Remember The Folks In Janesville This Holiday

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of taking a quick run out to the barn to sit in my great-grandpa's old '34 Chevy Pickup. The standard paint job, a forest green, took all who viewed the old truck back to the depression era. Built like a tank, the truck became a symbol in my family. We all were thrilled when my uncle acquired it from the folks, and got it up and running several years ago. It still carries a farm family's legacy, even though it has seen better days since my uncle's passing last year.

My mom told me the other night that the old Chevy was fabricated in GM's 85-year-old Janesville auto plant. Unfortunately, Tuesday in Janesville the last shift of workers completed the final vehicle to run off the assembly line, and the plant closed.

WXOW-TV in Janesville notes that the first truck rolled off the Janesville line in 1923. Since then, generations of Wisconsin and Illinois auto workers have commuted to work the line. The plant was a symbol of the strength, quality, and honorable work that was produced there. Indeed, it was the single largest major manufacturer in the area, and when the last of 1,200 jobs ended yesterday, so did the idea in Janesville that if you got on at the plant, maybe where your dad or mom worked, you too would have a pretty good life; thanks to the UAW and your "other family" at the plant. Once in, one found that the "other family" were as integral to one's life as one's blood family.

Now the plant is silent. The last SUV rolled off the line Tuesday and will be donated to charity. It's a muted tribute to a plant President-Elect Barack Obama visited during the campaign. He promised to try to save the American auto industry. Unfortunately, he isn't in office soon enough to save the Janesville Assembly Plant.

Janesville saw it coming, but it was still a shock. In June, when the closing was announced, UAW leaders said they were going to try to get GM to change the decision. That's all gone now, as have the smiles on a lot of the faces of people on the street in Janesville.

The story of what has happened to the American manufacturing industries in the last 20 years is a shameful legacy of the global economic downturn. When I was growing up, part of my life was spent living in strong manufacturing towns like Newton, IA, Middle Amana, IA, and East Moline, IL. Union folks, my dad and mom taught me, were the best kind of people; to be respected for their hard work to build and live the American Dream. Management was often arrogant and aloof, and rarely respected in these towns because of actions that sold-out their neighbors. Well, they weren't neighbors, really, they just moved-in and moved-out to follow the next promotion, or more money.

When the Newton, IA, Maytag Assembly Plant was finally closed in 2007, many in the town blamed themselves. They wondered if they had done everything they could to save their jobs and their town. It was a dark time in the former home of "The Maytag Repairman." After all, "Newton" had been the name of the repairman's faithful dog, a symbol of one of the strongest manufacturing brands in the United States. Whirlpool, which acquired Maytag in 2006, never really held a commitment to Newton, as the people there were seen as a pain in the butt for their tendency to protect themselves through tough labor negotiations with the company.

Newton has begun to rebound, with a group of new "green" industry jobs taking hold in the town. A commitment from civic, business, and political leaders in the town has brought a bounce back to workers in the town. From giant wind turbines to the concrete towers that support them, Newton's manufacturing plants are stirring again, and pride has been restored to some of the workers there; although it is but a fraction of the number that worked for Maytag and its supporting suppliers. An estimated 1800 jobs have been added statewide in Iowa, not even close to offsetting the numbers of people Maytag and its suppliers once employed in Newton alone.

The budding success stories in Newton and other towns are stories that Janesville will hopefully emulate. In order for the town to survive, it will have to commit to aggressive economic development, and without much support from the states of Wisconsin or Illinois, both of which are suffering massive deficits. So far Janesville has had some success with a few new smaller plants, some in plastics, others in food services, each picking up a little bit of the slack created by the GM plant closure.

There are opportunities for new "green" jobs there, too. The stated commitment by President-Elect Barack Obama may be the best shot for this bastion of Badger and Packer pride. Always working hard, Janesville's leaders never have been people to slack off on the job.

