H-2A & H-2B: Temporary Agriculture Workers & Non-Agriculture Workers.

Visas: (1) Industries, (2) Construction, (3) Restaurants, (4) Lodging, (5) Golf, (6) Marine Salvage, (7) Landscapes, (8) Nurseries, (9) Agriculture, (10) Amusement Parks, (11) Shrimping http://www.fewaglobalorg

1. https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. Who May Qualify for H-2A Classification? (1) H-2A Program Process, (2) H-2A Eligible Countries List, (3) Period of Stay, (4) Family of H-2A Workers, (5) Employment-Related Notifications to USCIS, (6) Fee-Related Notifications to USCIS, (7) Inquiring About a Pending H-2A Petition.

2. http://www.fewaglobal.org/services Federation of Employers and Workers of America. Employers must show there aren’t enough U.S. workers & having temporary workers won’t hurt current conditions of existing American workers. Housing is required for H-2A Agriculture Workers, not H-2B Non-Agriculture Workers. Over half of agriculture workers are H-2A.

3. https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/archive/doc/migration/H-2A_Fact_Sheet8.6.pdf Center for Global Development. H-2A Program for Temporary Workers. It’s possible to extend H-2A employers and extend visas.

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-2A_visa The Wikipedia article on H-2A temporary agriculture workers. It includes a history of the program.

5. https://maslabor.com/h2a-overview/ mas H-2A: The H-2A Labor Specialists. “The H-2A program allows employers to hire foreign workers for tough-to-fill seasonal jobs. It is the only legal, non-immigrant foreign worker visa program available to agricultural employers and is critical to American agriculture and the U.S. economy. H-2A workers typically come from rural communities (predominantly in Mexico and Central America), go home after each work season, and return to the same U.S. employer year after year.”………” We offer labor solutions for agricultural employers in more states, with a greater diversity of crops, than any other H-2A service provider…”

Alternatives to the Environmental & Economic Damage by the Border Wall Joffre (J.D.) Meyer @bohemiotx

“This Twitter moment offers alternatives (technology & more) to the environmental & economic destruction–including ecotourism–by the proposed border wall. Executive Order 12898 (1994) is Environmental Justice in Minority & Low Income Populations.”

1. Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall by @bohemiotx https://soapboxie.com/social-issues/Environmental-Ecotourism-Impact-of-the-Proposed-Border-Wall … #environment #SouthTX #ecotourism #EconomicJustice

2. Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall, Part Two: Smart Walls with Technology, by J.D. Meyer https://bohemiotx.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/environmental-ecotourism-impact-of-the-proposed-border-wall-part-two-smart-walls-with-technology-by-j-d-meyer/ … via @bohemiotx #Technology #BorderWall #Environment #Texas

3. Republican Congressman: Trump’s Border Crisis Is a ‘Myth’ https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/will-hurd-border-wall-myth-781204/ … via @RollingStone #NorthernTriangle #LiDAR #NoBorderWall #SmartWall #ambassadors

4. Marines commandant protests US border deployments, wall https://news.yahoo.com/marines-commandant-protests-us-border-deployments-wall-232037037.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=tw … via @YahooNews #military #NoBorderWall

5. The Texas-Mexico Border Wall Comes with a Dangerous, Costly Side Effect: Flooding https://www.texasobserver.org/the-texas-mexico-border-wall-comes-with-a-dangerous-costly-side-effect-flooding … #BorderWall #floods #environment

6. Forget Trump’s Border Wall. Let’s Build F.D.R.’s International Park. https://nyti.ms/2JcYIl1 #BigBend #environment #Texas

7. New alternative to Trump’s wall would create jobs, renewable energy, and increase border security [solar, wind, natural gas and desalination facilities along the entirety of the border]. #GreenEnergy #Border #economics https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/build-the-energy-wall?fbclid=IwAR3ed6Ai1UhYyC7Kz0Xt8mOeJrnBNsWMIhxwKo-3uR5t0LoacuoH2eYj1GQ …

8. Future Energy, Water, Industry and Education Park (FEWIEP) https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2019/Q1/USMexico-Border-Proposal_WHITEPAPER-2019.pdf … #FEWIEP #environment #RenewableEnergy

Replying to @amyklobuchar @keithellison
9. Could Executive Order 12898–Environmental Justice in Minority & Low Income Populations (1994) help in the fight against the #BorderWall? #ecotourism #SouthTX

