Here is Scranton's problem: Since 2001 Pennsylvania lost more than 250,000 manufacturing jobs

[NNN0LHI]

http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/editorials-columns/guest-columnists/u-s-needs-national-strategy-to-revive-manufacturing-jobs-1.1169217

U.S. needs national strategy to revive manufacturing jobs
BY SEN. BOB CASEY (GUEST COLUMNIST)Published: June 30, 2011

Since the end of 2009, Pennsylvania has added more than 15,000 manufacturing jobs - more than all but three states. That's encouraging news.

But we've got a long way to go to recover the manufacturing jobs lost in the last decade. From February 2001 to February 2009, Pennsylvania lost more than 250,000 manufacturing positions - three of every 10 manufacturing jobs in our state - largely because of foreign trade and overseas competition.

Recently I convened a roundtable of the leaders of several southwestern Pennsylvania companies at the Universal Electric Corp. in Canonsburg to hear about their experiences and ideas that I can bring to Washington, D.C., to keep the focus on supporting manufacturing.

We had a good discussion on some things that need to be fixed to ensure that our manufacturers and workers in Pennsylvania aren't put at a disadvantage by unfair competition. There are many innovative production practices these companies use.

To make real, sustained progress in U.S. manufacturing, Washington needs to do a better job. We must develop and commit ourselves to a national manufacturing strategy. We need a plan

Today, the U.S. manufacturing sector employs about 8 million fewer people than it did in 1979. I hear a number of common themes, including the need to ...

[mike_c]

1. but tax cuts for the job creators have been in place since then...

...so PA simply could NOT have lost any jobs. In fact, millions of good jobs must have been created, not lost. Everybody knows that's what job creators do when you don't tax them!

[HopeHoops]

2. Yeah, it's a LOT more than 1/4 million. Scranton wasn't the only place to be hit hard.

Steelton (named for an obvious reason) is a slum now because the lifeblood of the community disappeared years ago. There are countless examples of one-industry towns that have faded into slums or oblivion because of closed factories and the associated jobs shipped overseas. Life sucks and then you get laid off and it sucks worse.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Maybe another huge tax break for billionaires will cure that?

[demosincebirth]

4. Many new manufacturing jobs head for the south because of their RTW laws and no labor laws

protecting workers. Like working in China, but with better wages.

[NNN0LHI]

5. That is why Toyota moved their only unionized US plant from California to Mississippi

[demosincebirth]

6. That's why I never buy anything but American cars. UAW has fallen on it's ass. Not one foreign car

manufacturer has been organized in the South.