With the onslaught of trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership facing IAM members and workers all across the country, manufacturing jobs seem to have become an endangered species in the U.S.
WATCH: Calling for a Recommitment to U.S. Manufacturing
“You can see steel mill after steel mill, factory after factory that have been closed,” said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH). “This is an economic slap in the face that has a ripple effect down through generations of families in our communities.”
Analysts report that 50,000 U.S. factories have closed since 2001 with a cost of 3.2 million working class jobs. Those jobs have moved to countries where workers are poorly paid and struggle to survive.
“We will not stop until this problem gets fixed,” said Ryan as he pledged support for new policies that will strengthen American manufacturing.