10. Christina McNearney @tmcnearney1 • Mar 16
We stand strong as one progressive movement against our president’s anti-immigrant, anti-environment agenda. #NoBorderWall https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/stand-with-immigrants–border-communities-for-environmental–social-justice-no-beds-no-boots-no?promoid=7010Z0000027Wv5QAE&utm_medium=recruit&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=addup&tc=false …

Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall, Part Two: Smart Walls with Technology, by J.D. Meyer

A smart border wall uses technology—not just cement and steel. https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/16775/Border-Walls-Get-Teched-Out.aspx Surveillance devices include “underground motion sensors, remote-operated cameras, long-range radar towers, aerostats (balloons and blimps) and drones.” Moreover, it’s cheaper. A 2017 estimate stated wall infrastructure should include the deployment of radar, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology and other sensors. This article begins with descriptions of “famous border walls across the centuries”: (1) The Wall of Mardo (Sumerian city of Ur), (2)The Great Wall of China, (3) Hadrian’s Wall (Roman Britain versus the Scots),(4) The Berlin Wall, and (5) Israel’s West Bank Barrier.

The cost could be as low as $500,000 per mile as opposed to $27 million per mile. https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/355354-technology-will-be-a-critical-component-of-a-good-border-wall The Israeli West Bank Wall uses such technology. Furthermore, this isn’t normally harmful to the environment; walls can cause floods; moreover, it takes forest-clearing to build them. Currently the 12,000 remote sensors can track people from up to seven miles away. Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) at places like the Hidalgo crossing can read the license plate, car, and driver. “While the new congressional budget didn’t include all the money for Trump’s desired super wall, it has allocated about $400 million for border technology, including $50 million for towers and $20 million for ground sensors.” “By far the most promising technology that the bill promises to consider is LIDAR, a system that uses lasers instead of radio waves to build up a 3-D image.”

On another note, the Texas Observer reports when the wrong technology in the wrong place can be harmful to animals. “An earthen river levee that runs through the 100-acre property would become a 30-foot concrete-and-steel border wall, bisecting the reserve and leaving more than two-thirds of the land stranded on the wrong side of the barrier. The wall will be littered with cameras and draped with at least 22-foot tall LED lights, a potential catastrophe for sensitive insects. Tourism to the center could crater, forcing the center to close and wasting 17 years of effort cultivating the refuge.” https://www.texasobserver.org/butterfly-trump-restraining-order-lawsuit-border-wall-texas/

https://soapboxie.com/social-issues/Environmental-Ecotourism-Impact-of-the-Proposed-Border-Wall Environmental & Ecotourism Impact of the Proposed Border Wall (Part One).

Emmett J. Scott Bio (1873-1957) by Anthony Neal Emmel

“A native of Houston, Texas, Emmett J. Scott garnered a reputation as Booker T. Washington’s chief aide. He was also the highest ranking African-American in the Woodrow Wilson’s Administration. The son of ex-slaves, Scott was born in 1873. In 1887, he entered Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, eventually leaving school in his third year. Soon he worked at the Houston Post, first as a sexton, and later as a copyboy and journalist. In 1893 Scott, along with Charles N. Love and Jack Tibbit, formed the Texas Freeman, Houston’s first African American newspaper. Scott also worked for Galveston, Texas, politician and labor leader, Norris W. Cuney.

Scott caught the attention of Booker T. Washington, who hired him in 1897. For the next eighteen years, Scott served Washington as a confidant, personal secretary, speech writer, and ghostwriter; in 1912, he became Tuskegee’s treasurer-secretary. Scott advocated Washington’s philosophy of constructive accommodation over immediate social integration. Scott and New York Age editor T. Thomas Fortune helped Washington found the National Negro Business League (NNBL) in 1900.

In 1917, two years after Washington’s death, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Scott special advisor of black affairs to Secretary of War, Newton Baker. Scott wrote reports on conditions facing African- Americans during the period, which were published as “The American Negro in the World War” (1919) and “Negro Migration during the First World War” (1920). From 1919 to 1932, Scott was the business manager and secretary treasurer of Howard University, retiring from the college in 1938. During World War II, Scott worked for the Sun Shipbuilding Company of Chester, Pennsylvania, and helped the company create Yard No. 4 for black laborers. Scott was married and had five children, all of whom graduated from college. He and his wife also raised his five younger sisters, who also earned their degrees. Scott died in Washington, D.C., in 1957 at the age of 84.”

https://blackpast.org/aah/scott-emmett-j-1873-1957

Why Trade Deficits Can Be Good, But Tariffs Can Be Terrible, by J.D. Meyer

1. https://www.investopedia.com/news/why-deficits-are-flawed-measures-unfair-trade “Why Deficits are Flawed Measures of Unfair Trade,” by Michael Kolakowski. The USA consumes more than it produces, and it doesn’t save.

2. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/trade-deficit-effects. “In Praise of Trade Deficits,” by Michael Schmidt. “Increasing trade deficits can be a sign of strong GDP. They will not create a drag on GDP, and any potential downward pressure on the local currency is actually a benefit to that country.”

3. http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/14/news/economy/what-is-a-trade-deficit/index.html “Trade Deficit Isn’t Always a Bad Thing,” by Christine Romans “The money that flows to other countries doesn’t simply disappear. It becomes cash that in many cases has to be reinvested. And where does it go? Back to the United States, parked in Treasury bonds, stocks, real estate, factories and other investments. America imports goods, and other countries export capital in return.
The last time the United States ran a trade surplus, Gerald Ford was president and the country was in the middle of a recession.”

4. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/canada-is-slapping-tariffs-on-dollar128-billion-of-us-goods-%E2%80%94-here-are-the-states-that-stand-to-lose-the-most/ar-AAy7gKv “Canada is slapping tariffs on $12.8 billion of US goods — here are the states that stand to lose the most,” by Bob Bryan. “Canada is slapping tariffs on $12.8 billion of US goods — here are the states that stand to lose the most.” Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas.

5. http://www.newsweek.com/trumps-tariffs-make-no-sense-treating-friends-enemies-senators-warn-953086 “Trump’s Tariffs ‘Make No Sense’ and Treat Friends Like Enemies, Senators Warn,” By Damien Sharkov. “Those set to suffer the most from the new tariffs will be Canada, Mexico and the European Union, who exported $23 billion worth of steel and aluminum to the U.S. last year.”

6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/06/11/evidence-that-new-tariffs-not-immigrants-costing-jobs/#1ffcfdc8313f “Evidence That New Tariffs, Not Immigrants, Are Costing Jobs,” by Stuart Anderson. “Sixteen jobs would be lost for every steel/aluminum job gained;…One reason for this result is that nearly 40 times more people in America work in jobs that use steel and aluminum than in jobs connected to producing steel and aluminum. “American workers making steel/aluminum: 170,000. American workers consuming steel/aluminum: 6.5 million,” notes trade attorney Scott Lincicome.”

7. http://fortune.com/2018/06/09/donald-trump-trade-deficit-terrified-g7-speech/ “Why American Businesses Should Be ‘Terrified’ After President Trump’s Comments on Trade,” by David Z. Morris. “In fact, the U.S. has a global surplus in service exports – Americans sell more to other countries than they buy from them. Once they’re added back to the tally, the overall U.S. trade deficit drops to $566 billion – 30% lower than Trump’s number….In reality, the U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada.”

8. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-12/the-1-4-trillion-u-s-surplus-that-trump-s-not-talking-about “The $1.4 Trillion U.S. ‘Surplus’ That Trump’s Not Talking About,” by Bloomberg News “For China, the image of a massive trade deficit with the U.S. “is at odds with the fact that Chinese consumers own more iPhones and buy more General Motors cars than U.S. consumers,” wrote Zhang in the report. “These cars and phones are sold to China not through U.S. exports but through Chinese subsidiaries of multinational enterprises.”…”The U.S. also ran sales surpluses with nations including Mexico and Canada but had deficits with Japan and Germany last year, Zhang wrote.”

Xing Tan of Guizhou, China & his Plans for Tyler, TX: My Take for Assistance, 4th Edition—by J.D. Meyer

1. http://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/article/2102390/apple-build-massive-data-centre-chinas-new-hi-tech-hub-guizhou Apple built a data center in Guizhou’s capital city—a poor area in China!

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guizhou General info on Guizhou, China.

3. https://www.corporationwiki.com/p/2rgbt0/america-hongyun-city-international-enterprise-group-llc Xing Tan’s (aka. Zhixing Tan) concept of Hongyun City

4. Here’s my article that’s a response to the 2010 Industry Growth Initiative (IGI) in favor of starting a branch of the Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) program at UT-Tyler. UT-Austin has had this consortium for decades. My article ended up at the University of Toronto’s Creative Class consortium, directed by Dr. Richard Florida.

