U.S. INDUSTRIALIZATION

For decades the number and percentage of American workers who work in industry has declined. Many of the industries whose strength made the United States the industrial leader of the world are now struggling for survival. Some industries which were once world produc­tion leaders are in serious decline and many are facing bankruptcy.

In the American automobile industry almost 200,000 jobs were lost between 1969 and 1981. Even more automobile workers have been laid off since 1981 because of the Reagan recession. The number of production workers in the steel industry has declined by over fifteen percent since 1973 and production employment in metal forgings and stampings has dropped by eighteen percent since 1973. Employment decreases of around fifteen percent have occurred in such non-durable manufacturing areas as textiles and apparel.

The United States has lost its leadership in industries where we were dominant just a few years ago. Endangered industries include color televisions, jet engines, household appliances, commercial aircraft, electric motors, machine tools, and steel. Even the domestic computer industry is rapidly losing out in international competition.

Many jobs in manufacturing have been permanently lost and will never be regained. Employment declines in manufacturing have had a serious detrimental effect in thousands of American communities causing losses of jobs in other employment sectors such as services, wholesale and retail trade, and public employment.

If present trends continue, the American economy could be totally dependent upon services and agriculture. As important as these two areas are, no modern society can base its economy totally upon them. Prosperity in the international economy requires the productivity that a strong manufacturing sector can provide. A balanced economy can provide strength and stability in international markets. American industrial decline will seriously undermine our defense capability and we would be unable to mobilize our resources in a national emergency.

There are a variety of reasons why we have experienced this industrial decline. Public investment in ports, roads, bridges, mass transit, water and sewer systems, airports, public schools, and other elements which make up our industrial infrastructure has declined. Federal government expenditures for productive research and development which have brought us new ideas and products have been cut back. Many employers have fought collective bargaining and ignored workers' resourcefulness rather than developing worker skills, knowledge, and experience through collective bargaining to enhance productivity. Federal government fiscal and monetary policies have encouraged wasteful and unproductive business activities at the expense of industrial growth and development. High interest rates have discouraged productive business investment. The emphasis on short term profits in many businesses and poor management in some of them have caused these businesses to be unproductive and become uncompetitive.

To strengthen American industry and promote an industrial renaissance, the American Federation of Teachers urges a comprehensive program designed to restore prosperity and vigor to American industry for economic growth and development and for national security.

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers supports and will work diligently for a strong commitment by the federal government to rebuilding and maintaining our industrial infrastructure by providing and encouraging public investment in ports, roads, bridges, mass transit, water and sewer systems, airports, public schools, and other elements which are critical to industrial growth and development; and

RESOLVED , that policies of the federal government should foster research and development activities through the government's grant and contracting authority; and

RESOLVED, that a critical factor in industrial growth and development is the greater use of worker skills, knowledge, and experience within the framework of collective bargaining to improve productivity as a source of prosperity and strength; and

RESOLVED, that the federal government implement policies that will promote increased business investment for productive purposes while assuring workers real wage gains.