Where Do Jobs Come From?

Perhaps you remember reporters fanning out across the nation interviewing small business owners two years ago. The occasion was passage of tax credits for hiring unemployed workers. Every businessperson interviewed said the same thing. Tax breaks are nice but they won’t make any difference when it comes to hiring more people.

Every employer gave the same answer when asked what will motivate them to hire. The answer is more sales. More sales is the only metric number one metric business considers when it comes to hiring. It only makes sense. Increased sales tells business it needs more capacity; more parts, more equipment and more people.

Tax breaks for the wealthy goes to the bottom line – increases profits. It does not, however, tell owners they need more people. Reducing regulation reduces costs, which in turn increases profits. Again, it does nothing to increase the demand for labor. Only increased sales can do that.

So, what will increase sales? Two thirds of American GDP comes from consumer spending. That fact suggests the best way to put people back to work. The answer begins with you and me.

BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN. This is the one thing that you have control over and it is the most important long term solution to our current economic mess. Look at the money you spend every month. Are you consciously looking for the Made In the USA sticker on that tool you buy at the hardware store? Good for you. Are you spending a large proportion of your discretionary on electronic gadgets, cheap foreign cloths and Wal-mart junk that will turn up next spring on your garage sale table? It is time to make better choices.

Check out Label Letter, the newsletter of the AFL-CIO Union Label Department. Here you will find great information about how to buy union. With the weather getting colder, there are fewer farmers markets but some larger cities continue them inside during the winter. Contact your local building trades council before hiring that remodeling contractor to make sure you they are union and hire union subcontractors.

Here is one last suggestion. With the holidays coming, why not send Union Made greeting cards? Homestead Cards, based in Portland, Oregon has a union workforce represented by Teamsters Graphic Communications Conference Local 747M. Brighten up somebody’s holiday with a greeting card that provides dignity and a living wage.