Manufacturing has been leaving U.S. shores for decades as companies find places with little to no labor laws, leading to companies sending operations overseas for cheap labor.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast welcomed United Steelworkers International-Secretary John Shinn to discuss keeping manufacturing jobs in America. In addition to manufacturing, Shinn detailed what he and the USW would like to see in an infrastructure bill.
Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S
Manufacturing has left the U.S. over a period of decades, when companies realized they could get cheaper labor and materials overseas. However, this came at the cost of American jobs and production of a lesser quality product.
In order to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., Shinn said the Steelworkers are being proactive in their approach to lawmakers. They have been working with various politicians and the Biden campaign and administration to make sure American workers reap the benefits.
In the short term, Shinn said the U.S. needs to keep the pressure on China through tariffs on aluminum and steel. Limiting their output helps keep jobs in America.
He also said the Biden administration can incentivize staying in the U.S. through tax breaks for companies, who promise to employ an American workforce and make their product in the U.S.
Additionally, there needs to be a plan for the future. As the U.S. switches from fossil fuels to more renewable energy, Shinn said it will be vital to the American workforce to begin making plans for manufacturing components for turbines and solar panels in the U.S.
Working on an infrastructure bill
Infrastructure is a bipartisan issue that should receive a fair vote. It is the perfect way to break the partisan gridlock of Washington D.C. according to many in labor and politics, including Shinn.
He said the USW has launched a campaign called, We Supply America. The campaign aims at bringing data to lawmakers showing that infrastructure is a bipartisan issue and that it will greatly help American workers, including Steelworkers. They are also working with their employers to get the word out about keeping jobs in the U.S.
The opposition any infrastructure bill will receive is if there is a tax hike, which Shinn said there will be. However, Republicans should not be opposed to this tax hike, as rates will just return to Bush-era rates, which was fine then.
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America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