They will need our support, though, and it is critical that as we celebrate the holidays, we remember Janesville and hundreds of other towns around the country that have seen real quality "honest work" jobs go down the tubes while Wall Street elites collect their ill-deserved holiday bonuses on the taxpayer's dime. We need to make a point of shopping in these towns, investing our business dollars and retraining program dollars in the people there, and insure that Obama and other political leaders keep their promises to the good union folk that have supported our country from the beginning. Most of all, we need to remember what caused this whole calamity in the first place--the failure of Americans to buy American and insist that American companies keep jobs here. That is the only way we can ever expect to regain the American Dream for all of our people.

This holiday, please remember Janesville, and Newton, and Middle Amana, and East Moline. These people are hurting, and we need to help our neighbors get through this. Let's say a prayer, in our own way, that things are about to get much better for all of us.

Comments

[Rawdeal]

Moving story. It touches the hearts of the readers making them think, "If we only bought American, their
jobs would have been saved". At the same time, we blame the "suits" for all the losses. But when it comes to responding, these very same readers still won't buy American because the desire to save and not throw away money. "I rather buy a Toyota because they're built better".

Well the so called "suits" are also hamstrung by having to react to investors, market forces, cost. Even when an employee retires, it still costs the Big 3, and ultimately the end consumer-money. In a market driven by price, the Big 3 can ill afford to start marketing a comparable product that' would cost more than their competitors. The cost to the Big3 to build an Econo box is close to what they sell for. That's why they push SUV's. We blame the CEO's for all those bonuses paid out but that's very much rampant in any industry. They use this as an incentive to lure the best talent out there otherwise they'll be somewhere else. People GO where the money is. That's why you see little turnover at the Big 3 because the pay is great and benefits better than anywhere else. So what if the daily task was mundane and it really isn't worth $75 an hour. If they pay it, We'll take it!

Well, the reality has arrived. Economic meltdown or not, this sad scenario was inevitable.

[neocon6716]

Hey wake up and smell the coffee The Janesville Wisconsin plant made chevy Suburbans!

Why is ANBODY surprised that they closed the plant, LMAO.

Now if would be a shame if they closed the Janesville plant if it was making electric hybrid cars. That would be a shame.

But hell no, why should we feel sorry when a business closes that is putting out an atrocious product.

I say, good riddance.

[larry278]

For reasons best known to the executives of the big 3, American cars became oversized, gas guzzling, poorly designed & built pieces of junk. around 1958. That killed the USA's auto industry. Japan & later Korea saw the opportunity & exported well built, gas misers to the USA which destroyed the big 3's monopoly. Some scholors can figure out who destroyed the USA's auto industry in a few year & write a well documented book that name the people & forces which destroyed the USA's auto industry. The USA's auto industry is dead & its jobs are gone too. Perhaps somebody will find a way to rebuild America & its deserted facory towns. There are a lot of skilled, hard working people to retrain & to put back to work all over the rust belt & the rest of tthe USA. Let's hope that the USA is rebuilt soon. Unemployed, intelligent, skilled people are demanding the the USA be rebuilt, pronto, right now. Their patience is limited. Politicians who can't or won't rebuild America will be voted out of office. They will be replaced by builder/politicians who listen, learn & rebuild America.

[Helloitsme]

Well spoken. larry278

[junkgrl48]

I live not far from Janesville. The local Curves owner has a son-in-law who was let go last year from the plant, but with no hint that the bottom would fall out so badly, took a transfer to a GM plant near Toledo. So they moved last summer, and now, they now have no work but far away from family to offer support. This is madness. This is destruction of the best of America without a care or thought. When did working people in this country become the enemy? Don't these Southern politicians realize we are Americans up here too? That this avalanche won't affect them there?

The politicians and greedy bas-t@r ds who got us here are still slobbering to save themselves on our childrens' futures. People who refuse to see with their own eyes that we have been monstrously conned and the "heroes" of the Fox News and Limbaughs, have DEMANDED A LEG UP FROM US WHILE THEY GNAW OUR OTHER LEG OFF.

The ripples of misery will slowly spread out. We won't hear much about it, because there will be too many more drops of disaster falling thoughout this nation and world that will make Janesville just another part of the deluge. Many good people will suffer in silence. If much of the country can be conned to believe the lies, surely, the truth can finally cleanse the filth of the conservative's present mutation of hate, greed and destruction.

