40 Million Jobs to be Outsourced

[robert eggleton]

This will affect us all if not stopped. The master plan is to move perhaps 40 million high skilled American Jobs to other countries. U.S. workers have not been consulted. Princeton Economist Alan Blinder predicts these choice jobs could be lost in a decade or two. We speak of computer programming, bookkeeping, graphic design and other careers once thought firmly implanted in American soil.

40 million is more than twice the total number of people now employed in manufacturing.
http://seattletimesnwsource.com/html..._harrop17.html

Rarity from the Hollow (my novel with author proceeds donated to prevent child abuse:
www.fatcatpress.com

[BenL]

This is happening right here in my own company. At least a score of employees are having their jobs outsourced to India. The company is offering somewhat generous severance packages, but nothing like what they could have earned here over their careers. And the last straw is that in order to qualify for those packages, they have to stay and train their replacements. Some of them have even been flown to India to train the workers there. My mind reels from the inequities of this ... all for the sake of maintaining shareholder value. Capitalism run amok.

[sjbouza]

We have a company, a small one, about 250 people that is closing down in the next month or two. They are sending all the jobs down to Mexico. What really hits the employees hard is that they have begun to fire them before the official close down to avoid paying unemployment to them. What are these families suppose to do? There isnt that many jobs, let alone well paying ones, around this area. I do agree, this is capitalism run amok. What are we going to have left in this country? Will everyone just work at Mcdonalds or Burger King? I understand that the companies have to make money, but at what cost?

I blame this on two things: first of all NAFDA and second of all the "unions". Yes, I understand that the unions have helped the workers. They have made things safer and better for them. I dont argue with that, it was needed. However, the time for the unions is gone. They are nothing more than money hungry companies themselves. They take from the people they are suppose to represent and if they cant get what they want or need they just tell the workers, "oh well we tried...sorry". It is the unions that have driven the cost of a great deal of things through the roof. Automobiles is one. The amount of money that a basically unskilled worker can make in the auto industry is outragious.

Anyway, as I said, at what cost is this going to be for this country? It is the people that are going to suffer in the end. The companies and their stockholders will just get richer, while they drive the rest of the middle class into poverty. We are gong to become a third world country if we dont watch out. Mexico and these other countries that we are sending all of our jobs to will become what America is and use to be. It is a sad fact that our government doesnt seem to really care about. Well without jobs and money, then we cant pay taxes, no taxes then the big wigs in the government will lose out as well. But what do they care, they will probably be long dead before that happens.

So I pose these questions to you. Do you think the government is for the people or against the people? Should we as Americans stand up to the government and tell them "NO MORE" and take it back? What are your thoughts on if and how we should do that?

[ladyinred]

Sjbousa, I with all due respect have to disagree with you on unions, while they may have their negative points. Please remember that Bush has done alot to undermine unions and erode worker's rights and so have big companies.Without protection for worker's rights, companies can now fire you without due or just cause,and as you said ,can get out of paying unemployment.Companies are many times basically interested in what I call the bottom line, their profits and enriching themselves and profiting further by cheap and inexpensive labor.And of course the CEO's have their perks and benefits, you don't see them having to do without a retirement, medical care either.

When it comes to the government, what can we do? VOTE THEM OUT.Don't vote for the people you don't think truly represent you as an American citizen. Go to the on the issues.org website and look at their record and where they stand on the issues you care about, and do not just listen to the tv and radio about things. If people would educate themselves on the candidates we may find ourselves armed with the knowledge we need to make wiser choices about how to make our vote count and our voices heard. Also writing to congressmen doesn't hurt either. Let them know how you feel and what your concerns are. Those who "care" will take you seriously.
http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm Anyway,just my thoughts,peace and take care.

[ladyinred]

"What really hits the employees hard is that they have begun to fire them before the official close down to avoid paying unemployment to them."

Yep, unfortunately that is the case with alot of companies. Been there and done that several times with my ex. When she lost her job, we lost our apartment and everything else. Because the company had wiggled their way out of paying unemployment .

People were being fired left and right several hundred of them. The company said that they had due cause to fire them, but that many employees? You cannot tell me that many employees were doing a bad job. Ironically enough before my ex was laid off she had a certificate on her desk for excellence in customer service.Of course the company was writing people up left and right for everything.One lady was written up for being late to work even though she had been in a car accident.

