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House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese In October, we unveiled the House Democrats' Next Generation Manufacturing Strategy intended to support Gov. Ed Rendell's commitment to an agenda for revitalizing manufacturing. The strategy produced discussions among officials from the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, the United Steelworkers of America and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO on the job loss issue. The unprecedented coalition even held a series of workshops and rallies across the Commonwealth in December to relate their experiences with the manufacturing crisis and make recommendations to federal and state officials. Stakeholders from around the state and from varying perspectives have recognized that this is a serious problem that needs legislative action. This announcement, and House Republican recognition of the issue in January, gives us hope that real and sustaining solutions can be crafted so that tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians can finally be put back to work. This week, the House Democratic leaders thanked Gov. Ed Rendell and the Department of Community and Economic Development for highlighting the significant role of manufacturing in Pennsylvania, and for scheduling a summit to examine ways to reverse the tide of manufacturing jobs leaving the state. At a news conference, DCED Secretary Dennis Yablonsky and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation released a study that showed, in part, that the 133,000 plus manufacturing jobs lost in Pennsylvania from 1998 to 2001 could be directly attributed to enhancements in productivity, foreign competition and outsourcing. Despite this, the study maintains that manufacturing still plays a vital role in Pennsylvania's economy, contributing about $64 billion annually to the state's economy, or 16.1 percent of Pennsylvania's gross product. No other industry contributes more. The study reinforces what they've been saying for months. If we don't work to preserve and enhance this vital economic conductor for our state, we are going to lose it, Pennsylvania's manufacturing sector needs the immediate support of public policymakers to address the problems that are causing tens of thousands of good-paying jobs to be lost to other states and nations. We believe this study buttresses the need for a summit and the initiative unveiled by House Democrats last year. The manufacturing summit, which we have asked Rendell to convene, is scheduled for March 23. We're delighted the governor has decided to convene this summit and look forward to participating in the discussion. We, as a state, have a lot of work to do on this subject. Other states and nations have focused public policy and public dollars on helping their manufacturing sectors to offset disadvantages and use technology to deliver better products. Pennsylvania must do the same before it's too late. (House Democratic proposal, October 2003) Governor's Office for Pennsylvania Manufacturing (GPM):
Initiative 1 -- Strategies for Manufacturing Retention & Growth
Initiative 2 -- Capital Investment & Single Source Manufacturing Assistance
Initiative 3 -- Workplace & Human Resource Effectiveness
Initiative 4 -- Trade Law Policy & Compliance
The Governor's Office for Pennsylvania Manufacturing (GPM) would have an initial staff and budget comprised of the following:
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