WHEREAS:

Manufacturing jobs built and sustained the American middle class and are vital for a strong economy, including federal, state and local economies, providing jobs and tax revenues essential for public services; and

WHEREAS:

2.8 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since George W. Bush became president in 2001; and

WHEREAS:

Many workers in America are forced to overcome unreasonable hurdles to make an income that falls below the poverty level, as illustrated by the example cited in the May 6, 2004 edition of the New York Times, where a woman has to travel by train and bus for 4 hours per day to get from the housing she can afford to a job that gives her 4 hours of work per day at $7.00/hour without benefits; and

WHEREAS:

This example is becoming the rule rather than the exception, i.e., according to 2000 Census data more than 18,000 household workers in New York City alone endure daily trips of 90 minutes or more for jobs paying less than $25,000 per year; and

WHEREAS:

Oregon HB 2683 (2003 session) defined "High Quality Job" as "an employment position that provides living wage, health care, other employee benefits and opportunities for job advancement and job training;" and

WHEREAS:

Proposals by the Bush Administration, such as the appointment of a "Manufacturing Czar," and fixes that include addressing only overseas business activity, i.e., taxation of income earned abroad, are both insufficient and ineffective to address the problem of a massive decrease in the number of manufacturing jobs.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME make its support for policies on the federal, state and local levels that focus on the immediate creation of "high quality manufacturing jobs" a high priority; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That if the policies mentioned above include tax breaks to corporations, they are not at the expense of the membership and that AFSCME support policies that require corporations to account for the jobs created with these tax savings.

SUBMITTED BY:

Ronald C. Alexander, President and Delegate
Kathleen Stewart, Secretary/Treasurer
OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11
Ohio