North Carolina manufacturing continues to bleed jobs

Charlotte Observer ^ | Thursday, February 05, 2004 | Associated Press

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

BAKERSVILLE, N.C. - Elaine Miller sewed almost 4,000 buttonholes in Levi's blue jeans at the Taylor Togs sewing factory - and found out the same day she's losing the job she's held for 22 years.

The plant's 125 workers were told Wednesday the plant will close as early as next week, Miller said.

"I make good money, and I have no idea what I'm going to do right now," said Miller, 39.

Promises of an economic recovery have been hollow for many North Carolinians in recent months as layoffs and plant closings mount.

More than 1,100 other Western North Carolina manufacturing workers who have learned just since Jan. 1 that they will lose their jobs.

Other job cuts and closings announced since Jan. 1 include: Cooper Bussmann fuse plant in Black Mountain, 290 jobs; Steelcase office furniture factory in Fletcher, 480 jobs; and the Drexel Heritage furniture plant in Marion. 351 jobs.

Another 2,200 jobs have been lost in the region in the last half of 2003.

The job losses also have been at work in eastern North Carolina, where layoffs and plant closures have cut more than 2,200 jobs since summer.

Bakersville resident and Mitchell High School English teacher Sue Ledford said announcements like Taylor Togs' make her wonder just what will become of her students. "I'm frustrated because I don't know what to prepare them for," she said. "I don't see any jobs on the horizon. I don't."

Wednesday's announcement comes in a county that, in recent years, has seen a major furniture factory and a hosiery mill close and a layoffs at a marine motor plant. Mitchell County's unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in December.

In the east, Rubbermaid Commercial Products announced Wednesday it will close its Greenville plant and eliminate more than 300 jobs there by April due to global competition. The 37-years-old plant manufactured brooms, brushes, mops, buckets and other household materials.

Employees like Connie Godwin of Scuffleton said there were rumors of the plant closing but she didn't expect it would happen this soon.

"I came home and sat down and that's when it hit me," said Godwin, 45. " I felt sick to my stomach. You just don't know what you are going to do. No one expects to be told they will lose their job in a couple of months."

Other big job losses in the region came at VF Jeanswear in Windsor and Wilson, 892 jobs; TRW Automotive in Greenville, 229 jobs; and Perdue Farms in Robersonville, 271 jobs.

[Willie Green]

ping

[Phantom Lord]

Gov. Easley is doing a great job! He must be reelected.

[xJones]

Bakersville resident and Mitchell High School English teacher Sue Ledford said announcements like Taylor Togs' make her wonder just what will become of her students. "I'm frustrated because I don't know what to prepare them for," she said. "I don't see any jobs on the horizon. I don't."

Organize Mandarin Chinese, Hindustanee, or Spanish language classes for them.

[diamondjoe]

Someone should tell this woman that she's stuck in a dead-end job and that the economy is much helped by her job (along with her benefits, her paycheck, her mortgage payment, etc.) going to some poor schlub earning $2 a day in Micronesia. Right?

[beckysueb]

Well I have a little good news for North Carolinians. Our large Air conditioning plant in Tennessee employing 1300 people is closing down and moving their production lines to Charlotte NC. But while we are losing 1300 jobs we are opening up 3 more smaller factories that will make up for the loss. And NC is gaining the jobs we lost. Somehow these factory closings don't tell the whole story. My husband is not losing his job. He will transfer to NC to set up and train people on the new jobs they will have.

[joesnuffy]

Just appeared on www.drudgereport.com


China Forecast To Become EU's Top Trading Partner In 2005
Thu Feb 05 2004 10:17:54 ET
For China, this could well be the Year of Europe, the WALL STREET JOURNAL reports on Thursday. Little noticed above the clamor over China's economic boom and the size of the U.S. trade deficit with China is an economic forecast with huge repercussions for business: In 2005, the European Union is likely to become China's No. 1 trading partner, displacing the U.S. this year and Japan in 2005, according to the EU Commission in Beijing.
EU policy makers say they sense an unprecedented Chinese interest in Europe, chiefly driven by China's hunger for export markets, which are seen as key to sustaining economic growth at home.
Officials add that it is also partly the result of Beijing's quest for new allies to bolster its view of the need for a multipolar world, rather than one dominated by the U.S.
Developing...

