AUBURN -- New York state has lost 240,000 manufacturing jobs over the last eight years, said Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturer's Association of Central New York, and the current U.S. trade deficit has reached $700 billion.
The source of these struggles involving the U.S. manufacturing sector, however, should be attributed more to unfair international trade practices than to any deficiencies with U.S. manufacturing, said Dave Smith, general manager of Nucor's Auburn plant. It isn't because U.S. manufacturing can't compete with foreign companies, he said, but rather because it can't compete with foreign government intervention and different taxing methods.
"American manufacturers can hold their own against foreign competition every day of the week," Smith said. "We're not competing against foreign companies, we're competing with foreign governments."
Tonight, Nucor will host a town hall meeting in Seneca Falls, addressing ways to save U.S. jobs through free trade. On Thursday, Wolken, Smith and several elected officials addressed the need to bring such manufacturing issues to the forefront at an Auburn City Hall press conference.
"We're promoting an effort to enforce the law already on the books," Smith said. "We're losing in the game of international trade."
The trade issues are international issues that have strong local impacts. Assemblyman Gary Finch said that without a strong manufacturing base in the area, "we aren't going to have small business ... without small business, we're not going to have anything left up here."
Tonight's town hall meeting will involve citizens, business leaders and elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
While trade deficit and job loss figures with U.S. manufacturing look bleak, Wolken said there are answers, which can be addressed by educating people about the issues and pushing for change.
"If you lose your manufacturing base, you lose your opportunity for wealth, you lose your opportunity for prosperity," Wolken said. "There are solutions to this."
"American manufacturers can hold their own against foreign competition every day of the week," Smith said. "We're not competing against foreign companies, we're competing with foreign governments."
Tonight, Nucor will host a town hall meeting in Seneca Falls, addressing ways to save U.S. jobs through free trade. On Thursday, Wolken, Smith and several elected officials addressed the need to bring such manufacturing issues to the forefront at an Auburn City Hall press conference.
"We're promoting an effort to enforce the law already on the books," Smith said. "We're losing in the game of international trade."
The trade issues are international issues that have strong local impacts. Assemblyman Gary Finch said that without a strong manufacturing base in the area, "we aren't going to have small business ... without small business, we're not going to have anything left up here."
Tonight's town hall meeting will involve citizens, business leaders and elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
While trade deficit and job loss figures with U.S. manufacturing look bleak, Wolken said there are answers, which can be addressed by educating people about the issues and pushing for change.
"If you lose your manufacturing base, you lose your opportunity for wealth, you lose your opportunity for prosperity," Wolken said. "There are solutions to this."