Will We Have An Economic Recovery Without A Strong U.S. Manufacturing Base?
Remarks by Richard L. Trumka House Committee on Small Business April 9, 2003 Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ms. Velazquez, and members of the committee. Im pleased to have the opportunity to appear before the committee on behalf of the unions of the Industrial Union Council and the 13 million working men and women of the AFL-CIO. The industrial unions of the AFL-CIO have banded together to respond to the deep crisis in manufacturing. We are dedicated to finding solutions to the serious challenges that face U.S. manufacturing and threaten the livelihood of millions of Americas working families. Its important to note that about two-thirds of all workers in manufacturing represented by unions are employed by small to mid-size businesses. For 32 straight months, manufacturing has lost jobs, the longest such stretch since the Great Depression. Since April 1998, the United States has lost 2.5 million manufacturing jobs, nearly 13 percent of the total manufacturing workforce. Among the disturbing t
