{"article":{"id":104055,"heading":"Offshoring of jobs a hot issue","author":"richard myers","created":"2004-03-01 07:28:27","modified":"2013-11-11 00:28:56","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:28:56","article":"
Typically high paid middle class Information \r\nTechnology workers are learning what blue collar workers have known for \r\ndecades-- the offshoring of working people's jobs \r\nsucks.<\/div>\r\n\r\n
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http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/TechsUnite\/<\/div>\r\n
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TechsUnite is a union friendly discussion \r\ngroup for issues that concern Information Technology \r\nworkers.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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Across the country there is a new movement afoot-- high tech \r\nworkers are reassessing their commitment to \"free trade\". There are scores of \r\nwebsites representing new organizations dedicated to fighting against the \r\nscourge of offshoring. The movement is growing rapidly. Even right-wing, \r\nreactionary sites such as Free Republic are experiencing heated discussions and \r\nsoul-searching about free trade vs. fair trade.<\/div>\r\n
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http:\/\/www.rebelgraphics.org\/jobs_offshored.html<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Anti-offshoring graphic images from Rebel \r\n Graphics<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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For those concerned about offshoring, one issue in \r\nheated contention is immigration policy. The debate concerns whether \r\nfull attention should be focused upon the role of government and the \r\ncorporations, or whether the nation should step up deportations and seal the \r\nborders. This is an important debate, inflamed by President Bush's proposed \r\nguest worker policy, which may take center stage during the \r\npresidential campaign. <\/div>\r\n
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(I am firmly in the \"blame the corporations and the \r\ngovernment\" camp. Get union cards into the hands of immigrants to protect living \r\nstandards...)<\/div>\r\n
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http:\/\/www.onshorealternatives.com\/<\/div>\r\n
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On Shore Alternatives lists those \r\ncorporations that offshore, and those that don't.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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For those not familiar with offshoring, \r\nhere is an article by Vermont Representative Bernie Sanders (the only \r\nindependent in the U.S. Congress).<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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Published on 11\/4\/2003 in the The Hill
Free Trade Means \r\nAmerica’s Biggest Export is its Jobs
by Rep. Bernie Sanders<\/div>\r\n
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Our economy has been decimated by “free” trade, and someone \r\nhas to point out that, like the proverbial naked emperor, our policies have no \r\nclothes — or more appropriately in this context, no jobs making clothes, or \r\nelectronics, or a host of other products we use every day. <\/div>\r\n
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Unsurprisingly, proponents of an unfettered free-trade seem \r\nunwilling to admit the error of their ways. This group, which includes virtually \r\nall of corporate America, every major editorial board, as well as Presidents \r\nGeorge H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, has told us \r\nfor decades how many new jobs free trade would create here at home. Now the \r\nevidence is in and guess what — they were dead wrong. The exact opposite is \r\ntrue. <\/div>\r\n
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Largely because of our trade policies, manufacturing is in a \r\nstate of collapse. In the past three years, we have lost 2.7 million \r\nmanufacturing jobs, 16 percent of the total. At 14.7 million, we are at the \r\nlowest number of factory jobs since 1958. <\/div>\r\n
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In 2002, the United States bought $435 billion more in goods \r\nand services made in other countries than products and services made in the \r\nUnited States. And this year, the deficit with China alone is expected to be \r\n$120 billion, and getting worse. The National Association of Manufacturers \r\nestimates that the deficit will grow to $330 billion in five years. \r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Our disastrous trade policy is not only costing us millions of \r\ndecent jobs but has put enormous downward pressure on wages as workers compete \r\nfor an ever-shrinking pool of jobs. Despite huge increases in productivity, real \r\nwages for private-sector employees have dropped 8 percent since 1973. The \r\naverage American is working longer hours for lower wages and most middle-class \r\nfamilies now require two breadwinners to pay the bills. For entry-level workers \r\nwithout a college education, the situation is far, far worse. Their real wages \r\nhave dropped more than 20 percent in the past 25 years. <\/div>\r\n
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The demise of well-paid manufacturing jobs is best illustrated \r\nby the following: 20 years ago, the largest private employer in the United \r\nStates was General Motors, where workers earned — and still earn — a good \r\nincome. Today, our largest employer is Wal-Mart, where workers earn \r\nbelow-poverty wages. <\/div>\r\n
