Economy Labor unions call on Trump to boost US shipbuilding against increasing Chinese dominance

[Crazy Source]

I have known about the lack of skilled labor for years now. We are in a really bad spot here since this isn’t something you can quickly fix. This is like a decade plus long problem to solve once we start trying to fix it which we haven’t really done anything to solve it as far as I know

Who knew that defunding education and generally shitting on it would lead to this?

 

[Crazy Source]

Oh boy. Some union leaders said something. Whooptie Doo . .. .

They are striking while the iron is hot. Trump is throwing around tariffs as a fix-all that make no sense. Get him to implement a tariff that might help American workers.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Please prove this statement

A 50 million, or even 100 million dollar cut to a CEO pay doesn't even cover the cost of one large cargo ship. China out paces US is manufacturing because their labor is significantly cheaper while maintaining skilled trade; China has access to cheaper materialsand 10 out of the 15 largest cargo maritime fleet countries are in Asia. Make delivery of said ships easier and more practical for the Chinese.

So yeah, cut out the CEO pay completely or divide it equally to all the workers...US still isn't competing at any level

 

[aerius]

Who knew that defunding education and generally shitting on it would lead to this?

Skilled labour going bye-bye wasn't the result of defunding education you dumbass, the jobs disappeared because the US outsourced most of its manufacturing to China. Once the factories closed the training & education pipeline for the jobs disappeared because there's no longer any demand for them. If you want to shit on someone, shit on Reagan & Clinton, they were the main ones responsible for trashing manufacturing in the US.

 

[Crazy Source]

Skilled labour going bye-bye wasn't the result of defunding education you dumbass, the jobs disappeared because the US outsourced most of its manufacturing to China. Once the factories closed the training & education pipeline for the jobs disappeared because there's no longer any demand for them. If you want to shit on someone, shit on Reagan & Clinton, they were the main ones responsible for trashing manufacturing in the US.

Dat cheap labor, yo.

 

[Whippy McGee]

I have known about the lack of skilled labor for years now. We are in a really bad spot here since this isn’t something you can quickly fix. This is like a decade plus long problem to solve once we start trying to fix it which we haven’t really done anything to solve it as far as I know

100% - We need to bring back auto, machine, metal, wood shop, and drafting to high schools. They are far more useful than virtually all the crap that is not English, Math, Science, or History in High School.

 

[Blayt7hh]

100% - We need to bring back auto, machine, metal, wood shop, and drafting to high schools. They are far more useful than virtually all the crap that is not English, Math, Science, or History in High School.

No doubt. The devaluation of skilled labor that’s perpetuated for the last 40 or so years in this country is having real consequences now. Unfortunately our political system rewards short sighted and immediate results. I think that is why we don’t see it get addressed like it should.

 

[Whippy McGee]

No doubt. The devaluation of skilled labor that’s perpetuated for the last 40 or so years in this country is having real consequences now. Unfortunately our political system rewards short sighted and immediate results. I think that is why we don’t see it get addressed like it should.

You can almost map the Left's takeover with education with the elimination of these programs. The $$$$ that used to go to these programs ended up going to endless Administrators. We have the $$$ for it, but we don't have the $$$ for it and the useless administrators.

 

[Mr. Shickadance]

A 50 million, or even 100 million dollar cut to a CEO pay doesn't even cover the cost of one large cargo ship. China out paces US is manufacturing because their labor is significantly cheaper while maintaining skilled trade; China has access to cheaper materialsand 10 out of the 15 largest cargo maritime fleet countries are in Asia. Make delivery of said ships easier and more practical for the Chinese.

So yeah, cut out the CEO pay completely or divide it equally to all the workers...US still isn't competing at any level

So yeah no source or proof just you talk . Ok Canadian

 

[Andy Capp]

BY JOSH BOAK
Updated 5:56 PM BRT, February 19, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The heads of four major labor unions on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to boost American shipbuilding and enforce tariffs and other “strong penalties” against China for its increasing dominance in that sphere.

The presidents of the United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers argue that China’s efforts have hurt American workers and national security.

In the letter obtained by The Associated Press, they urged Trump to “impose tough penalties against vessels built according to the plans, policies, and actions of the Chinese Communist Party and to adopt complementary policies that rebuild America’s shipbuilding capacity and workforce.”



Last year under President Joe Biden, the unions filed a petition seeking to address China’s shipbuilding under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act, hoping to start a process by which tariffs and other measures could be enacted.