[chimera]

Either that, or the other standard, patronizing, slap-in-the-face FR globalist answer: start a business of your own (as if everyone can go out in a minute and do so with no resources), and if you can't, then it's your own fault, quit whining and grab a mop. Hey, it's no big deal, these people were only making buggywhips. As a prominent radio commentator says, if they can't adapt, screw 'em (let them eat cake). (/sarcasm)

[prion]

Elaine Miller sewed almost 4,000 buttonholes in Levi's blue jeans at the Taylor Togs sewing factory - and found out the same day she's losing the job she's held for 22 years. [...]"I make good money, and I have no idea what I'm going to do right now," said Miller, 39.

I don't know. Is it really reasonable to expect to go on for decades making good money sewing buttonholes on jeans?

[skeeter]

laine Miller sewed almost 4,000 buttonholes in Levi's blue jeans at the Taylor Togs sewing factory - and found out the same day she's losing the job she's held for 22 years. "I make good money, and I have no idea what I'm going to do right now," said Miller, 39.

Someone tell Mr Miller to stop whining & go back to school & learn to become a... biochemist. Or some other cutting edge profession.

She just doen't know how lucky she is that in this new economy she won't have to do such menial work anymore?

/sarcasm

[beckysueb]

Well there is something to be said for starting your own business. My husband besides working in a factory also has a small business of his own and if we had to we could live off of his buisness. He would simply take more customers which he doesn't have a shortage of customers.Instead of whining people need to find out what they are good at. what they like to do and with the proper amount of application you can do it!

[lelio]

The job losses also have been at work in eastern North Carolina, where layoffs and plant closures have cut more than 2,200 jobs since summer.

Listened to a story on the NPR show "Market Place" (its actually pretty good, slight liberal tinge to it) about the state of the economy in eastern NC and how it is highly dependant on the military. The topic was about base closures. I got the impression that Cherry Point was on the BRAC hit list.

According to this article the military in eastern NC is a $10B industry and is the "single most powerful economic engine in NC" according to Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue.

Billbears, is this about right?

[Constitution Day]

LOL. Yeah.

Easley's already raised $2.5 MM for his re-election campaign, you know.

[beckysueb]

I think these factorys when they close also offer retraining and placing displaced workers in new jobs. For every job that is lost usually there is another one created.

[Constitution Day]

NC ping!
Please FRmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[chimera]

That's fine for you. My point is that not everyone can do so, for a variety of perfectly valid reasons (i.e., not laziness). To write these people off with a patronizing "tough, start your own business", is not only callous and cruel, but is a sure way for conservatives to lose the election come November. There are real, flesh-and-blood people out there who have supported Republican candidates all their lives but are now rethinking that because they sense that those they have supported over the years are more than willing to throw them away like yesterday's news out of some slavish devotion to an abstract and unworkable concept. Sad part is, the alternative won't solve the problem, either, and in fact will make it worse (higher taxes). It's a perfectly predictable and avoidable disaster waiting to happen for conservative candidates, if only we have the eyes to see it.

[rrrod]

i call nc home now ..been here for 15 yrs ..love it but the tax situation here is a killer....my plans for moving our manufacturing here were put on hold...and still today the average guy/gal here doesnt seem to get it or even get mad about the condition here...ps...my accts. are working on setting up fla. res. for me.....

[Eddeche]

Tell that to people over 50 years old without an education.

much more effective than writing it to them.

[ClearCase_guy]

Tell that to people over 50 years old without an education.

I know you will find me heartless, but you are describing people who got old without ever picking up enough skills to weather a storm. And now the attitude is, "It's not MY problem that I lost my job. It's YOUR problem. Fix it for me."

I'm not calling these people stupid, but it reminds me of the saying, "If you protect people from the affects of their idiocy, you will fill the world with idiots."

Personal responsibility should be the watchword for all. The world has enough victims without everyone jumping on the bandwagon.