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It didn’t take a genius to predict that unfettered free trade \r\nwith China would be a disaster. With Chinese employees available at 50 cents an \r\nhour, and with the ability to bring their Chinese-made products back into this \r\ncountry tariff-free, why wouldn’t American corporations shut down their plants \r\nin this country and move to China? Should anyone be surprised that Motorola \r\neliminated 42,900 American jobs in 2001 and invested $3.4 billion in China? Who \r\nis shocked that General Electric threw tens of thousands of American workers out \r\non the street while investing over $1.5 billion in China? Honeywell is a \r\nsophisticated company. Why wouldn’t we expect them to build 13 factories in \r\nChina? <\/div>\r\n
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China, for American multinational corporations, is a great \r\nplace to do business, if by “do business” we mean making products for export to \r\nthe United States that companies previously made here at home. Wages are \r\nextremely low in China, and if workers try to stand up for their rights and form \r\nunions, they go to jail. <\/div>\r\n
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Environmental regulations are almost nonexistent, and, while \r\nChina becomes one of the most polluted countries on earth, companies don’t have \r\nto “waste” money on environmental safeguards. <\/div>\r\n
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Over the years, free-trade advocates have tried to gloss over \r\nthe bad news about declining factory employment by promising that a new economy \r\nwas in the making — one in which Americans would be working at high wages in \r\nhigh tech. Wrong again! Manufacturing jobs are not the only casualty of free \r\ntrade. <\/div>\r\n
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Estimates are that 560,000 high-tech jobs have been lost in \r\nthis country in the last two years and that many have ended up in India. More \r\nominous, according to Forrester Research, “over the next 15 years, 3.3 million \r\nU.S. service industry jobs and $136 billion in wages will move offshore. The \r\nInformation Technology industry will lead the initial overseas exodus.” \r\n<\/div>\r\n
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According to the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm, \r\ncompanies can lower costs by 80 percent by shifting tasks such as computer \r\nprogramming, accounting and procurement to China. Among many companies moving \r\nhigh-tech jobs abroad is Microsoft, which is spending $750 million over the next \r\nthree years on research and development and outsourcing in China. <\/div>\r\n
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So free trade has not only cost us our textile industry, our \r\nshoe industry, our steel industry, our tool and die industry, our electronic \r\nindustry, our furniture industry and many others but will now cost us millions \r\nof high tech jobs as well. <\/div>\r\n
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The United States needs to have a strong, positive \r\nrelationship with China, but that does not mean allowing corporate America and \r\nits supporters in the White House and Congress to destroy the American middle \r\nclass by making jobs America’s No. 1 export. If we continue to force American \r\nworkers to “compete” against desperate people throughout the world, American \r\nworkers will continue to lose. <\/div>\r\n
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The United States is the most lucrative market in the world. \r\nWe need to leverage its value to achieve trade agreements that result in the \r\nexport of American products, not jobs. <\/div>\r\n
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http:\/\/bernie.house.gov\/documents\/opeds\/20031014111646.asp<\/div>\r\n
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A recent poll about free \r\ntrade:<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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http:\/\/bernie.house.gov\/documents\/articles\/20040224095920.asp<\/div>\r\n
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http:\/\/www.rebelgraphics.org\/jobs_offshored.html<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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 <\/div>\r\n\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"Typically high paid middle class Information Technology workers are learning what blue collar workers have known for decades-- the offshoring of working people's jobs sucks.\r\n","numcomment":1,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/03\/104055.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":104080,"heading":"it's an almost inevitable thing","article":"For the longest time, we've seen the wages for the largest growing sector of the economy, the service sector, stagnate or decline. Without regular workers earning enough to afford to pay for the IT and info-products of high tech workers, it's inevitable that there will be pressure to import technical labor as well.\r\n\r\nThere's so little support for hackers out there, it's sad. And the fact is, they deserve it. The average technically skilled person is an arrogant prick, young and well paid, and without much compassion for the average Joe\/Jose\/Josefa\/Jane. Most of them came from the conservative working class, and thought they were blessed by capitalism.\r\n\r\n(There are some techies who identify with the working class, though they are a minority.)","author":"more rational","parent_id":104055,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-03-01 20:58:31","modified":"2004-03-01 20:58:31","fileurl":""}]}