Off-shore wage standards

Automotive Industries, Oct, 2004 by Robert J Wollin

Windeckers (AI, Aug. 2004, pg 36) points to offshore management of our transplants as one of the drivers of the downward wage pressure on US. workers However, focusing the blame on companies will not solve the problem. They will do what it takes to stay in business. Lionel Trains manufactured electric trains in the U.S. for 100 years. When it was priced out of the market by-product from Asia, it had two choices, go out of business or join the flight to China. This manufacturing loss and wage decline needs to be recognized as a critical issue by both political parties. Job flight to China happened under both Clinton and Bush and it will take a true non-partisan approach to solve it. The longer we wait by trying to blame it on the other political party, the worse it will get and the weaker the U.S. will get.

Robert J Wollin