

.

[kearnyirish2]

Most Asians are like that, though you have to include Arabs and such in the mix as well (which have a broad range of behavior). In my experience, Asians can be fairly indifferent about anything that doesn’t impact them directly.

[Mears]

“Asians can be fairly indifferent about anything that doesn’t impact them directly.”

—

In other words they are like most of the U.S. population today.

The good old days are gone.

.

[kearnyirish2]

Yes, I guess they are - and we are seeing the costs of having more & more Americans adapt “gibsmedat” views.

[smokingfrog]

I know - it’s MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/wisconsin-union-members-support-sanders-revolution-not-tempted-trump

But ...

[ChessExpert]

Add to that list borrowing by the Federal Government. It drives up the value of the dollar. A stronger dollar encourages imports while discouraging exports.

This affects investors (in US debt) and manufacturing around the world. It is especially evident with China and Japan. They buy a lot of our debt. To afford it, they sell us a lot of goods.

If we get government spending under control, the government won’t have to borrow as much, if at all. The value of the dollar will fall. We will export more and import less.

[ChessExpert]

” see more and more younger Asians (particularly women) taking jobs from middle-aged and older Americans in the financial sector.”

I assume these Asians are not American citizens. I don’t think it right that Americans should have to compete with foreigners on US soil. It should just be one of the perks of being an American citizen.

[kearnyirish2]

They may be naturalized citizens; they definitely aren’t born here. They are the imported white collar workers to suppress those wages/that standard of living (just as the Hispanics are used for the blue-collar workforce.

[RobbyS]

What has disappeared is the sense of loyalty, or fealty between employer and employee. The idea that the employee is to anticipate what his boss wants even when the boss is unable to articulate clearly what he/she wants. This is often not good for the boss because he becomes victim to the office Iagos.

[RobbyS]

But what is talking about this? None of the candidates, even Trump.

[kearnyirish2]

I understand employers don’t owe employees anything beyond wages earned and benefits agreed upon at hiring; the problem is that the relationship has deteriorated to the point where neither can trust the other. While the layoffs/downsizing today are horrible for the employees, I also remember in the not-so-distant past when American tech workers had the employers over a barrel and pressed their advantage to the fullest (leading to the tech outsourcing/H1-B scams we have today).

I don’t know what the answer is, but the current 20%+ unemployment rate and McJobs available are not sustainable.

[ChessExpert]

In general, politicians sometimes talk about controlling (reducing) Federal spending. I don’t remember any politician making the argument that it ties back to increased manufacturing. They should, IMO.

[RobbyS]

The bosses seem always able to be inveterate rent-seekers. When pressed by their employees, they sent their lobbyists to the state and national capital and get the laws changed to their advantages. Even when the workers unionize, it does not work to their advantage, because then the union leaders negotiate deals to give short terns advantages to the workers but longer tern advantages to the union leaders. As in Wisconsin, they buy into the political power game and invest their members money in causes that have nothing to do with the interests of their members and everything to do with sitting at the tables of power with the power elite. That is, until they have less to offer. Their membership shrinks and they have less and less to offer the other power brokers, not campaign workers nor money note on election day, votes.