Even in recovery, factories are closing

The Chicago Tribune ^ | June 1, 2004 | Greg Burns

[FreeAtlanta]

Were there not plant closing during Clinton's 8 years?

[Army Air Corps]

Yes, but the must have been Bush's fault somehow. </sarcasm>

[gov_bean_ counter]

Rubbermaid Inc. was very good to the folks here in the rolling hills of rural Ohio, providing cradle-to-grave security for generations of faithful employees

Perhaps the burden finally became too great to handle.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Were there not plant closing during Clinton's 8 years?

Pat Buchanan's economic plan prohibited factories from ever closing. Didn't you know that?

[baltodog]

Just curious...

How many of those "cradle-to-gravers" did anything to improve their processes, make their jobs more efficient, better themselves, and make themselves and their factory more competitive?

It seems to me that Rubbermaid's products, although very good and high in quality, are nothing more than injection-molded plastic.

[dirtydanusa]

I have noticed the words "made in China" popping up on Rubbermaid products. I even saw one on a cooler that says "Assembled in USA of Chinese components". I wonder how long those assembly jobs will last.

As the Economy gets better for the corporations, the workers will still be eliminated. The door to China swings one way with nothing to lose for the companies. When the eventual conflict with China starts, how will the U.S. be able to produce what it will need to defend us after all the factories have been demolished for shopping malls or turned into condos.

[Jorge]

Factories close and businesses fail even in the best economic times. This is news?

[muawiyah]

Productivity increases come at a price ~ fewer workers are needed to produce the same amount of goods. Further, fewer machines, and fewer plants, are needed to do the job.

Eventually we will reach a position where material goods are produced without human intervention.

Mankind's economic future has two possible pathways ~ (1) service industries, and (2) information extraction.

NOTE: Someday the technology available for personal use in private dwelling units will be of a nature that allows for the total elimination of every item now made by RubberMaid.

[CWOJackson]

LOL! I've been waiting for this headline, "Even When It's Good, It's Bad".

It's finally arrived.

[Jorge]

I even saw one on a cooler that says "Assembled in USA of Chinese components".

This really IS bad news for all those Americans who've been looking forward to careers as cooler assemblers :(

[HolgerDansk]

When the eventual conflict with China starts...

It has already begun. Aside from the economic moves, anyone remember Wong Wei and the EP-3 the Chinese downed over international waters?

[dirtydanusa]

Eventually we will reach a position where material goods are produced without human intervention.

Not when the human intervention only costs them $0.10 an hour. A friend of mine works for a company that is in China. This ball bearing factory produces thousands of bearings a week but the payroll is under $50 American a week. The bearings sell in the U.S. for a few bucks a bearing. No OSHA, Clean air or water laws to worry about. Why wouldn't all the companies that can afford to move there?? What have they got to lose??

[afz400]

"When the eventual conflict with China starts, how will the U.S. be able to produce what it will need to defend us after all the factories have been demolished for shopping malls or turned into condos."
Your comment is the most important issue of our times (Iraq and Islam pale in comparison) and it is completely ignored by conservatives and liberals alike. I'm afraid we are a nation of fools. As Lenin said, "The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them."

[gcruse]

Why wouldn't all the companies that can afford to move there?? What have they got to lose??

Would you blame them?

[Ciexyz]

Yikes, Rubbermaid and Maytag are closing? And Maytag is moving to Mexico? Well that's one company that won't provide my next washer and dryer.

[Jorge]

A friend of mine works for a company that is in China. This ball bearing factory produces thousands of bearings a week but the payroll is under $50 American a week. The bearings sell in the U.S. for a few bucks a bearing. No OSHA, Clean air or water laws to worry about. Why wouldn't all the companies that can afford to move there?? What have they got to lose??

What they've got to lose is a lot of customers.
We do quite a bit of work for the Aerospace industry, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the US military.

Most of our contracts require that ALL bearings we purchase be make in the USA or Canada.
And this would be the case with other big suppliers that have similar contracts.

[apackof2]

When the eventual conflict with China starts, how will the U.S. be able to produce what it will need to defend us

You hit the nail right on the head.......how will we indeed?

[familyofman]

"When the eventual conflict with China starts, how will the U.S. be able to produce what it will need to defend us after all the factories have been demolished for shopping malls or turned into condos."

I fear we have already reached the point where we can't produce what we need to defend ourselves. The 'shortage' of ammunition for operations in Iraq noted just last week is a orime example - not to mention; body armor, tracks for tanks, components for our 'smart bombs'.... We don't seem to smart ourselves selling our weapons technology to our now competitors/enemies.

[FITZ]

How many of those "cradle-to-gravers" did anything to improve their processes, make their jobs more efficient, better themselves, and make themselves and their factory more competitive?

So what are the Chinese and Mexicans doing in this way? I doubt the average factory worker has a whole lot of say on process improvement.