Manufacturing is on the decline in Athens County, part of a statewide and national trend that the Alliance for American Manufacturing addressed in its "town hall" meeting last Thursday in Columbus.
The AAM is a partnership of leading U.S. manufacturers, including U.S. Steel, Alcoa and Goodyear, along with the United Steelworkers labor union. According to the alliance, manufacturing in the United States generates about $1.6 trillion, or 12 percent of the gross domestic product, and supports more than 20 million high-paying jobs.
"Ohio lost 242,000 manufacturing jobs in the past seven years," Steven Capozzola, communications director for AAM, stated early last week. He added that Ohio is an important state to host a town hall meeting because it is a political swing state as well as a key manufacturing area."
(Manufacturing) is an issue that is important to the state, and if the presidential candidates are there, then they better be talking about it," he said.
Although foreign-made products may sell for less in the United States, shipping production overseas costs American citizens much more, argued John Ratzenberger, host of the national meetings and of the Travel Channel's "John Ratzenberger's Made in America." He is not a member of AAM but is an advocate for the issue. (Ratzenberger is perhaps best known as the actor who played Cliff the mailman on the long-running sitcom "Cheers.")
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