Terry Malloy at the NYC docks??
Here’s something that doesn’t add up about Walsh’s story. He’s a union electrician, living in Annapolis, MD, 40 miles from the one city in American that never experienced the recession—Washington, D.C. Thanks to Obama’s spending orgy, Washington remained a boomtown while other regions were experiencing double-digit unemployment. What prevented him from transferring his membership to the D.C. local and going to work on the scores of projects in/around the nation’s capital?
Likewise, there has been a huge demand for electricians in the oil patch in North Dakota. Non-union jobs, but average pay is $90,000 a year for unskilled workers. If you can’t find work as an electrician in Annapolis, relocate to where your skills are in demand, and burn your union card.
I was unemployed on two different occasions after retiring from the military. Despite having a pension (and health care), I made finding a job my new job. My efforts paid off and I was back at work within a month (the first time) and four months the second time around.
Of course, the unmentioned “factor” in the story is Barry Zero. He oversaw the dismantling of our economy and created the environment where millions of men have given up on finding work.
A colleague of mine who has spent most of her career in workforce development says the average job lost during the Obama Recession had an annual salary of $70,000; the jobs created since then pay an average of $27,000 a year.