So, ________________, is laying off employees again.  This would normally be a fairly common occurrence.  Having to lay off workers every three to four years was common practice for manufacturing plants in the U.S., but this time it's different.  The company you work for has been moving their production base from the U.S. to Mexico, China, India, etc. for the advantage of cheaper labor & workers benefits. 
I wonder who gets the benefit of building a less expensive product?
Does the product that is built in Mexico, China, India, etc. cost less to buy then it was when it was built in the U.S.?
Isn't the U.S. one of this products biggest markets?

This new page is waiting for your feedback.  I won't post anything distasteful, but don't let that stop you, I will store all comments for future use. To give feed back click this link now.

A

Here, maybe this will inspire you!

My wife was working in a financial institution back in about 2002 when the Parts Plant  was taken away from us.  She said she could not understand how the Company could ask us to take cut-backs in our benefits and salary, but could still give some of their Management six figure bonuses.  What was worse is the person depositing the check was kind of bragging about it.  She said he turned white when she told him that her husband had been one of the ones laid-off in 2001.
 
a) What would you, (or should you), tell a news reporter about your Manufacturing Plant if you had the chance? 
I think the United States should not engage in a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), nor the construction of a Trans-Texas Corridor (NASCO), nor enter into a North American Union (NAU) with Mexico and Canada.
b) What questions would you want to ask the company you work for if they would listen?
It's a tough economy, is our prime factory/warehouse property up for sale dirt cheap? It's kind of a sad situation.
 

James Hoffa discusses Mexican trucks crossing the US border unimpeded, NAFTA superhighway (Trans-Texas Corridor), and North American Union.

James Hoffa's CSPAN Interview NAFTA Superhighway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naLwX0kJjUk&feature=related

 
This brother is angry and he should be. Get behind each other while there is still time!

Has there been any constructive dialogue between the union and Daimler in regards to a severance deal? If not, why not? We voted it into our collective bargain that the two parties agree to 'discuss a severance'. With regard to our BINDING AGREEMENT, the company then has a legal obligation to at least make an attempt at some sort of discussion. I myself have contacted other members to discuss the legal options that we can utilize if it becomes clear to us that the agreement was breached in any way, and several members have agreed to participate if necessary. In recent months, large corporations have reached their hands out for our taxpayer dollars to bail them out of financial crisis. So we must help to bail them out but who bails us out? What is the union doing about our situation? Should we have to take action ourselves while the union sits there helpless? Are we going to hear more rethoric to shut us up?
Before the elections we heard 'Vote Democrat...it'll work in our favor...they are for unions. It's in our best interest...' and so on. Now what?! Please advise...

The answer is yes, everyone needs to be held accountable. Our Union is made up of hundreds of Machinists who are responsible for each other.  You can't expect a few to win a battle for hundreds of families. 

I have to say that voting the way most of you did got us a lot more money added to our Trade Act and unemployment benefits in a very needy time.  The politicians that just lost power tried to steal our children's futures. I'm hopeful that we will recover though.

Get Mad, Get Angry, But focus it on the Corporation and Politicians that are taking advantage of you.  Send your comments to me, not the media.  I will hold them until they are needed, let us hope they're not.

 


 

 

I have received more emails, but am saving most of them for later.  Keep sending them please. 

 
 
 
Remember Lee  Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes?  He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says: 
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!' 
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in  Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you? 
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a  strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. 
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. 
We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. 
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. 
Our borders are like sieves. 
The middle class is being squeezed every which way. 
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the  point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. 
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. 
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here.  I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of  America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War  II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like me, believe in America '. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!