[Helloitsme]

I understand the hurt these people are going through now, but would also like to point out the fact that we seem to be depending on the "government or the bosses'" to look out for our futures. "You and your ability to go out and create an income is the only job stability there is". We have got to quit depending on someone else to "watch my back" or "bail me out" or "protect my worker rights." How many of you who work in a union have ever heard someone say "THAT IS NOT MY JOB. If something is broke, fix it...If it"s dirty, clean it...If the floor needs sweeping, then sweep it. Don't say it"s not your job, look where its gotten you so far......Pick your head up, take some ownership, some personal accountability, some of that Made in America pride and go fix your problem. I would like to recommend a couple of books for anyone interested in helping themselves out of this hole we have found ourselves stuck in because they have helped me and my family tremendously. "48 days to the work you love" "No More Mondays" "Flipping The Switch" "Question Behind The Question". A great website to help get your financials in order can be found if you Google "Financial Peace University" or "Dave Ramsey". You will find a wealth of information using any of these resources. Hope this helps whoever may need it. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

[TommyMcCarthy]

Like alot of rust-belt kids comming up in the early to mid-seventies, I moved to the west coast shortly after high-school. At the time I couldn't have articulated any understanding of the macroecenomic forces then at work on my family and those of my classmates. All we knew was that.... "Nothing ever happens here.....and now, with all the plants closed down,....you can't even get a JOB!!"

Well, I'm not a kid anymore....but I've a better understanding of the forces that took away the OPTION of remaining in those communities for me and my classmates.

I haven't bought a "Prius", even though I've wanted to....preferring to wait for an American-made version of comparable value. Won't it be ironic if a handful of bible-thumpin tax-abating,land-swapping Southern Senators from the States of Nissan/Toyota/BMW et. al. take even THAT option away?

I urge the remaining UAW membership to stay strong and refuse to negotiate with these political terrorists. These guys worship at the altar of Ronald Reagan. I can tell you, having lived through those days,.. that they'll bust the union and STILL ship your job overseas.

Maybe America will go ahead and decide it doesn't need a homegrown technology and manufacturing base. If so...... that choice between a Prius and a Chevy Volt??....... forget it!....For Americans the choice'll be between a Raliegh and a Schwinn.

They'll be coming for your job next.

Happy holidays....eh?
tm

[scottsbigmouth]

Tommy-

Hopefully the Obama folks understand that National Security requires that a strong manufacturing base stays local in the lower 48, and has enough capacity to insure that we can not only stay competitive, but keep a majority of U.S. investment capital in the country while not incurring foreign debt. Of course, at the rate we're going, the only thing taxpayers may get out of its investment in the financial crisis is an IOU, due to the number of cash bonuses being paid out to executives and others who barely deserve to keep their jobs.

Will we allow our hard-earned superiority in the global workforce and National Security evaporate? Lets make sure the answer is "no." Let's make sure we reinvest locally first.

Thanks for your comments, they were great!

Scott

ScottsBigMouth.com
HuffingtonPost.com/scott-foval
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[One more Thing]

Should our government's priorites have been focused on the needs of the American people since the 1960s instead of meddling in the affairs of other governments around the world, today, we would have jobs in Janesville, health care and peace .....

[darker]

The closing of the auto manufacturing GM plant is A TESTIMONY to the CORRUPT EXECUTIVES
in control who were after out-of-control salaries for THEMSELVES while crashing their companies.

Corporate Executives like that SHOULD GET JAIL TIME!

We're FED UP WITH WHITE COLLAR CRIMINALS including Bush-Cheney
"GETTING AWAY WITH IT ALL".

[scottsbigmouth]

darker:

You have great points, and I totally agree. However, the people who are suffering because of those decisions are what I choose to focus on in this piece. It is not to say that I don't agree that auto corp. management is primarily responsible, but the reality is that Americans also forgot why they bought certain products. We're all responsible for not holding the Big 3 accountable long, long ago.

Thanks for posting though, you have serious arguments that are more than valid.

Merry Christmas!

Scott

ScottsBigMouth.com
HuffingtonPost.com/scott-foval
[e-mail]