Click to access Intellectual%20Entrepreneurship%20at%20The%20University%20of%20Texas.pdf

5. http://www.asiamattersforamerica.org/china/data/sistercities Nine Texas cities have Sister City relations with 12 Chinese cities. Laredo leads with three, & San Antonio has two. Fort Worth is Sister Cities with Guiyang in Guizhou province. Xing Tan is from Guizhou! ……….Check out East-West Medicine sites; many are in California.

6. http://www.chinatourguide.com/guizhou/index.html Norway & Guizhou, China started China’s first ecological museum. Lots of tea is grown in the province too.

7. http://emwcenter.com/ East Meets West Holistic Center Based in Los Angeles, the center treats depression & anxiety, weight management, stress, pain management, women’s health, and fertility. … Acupuncture, Mindfulness, and maybe Yoga are a slam dunk! Tyler has many of those types of medical facilities.

8. https://venturebeat.com/2018/02/25/how-universities-could-drive-more-innovative-research-to-market-and-share-in-the-profits/ A venture search fund model was developed at Stanford. This article was liked by UT-Tyler’s Graduate School after I posted it on Facebook!

9. http://www.forerunnercollege.com/en/Menus.aspx?id=22 Check out Guizhou Forerunner College and its corporate partners!
“GFC prides itself on partnering with a range of corporations and institutions. These partnerships aid to promote a rich learning environment for students. Businesses such as Marriott International, HTC, Lenovo, Baidu, Ecological Agriculture Co. Ltd, Red Cross Foundation and Chengdu Industrial College work closely with GFC students by providing material, job placement and internship opportunities.”
10. https://www.asbestos.com/blog/2013/12/16/traditional-chinese-medicine-herbs/ Using Traditional Chinese Medicine to Treat Lung Cancer Approximately 133 Chinese herbs have been historically used to treat lung cancer. The herbs used most frequently for lung cancer tend to exhibit healing effects on the lungs and stimulating effects to the immune system. Here are the top 6.

11. http://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/2127841/how-one-chinas-poorest-provinces-morphing-world-class-hi-tech-hub More news on Guizhong Province becoming a hi-tech hub and experiencing the 2nd highest increase I GDP among China’s provinces.

12. https://www.jiangtea.com/green-tea/meitan-cuiya-guiding-yunwu/#.WrPacLgpXCc The green tea of Guizhou grows well because of the lack of air pollution in this Chinese province.

13. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/D432868.html Polyhedral bowl by Zhixing Tan of Zunyi City. Check out a patent by Zhixing Tan (aka. Xing Tan).

#SOL17: Coal, Bees, & Apprenticeships

I love social media–especially Twitter and Facebook. I’m a retired teacher, whose volunteering includes political activism. My most re-posted article on Facebook was “Coal miners are refusing to learn new skills because of faith in Trump,” by Kali Holloway at Raw Story. It focused on troubles in southern Pennsylvania getting people to show up for training, as they’re less than 20% full. Reuters reports the Appalachian Regional Commissioner states the area has 33K less mining jobs than 2011. Robert Murray, CEO of the largest US private coal mine, advised Trump before and after the election to tone down promises of coal industry resurgence. Even Trump’s chief economic adviser and director of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohen, has spoken about the superiority of other forms of energy over coal. Cohn asserted that solar and win power is a powerhouse and environmentally friendly. Trump’s platform lamented that the USA’s greatness was in the past and is now on decline, probably due to the rise of non-white populations. Down-and-out coal towns can’t attract new businesses with workers with outdated skills.

I found this sad article about the neglect of retraining soon after reading that some out-of-work West Virginia coal miners are getting retrained in bee keeping. https://www.morningagclips.com/coal-miners-shift-to-beekeeping/ My retweet caught the attention of a rapper from Puerto Rico, which made me happy. Furthermore, I told a guitarist acquaintance of mine from West Virginia about the new job training.

An apprenticeship program by four senators, including Tim Kaine, the 2016 running mate of Hillary Clinton, looked like an ideal plan for for preparing young people for skilled jobs after high school. The apprentices would make some money while they learned a trade, and their employers would receive tax breaks. https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-cantwell-collins-gillibrand-announce-apprenticeship-bill-to-train-the-next-generation-of-american-workers

Here’s a more recent plan by Tim Kaine and his colleagues to boost vocational training in high school. https://www.scribd.com/document/341866114/Educating-Tomorrow-s-Workforce-Act-Fact-Sheet-2017

As you can see, I’m looking to endorse specific plans to advance employment prospects in careers that are in demand and don’t require lots of time and money to achieve it.

