La Crosse, WI — Newly released economic data suggest that 574,000 Wisconsin jobs are vulnerable to being shipped overseas in coming years unless national trade and economic policy are drastically changed, said a statewide coalition. Just a few days before a national election, and in the midst of the worst economic crisis in a century, local leaders and the director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition (WFTC) urged citizens to “vote with their job security in mind” at a meeting held at IAM District 66 in La Crosse, WI. (video)
According to analyses by the Economic Policy Institute (www.epi.org), at least 574,000 current Wisconsin employees, or more than 21% of all Wisconsin jobs, are considered “offshorable,” the coalition said. The EPI analyses indicated that, surprisingly, “the workers most vulnerable to offshoring are those with at least a four-year college degree.” In addition, the EPI indicated that more than 2.3 million jobs have already been lost due to the trade deficit with China.
“These are scary numbers,” said Sachin Chheda, director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition. “But we can stop shipping Wisconsin jobs overseas, if we change trade policy.
“For many years, we’ve seen so-called ‘free’ trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA result in manufacturing job loss, massive trade deficits, environmental degradation and a huge run-up in illegal immigration,” said Chheda. “Wisconsin families are paying the price for deregulation, with bank failures, a credit crunch, and consumer spending in the toilet. Presidential and Congressional candidates must lay out an agenda to move in a new direction in order to earn votes from the middle-class on Tuesday.”
The EPI analyses showed how failed trade policies give expansive protections to U.S. firms that ship investment and jobs offshore, rather than rewarding companies that grow their American workforce.
“If we change our trade policy, we can change the future, and keep jobs in the state rather than ship them overseas,” said Rick Mickschl, Business Representative for the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District Lodge 66 in La Crosse.
“For many years, white-collar workers have watched as blue-collar jobs have been shipped to Mexico, China, and beyond," said Phil Neuenfeldt, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “Now, these offshoring trends threaten every worker in every industry.”
On a national basis, the EPI data show that the workers most vulnerable to offshoring are those with a four-year college degree whose jobs pay $8,000 – or 14 percent more per year – than non-offshorable jobs. Even if these jobs are not actually sent overseas, they will still be subject to competition from lower-wage workers abroad and, consequently, the earnings in these occupations will lessen.
The EPI analyses show that more than one in five Wisconsin jobs can easily be moved offshore. A surprising array of state jobs are at risk, including computer programmers and call-center operators, actuaries and accountants, editors and writers, drafters and graphic designers, underwriters and financial analysts, and even scientists and mathematicians. Most jobs done in front of a computer are vulnerable to offshoring.
To address the offshoring problem and the massive trade deficit, the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition recommends state Congressional members sign on in support of the TRADE Act legislation introduced into Congress in June, which is already cosponsored by more than 70 members of the U.S. House and Senate. In Wisconsin, cosponsors include Senator Russ Feingold, and Representatives Steve Kagen, Gwen Moore, and Tammy Baldwin.
The TRADE Act requires a review of existing trade deals, including NAFTA, the World Trade Organization, and other major pacts, and sets forth what must and must not be included in future trade agreements. It also provides for the renegotiation of existing agreements and describes the key elements of a new trade negotiating and approval mechanism to replace Fast Track. This new system would enhance Congress' role in the formative aspects of agreements and promote future deals that could enjoy broad support among the American public.
In addition, the Coalition addressed how the existing trade regime negatively affected agriculture in Western Wisconsin.
“Farmers in Wisconsin and around the world have been ill-served by so-called ‘free’ trade policy over the past several years,” said Sue Beitlich, President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. “This policy has sought to reward multinational commodity traders by pitting the world’s farmers against one another to drive commodity prices down. America’s farmers need a new trade agenda that encourages fair, profitable trade that rewards the production of safe, abundant, affordable and secure food.”
“We cannot continue the same model of trade agreements over and over, and expect different results,” said Mark Reihl, Executive Director of the Wisconsin State Council of Carpenters. “Political candidates need to provide a plan for changing our trade and economic policies to aggressively address the continued offshoring of Wisconsin jobs.”
“Wisconsin's greatest export should not be our manufacturing jobs,” said Tom O’Heron, of the International Association of Machinists. “Trade policy must change to enhance and retain those good-paying jobs in the America.”
“As middle-class families look towards their choices between two candidates who claim to be for ‘change, it’s important to cut through the statistics and paint a clear picture of the challenge America, and Wisconsin, is facing,” said Chheda.” We need a new direction, and the voters of Wisconsin must demand that of whomever they support, and whoever wins.”
