GE Moves Green Jobs To China

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



GE Moves Green Jobs To China
By Mike Elk

July 23, 2009 - 11:42am ET


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While Ohio is traditionally thought of once being a center of auto manufacturing, there was such a strong tradition of light-bulb production in the state that the world's largest maker of light bulbs, General Electric, located the headquarters of its light bulb division in Cleveland. The jobs provided by light-bulb manufacturing allowed people to buy homes, send their kids to college, and fuel a vibrant economy in Ohio for decades.

But in the last decade, GE has closed over fifteen factories in Ohio and downsized numerous others. Since 1980, employment in GE Lighting has dropped by 68 percent.

A large chunk of that manufacturing has gone to China, and now GE plans to send even more to China in the wake of new clean energy policies. By 2014, Americans will only be able to purchase more energy efficient CFL light bulbs. However, GE has located all of its facilities for high-efficiency light bulbs to China and has told the union representing the workers that they have no intention to locate compact flourescent facilities in the United States.

GE is currently threatening to close one factory in Niles, Ohio that produces light bulbs. The workers, members of United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) at one are calling on GE to look for a way to refit their plant so that they can be part of the new clean energy economy. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Tim Ryan wrote a letter to GE's CEO Jeffery Immelt expressing "deep concern" for the workers at the plant. "The workers and tradition of the Niles facility present an enormous opportunity to show how we can transition manufacturers from contracting industries, like incandescent bulbs, to emerging industries in energy and medical IT." ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009073023/ge-moves-green-jobs-china

[sarcasmo]

1. USA, USA, USA. Corporate America what a country.

[waiting for hope]

2. Sad - green jobs from the new technology should

stay here ... how much has GE donated to political candidates?

[sellitman]

3. GE is no friend of labor.

Hasn't been for years. I buy as little as I can from them and I am an ex worker of theirs.

Sigma my butt

[hankthecrank]

4. That not what they show in their green ads

With all the different jobs people singing at work

Not one picture from the new china plants

This has been big business game along

Who do they think is going to buy their crap when people don't have any work

[Tim01]

5. God damn it. Why can't we put a stop to this shit?

I don't care what it is called. Our government should make an effort to stop our companies from doing this shit.
Put tariffs on stuff coming in to this country. We can not compete with over seas countries paying slave wages unless we pay slave wages.

And GREEN jobs at that!

[Wednesdays]

6. K&R

:kick:

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. I say we bring back tarriffs, and make them higher for American companies that left our soil.