the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 22, 2018
Headlines are one thing, but real numbers in the real world are another.
Trump tweeted, “More great news as a result of historical Tax Cuts and Reform: Fiat Chrysler announces plan to invest more than 1 BILLION dollars in Michigan plant, relocating their heavy-truck production from Mexico to Michigan, adding 2,500 new jobs and paying $2,000 bonus to U.S. employees!”
First, the math does not add up on the job creation claims. In 2017, roughly 5,700 automotive manufacturing jobs were cut, according to the Center for Automotive Research. Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) may be adding 2,500 jobs–three years from now! How does that make up for the 5,700 lost? This is a slimy bait and switch!
The lie gets worse the further back you go. In the past 10 years, from December of 2007 until December of 2017, the U.S. lost 1.2 million manufacturing jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The auto industry’s share was roughly 84,000 jobs lost in 10 years. This 2,500 jobs created number is pathetic!
Second, FCA will likely rake in a billion dollars or two in tax breaks year after year. This 2,000-dollar one-time bonus is a slap in the face!
At Chrysler, most workers are paid some form of 2nd Tier wage, which is roughly half of what 1st Tier workers make. In 2017, Chrysler workers got roughly half as much of a profit-sharing bonus as workers at Ford and GM got. This 2,000-dollar bonus will NOT catch Chrysler workers up with where Ford and GM workers were at—last year!
It makes sense for workers to be clear eyed about the many false claims of bosses and politicians. Forget the crumbs! Workers produce the wealth. It is right that ALL new tax break money go to workers and ALL 1.2 million jobs lost be re-created!