One example was ...
Wisconsin Watch Excerpt:
'Students' perception of manufacturing jobs is outdated. Those are the jobs that are in demand.
Unless we start to change people's perception of manufacturing, we're going to be in trouble for the long term.
Here's the thing. Manufacturing jobs are NOT in demand. You can't spend a good portion of the article explaining why young people don't want to work in manufacturing and then make it sound like the jobs are in demand. Unless that was merely a mistake in syntax. But I don't think so. In truth, it's the WORKERS that are in demand and I believe if you're sincere about attracting career employees to manufacturing, it's important not to change the direction of that pursuit. But that is exactly what the WMC plans to do - change the direction of the pursuit - make you want them - and be grateful.
If the high-wage manufacturing growth they describe was even remotely true, potential manufacturing workers would then have all the leverage, but they don't want you know it because they don't want to pay. The WMC's core premise in the article is that the state's manufacturing "industry has room to grow even larger, but that there are not enough workers for the available jobs." Actual quote. Like, it's a supply side problem but it's not. But they really mean they have enough workers now, so don't get any ideas they can't fill orders, but if new hires would only work for say ...$7.83 cents an hour and no benefits - the state's manufacturing industry would explode with growth. Sure it would. There's no doubt in my mind it would, but that was not the previous qualifier for a state-wide jobs explosion. Two months ago Scott Walker had to only win the recall election was thee qualifier.
With that, you have to understand by now why they're going to all this trouble using semantics and shifts in syntax. It's pretty much an excuse driven conspiracy. They have no choice.
A similar observation on a different article was noted at the Voices Newspaper Blog, where the writer picks up on the shameless propaganda posted in a Wisconsin State Journal article about how Wisconsin's unemployed people should be shamed into and more grateful to take that $7.25 and hour job. Hey, they've even wrapped a flag around it - it's the patriotic thing to do.
Then there's the paradox of the state of Wisconsin and WMC satellite groups making attempts to bribe and coerce businesses from other states into Wisconsin, getting the word out that we're open for business, while simultaneously slamming the Wisconsin workforce population as unskilled, lazy and unwilling to work. Why would any business want to come to Wisconsin??
Just more stupid.
2 comments:
The Fond du Lac paper (Gannett run) was telling the same story last week. The Center For Investgative Journalism (CFIJ)is part of a national network of non-profits who claim to represent the liberal, Democratic point of view. I would say if Democratic, it carries a rather right-of-center bias in their reporting.
The Center's executive director, Andy Hall, got his start reporting for the Arizona Republic, now owned by Gannett but long run by Eugene Pulliam, grandfather of Dan Quayle. Hall then went to write for the Wisconsin State Journal.
Employers always say they can't find enough good people to work for them. This means you either have to be a proven commodity, coming over from some other similar business, or don't have the right skill set they want. They can also reject your application on unstated character issues, using race, health, work record, political views and even credit history.
The CFIJ seems to be carrying water for WMC here. WMC is trying to defend Scott Walker's failure to create jobs through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
Great read. Thank you!
Post a Comment