The letter notes China manufactured more than 1,000 ocean-going vessels in 2023, while the United States made fewer than 10 ships. It adds that the Chinese shipbuilding industry received more than $100 billion in government support from 2010 to 2018, such that Chinese shipyards accounted for the majority of worldwide orders last year.

“As a shipyard worker myself, out of Bath Iron Works in Maine, I have seen firsthand the crippling impacts of China’s predatory actions on our domestic shipbuilding industry,” Brian Bryant, the machinists and aerospace workers union president, said in a separate statement. “For decades, we’ve seen everything from layoffs to shipyard closures to atrophy of our domestic shipbuilding industrial base.

Trump has made control of the Panama Canal and resetting the global terms of trade with tariffs a key priority. But many of his concerns have been directed at U.S. allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union, while he has imposed an additional 10% tariff on imports from China due to its role in making the opioid fentanyl.

The White House has said it is considering all available options to push back against China’s practices in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.

In January, Trump floated the possibility of more shipbuilding in an interview with Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio talk show host.

“We don’t build ships anymore,” Trump said. “We want to get that started. And maybe we’ll use allies, also, in terms of building ships. We might have to.”

In a Fox News Channel interview that aired Tuesday night, Trump noted the decline in American shipbuilding and indicated he wanted that to change.

“We don’t build the way we used to build. Yeah, we used to build like a ship a day, and now to build a ship is like a big deal,” he said. “And we’re going to get this country back on track.”

https://apnews.com/article/trump-sh...hina-tariffs-9d55363e6b8afff3d9cda971fc692cfd

lol famously pro-union Trump and Republicans....

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

So yeah no source or proof just you talk . Ok Canadian

So which part was erroneous? Chinese workforce is cheaper? They have access to cheaper materials? Their proximity to countries with the largest maritime cargo fleets?

Merchant marine Comparison - The World Factbook

www.cia.gov

Ok, counter then. Lay out the efficency and production plan and feel free to cut ceo pay to zero. Show me the numbers that says US can compete with China on ship manufacturing to Chinas current scale in terms of international cost.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Feel free to review the numbers

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12534

 

[Whippy McGee]

So which part was erroneous? Chinese workforce is cheaper? They have access to cheaper materials? Their proximity to countries with the largest maritime cargo fleets?

Merchant marine Comparison - The World Factbook

www.cia.gov

Ok, counter then. Lay out the efficency and production plan and feel free to cut ceo pay to zero. Show me the numbers that says US can compete with China on ship manufacturing to Chinas current scale in terms of international cost.

You buried him with Math that is not debatable by an honest person. Let's see if he concedes to the truth?

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

You buried him with Math that is not debatable by an honest person. Let's see if he concedes to the truth?

Yeah the link showed that labour and material cost makes it 4x cheaper to manufacture in China than US. You could basically wipe out the CEO's average compensation (about 4.7 mill a year) and all the board members salary and it wouldn't even make a difference if you used that to offset building costs

 

[Mr. Shickadance]

So which part was erroneous? Chinese workforce is cheaper? They have access to cheaper materials? Their proximity to countries with the largest maritime cargo fleets?

Merchant marine Comparison - The World Factbook

www.cia.gov

Ok, counter then. Lay out the efficency and production plan and feel free to cut ceo pay to zero. Show me the numbers that says US can compete with China on ship manufacturing to Chinas current scale in terms of international cost.

Honestly I don’t know what your link is supposed to be showing. I’m on mobile so maybe it is not taking me to what you’re seeing.

 

[avenue94]

Palmer luckey mentioned this people take jobs in things that would not be functional for a war effort. in china there are a lot of people in s.t.e.m fields.

Structuring your entire job market around a war that may or may not happen is a bit silly.

Not to mention there's more to war efforts than stem

 

[Cajun]

I used to work as a cement truck driver from the age of 22-25, Teamsters local 230. The place was infested with laziest, entitled fuckers ever to enter a workplace. Doing the least amount of work was celebrated, being motivated was frowned upon and it didn't matter anyways, the only way to move up was having seniority. You are correct though, why appease your overloards? I figured out a long time ago that working for someone else is a fools endeavour, the only way to really get ahead is to work harder but work for yourself, build your dream, not theirs.

Yeah, the original idea of unions was great but they dont work well in practice now. I lived in Boston for 7 years and had buds in the pipefitters union. You arent allowed to do anything other than your specific job, they picketed a dunkin donuts down the street for hiring independent contractor for concrete work. My bud worked part of the year and still made 100k. Just left a bad taste on unions.