PROPOSED BUDGET CUTBACKS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD), 2nd Edition

May 16, 2017 by bohemiotx under Department of Housing & Urban Development, urban planning, urban studies

The Trump HUD Proposal
Trump’s budget proposal has severely threatened the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) would be destroyed. Apartment rent subsidies for the poor would be in trouble too–especially since it’s a federal-only program, unlike Meals-on-Wheels. Let’s check an article from The Atlantic on this proposal–Sadly it was on March 16, 2017–my birthday.

“It also eliminates funding for the HOME Investment Partnership Program, which provides grants for low-income people to buy or rehabilitate homes, and the Choice Neighborhoods program, which provides grants to organizations attempting to revitalize neighborhoods. The proposed budget also eliminates the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinates how 19 federal agencies respond to homelessness.” There would be cutbacks from two other departments: Education and Health & Human Services “How Trump’s Budget Would Impact Cities’ Poorest Residents” https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/03/trump-budget-hud/519870/

Carson’ s Confirmation Hearing for Secretary of HUD
However, two months earlier at Ben Carson’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, The L.A. Times summarized, “For worried Democrats, he gave assurances that he would not try to strip programs like rental assistance and said he wanted to intensify efforts to remove lead and other hazards that harm children living in older housing.”
“When it comes to entitlement programs, it is cruel and unusual punishment to withdraw those programs before you provide an alternative,” Carson said. Carson proposed he wanted to get businesses and faith groups more involved in helping people in HUD-backed housing, and find ways to enlarge the role of private industry in backing home mortgages. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-carson-hud-20170112-story.htmlBen Carson at Confirmation Hearing (HUD)

Apartment Subsidy Experience in Tyler
A Neighborhood Services inspector checked my efficiency–my fifth annual inspection. This time, I was required to scrub my oven and change the oven pans. Otherwise, it was adequate from my side. Meanwhile, the apartment’s maintenance man got a report on repairs–such as weather-stripping for the door and replacing an outlet. I utilized my social skills by turning down the news and turning on some Tejano music for the maintenance man and myself. A few days later, the apartment manager signed for the repair completion. We have monthly insecticide sprays too, so the apartment better pass inspection on a monthly basis to avoid fines.
I brought my annual apartment subsidy paperwork to our Neighborhood Services office, located on West Gentry & Palace on the North Side. While I waited for the Green South bus, I not only ate and shopped, but copied information on the Community Development Block Grant program.
Let’s start with the definition of how Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds are used. They “may be used for public facility and infrastructure improvements in low income areas. The funds are concentrated in the annual ‘target area’ for a variety of projects, including street renovations, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, and water, sewer and drainage improvements.” Park improvements may be to create new parks or enhance existing parks. There’s also a Home Buyer Assistance Program that includes using the voucher towards buying a house, provided the individual completes Home Buyer Education workshops. Here’s the description of CDBG on the City of Tyler website, including eligible and ineligible activities. http://www.cityoftyler.org/Departments/NeighborhoodServices/CommunityDevelopment/CDBG.aspx City of Tyler: Neighborhood Services, CDBG

Conclusion
As you can see, these HUD programs are relatives of infrastructure repair programs. My voucher keeps me from spending over half my SSDI (disability) check in rent. At least I have one more year. I can only earn $120/month and still keep Medicare D. My COPD has improved from severe to moderate in the past year, contrary to folk belief that we either get worse or stay the same. Let’s save these fine programs in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by Congress voting against these proposals.
Excuse me for adding new information to a conclusion, but I received an article from Andrea Wilson entitled, “Congress Reaches Deal on FY17 Spending,” http://nlihc.org/article/congress-reaches-deal-fy17-spending We have a reprieve for the rest of 2017; none of the drastic cuts were approved because Congress wanted to avoid a shutdown. Mrs. Wilson works for PATH (People Attempting to Help), and she volunteers with me at ETHNN (East Texas Human Needs Network)–but in the housing committee. We may not be out of trouble yet, but the midterm elections in 2018 may help us. At least, Secretary Carson expressed an interest in looking for assistance from local business and faith groups, as well as private industry. Efforts to help the poor would need to come from local sources more often. Neighborhood Services has always been a jewel for the City of Tyler.