People would get written up for forgetting to say certain things to the customers .Of course when people were starting to be fired,they told the rest of the employees if they took any time off they would be fired. My ex worked 8- 5pm Mon to Fri. so she could not have looked for another job on her time off. I'm sure the company knew this and that is why they wanted to keep their employees from finding other jobs before they started firing them , and on what ? Minor infractions like the ones I mentioned above.

[sjbouza]

ladyinred I do see your point. Unions are still doing good things but sometimes I see the bad outweigh the good over and over. As to this company locally, it is a union shop and the union is doing NOTHING to help its people. They are just sitting back and watching it happen. Unfortunately, Michigan is an "at will" employee state. Which means they dont have to give a reason for firing a person. But that is a two edged sword also. Without a reason for the firing, unemployment is automatically granted to the emplyees. But they are firing everyone for "reasons", or so they say to avoid this. Where is their union? What is the union some of these people have been paying dues to for some 15 year doing for them, nothing. That is what I mean when I say that unions are harming the very people they are suppose to be protecting.

Another case in point. My uncle works for Consumers Energy. His union wanted him fired because, and I quote, "he makes everyone else look like they dont do any work." My uncle actually works for his paychecks, not saying others dont, but when he can get almost three times the work done as compared to other workers, that is saying something. Then when his union wants him fired for working to hard? What is up with that? Consumers Energy did end up firing him, however, they rehired him into a different position without any loss of time or benifits. The union screamed foul on that because he was a "new employee", even though he never missed on day of work between the "job change". I think the main reason the union hassled him so much is that he found out that the union stewards were taking money from the union accounts and using it for personal things, ie paying bills, groceries, family dinners out, etc. He brought this up, that the union account was missing over $7000. A few people lost their jobs over it, and that is when the whole problems with the union on his back began.

Well, this is how our unions treat our workers here. I dont know about other places, but here they are not a good thing for the workers in the long run. I know they have their place and they have and are doing great things, I just have a great disreguard for them because of what I have seen. So I am sorry if it seemed like I was getting on unions in general. I guess I sort of was, but after your post, I realized that it was just a biased opinion based on my own experiences locally.

God Bless,
Scott

[ladyinred]

Scot you are probably right that Unions have corruption in them too and need to clean up their act.I guess my concern is companies have way too much power over their employees and there is no give and take. The rules are in their favor and workers rights have been eroded so much that they don't have alot of legal say or leverage in things. My ex couldn't get unemployment even if she had contested the company, there was so much red tape it would have taken at least 6 weeks to six months to do anything.

Why big companies outsource?They can get by with paying slave wages if they want to in another country, no medical care and they don't have to abide by certain rules.Cheap labor puts more money in their pockets.

I'm really not happy with the Bush administration because essentially it is pro-big business and he has done alot to undermine unions.I also feel Bush is anti environment, in my state of Texas we have alot more pollution now than we used to.In alot of neighborhoods I see people putting up their houses for sale
in 2004 I was really fussy about the presidential race because I felt like Bush was doing more harm to this country than good. I know many people did not agree with Kerry on many things, but I also feel that the conservatives tried to paint Kerry as a far liberal flake. The democratic party was the party that wanted to raise minimum wage though.

And what really urks me is that alot of people who vote republican have a myopic fixation on gay rights and abortion and ignore the larger issues, unemployment, education, medical care,the deficit, outsourcing of jobs and many others to vote around those two issues. Yes I'm concerned about abortion, but again I take more of a moderate view like Hillary Clinton who doesn't want to undermine women's choices, but wants to reduce abortions through educating women and men about other options and through programs like planned parenthood. she doesn't want to take the right to choose from women but wants to help them see there are other possible alternatives. I guess in my mind abortion should be the last option on the table, when no other option is viable or realistic for the person.

I also don't think the republican party as it is now represents the American people. I think too many of them are too far right, and they aren't in my mind actually supporting the interests of the American public. When I read Robert's posts 40 million jobs outsourced, That is alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Where are all these people going to find new jobs?When people are out of jobs, I think the last thing on their mind will be issues like gay rights and abortion.. it'll be how am I going to maintain a living and support my family?

[ladyinred]

This is somewhat dated, but I remember hearing on the news at the time that Bush said outsourcing of Jobs is "good." (Yes, but for who? Big business)
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0310-11.htm