Northside Revitalization, Tyler 21: Annotated Link Page (3rd Edition), By J.D. Meyer…….9-4-19

1. http://www.lisc.org Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Our Initiatives: (1) Affordable Housing, (2) Education, (3) Economic Development, (4) Financial Stability, (5) Health, (6) Safe Neighborhoods, (7) Community Leadership, and (8) Policy & Research.

3. https://www.communityprogress.net/ Community Progress https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-34 Vacant Properties:Growing Number Increases Communities’ Costs and Challenges

4. http://foodsecurity.org/committees / Active committees are Community Economic Development, Food & Faith, International Links, Policy, & Urban Agriculture.

5. https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-economics-of-historic-preservation The Economics of Historic Preservation, by Randal Mason, 75 pages. The first ten readings in the annotated bibliography are the “best to initiate and inform a reader new to economic preservation issues” (pg. 29).

6. http://kantarmedia.srds.com/common/pdf/claritas360/ClaritasPRIZMPremierSegmentNarratives.pdf Claritas PRIZM Premier Segment Narratives 2018. (43 pages)The 68 PRIZM zip code clusters are subdivided into three categories based on life stage and several social groups based on the urban to rural continuum. https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup Zip Code Lookup/Segment Details/Resources/About The zip code is also clustered by household income, household population, population by age, & population by race & ethnicity.

US. Manufacturing Workers Underpaid; Be Cautious in Raising Minimum Wage

“Why U.S. Manufacturing Workers are on Food Stamps and Medicaid,” by David Kiley in Forbes.com —{With My Commentary} http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2016/05/10/why-u-s-manufacturing-workers-are-on-food-stamps-and-medicaid/#63cc7e0f7b89

Highlights of David Kiley’s Article

“A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley shows that over one-third of manufacturing workers in the U.S. are on some form of public assistance. The percentage shoots up to 50% when temporary manufacturers are factored in.”

“Not only do politicians frequently talk about the importance of strengthening manufacturing in industrial states like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but state governments typically come up with huge incentive packages to companies for locating a new manufacturing facility in their state. But the University notes that manufacturing jobs are costing tax-payers $10.2 billion.

The report analyzed utilization rates and costs in the five largest means-tested public benefit programs for which data is available: Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP), and basic household income assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF).”

“The UC-Berkeley researchers report that the largest classification of temporary manufacturing production workers—assemblers and fabricators—earn a median wage of $10.88 an hour, while those hired directly by the companies make an average of $15.03.”

“That manufacturing employees make about the same as retail workers on average is surprising to many. But as companies have been off-shoring more and more of these jobs to Mexico, China and other low-wage countries, fewer manufacturing jobs are unionized, and even the unions have negotiated lower wages in many cases in exchange for keeping jobs in the U.S.

In the U.S., experienced United Auto Workers members, for example, make an average $28 an hour, while new hires, known as “Tier 2,” workers start at $15.78. UAW members have not had a raise in a decade. Autoworkers make $8.24 an hour in Mexico and $4.10 in China, according to Center for Automotive Research data.”

“These wages are staying constant–and falling in some cases compared with where they were a decade ago–while the costs of living are not. According to the Consumer Price Index, prices of staple expenses have kept climbing during the last decade-beef is up 56%; fresh vegetables are up 28%; milk is up 14%. Healthcare costs have climbed faster than inflation in that time. The average cost of a new car has climbed 20%. And so on.”

“According to Emmanual Saenz, an economics professor at UC-Berkeley, says income inequality has been steadily rising since the 1970s and is at its greatest level since 1928. Saenz defines “income” as pre-tax cash market income — wages; dividends, interest, rent and other returns on invested capital; business profits; and realized capital gains. Excluded are Social Security payments, unemployment benefits and other government transfer payments, which are more substantial today than before the Great Depression.”

My Take:

“For me, this article serves a reminder to be cautious when raising the minimum wage. The manufacturing population is skilled. What if their wages didn’t go up simultaneously with the unskilled minimum wage crowd? Furthermore, the cost of living varies dramatically from state to state. The full $15/hour minimum wage goal sounds great for New York, California, Washington D.C., Alaska, and Hawaii. What if U.S. manufacturers that paid (or started paying) better wages got some sort of tax break? Looking forward to feedback. Let’s have some centrist (especially left-centrist) dialogue!”

By J. D. Meyer