Tri-Cities Bristol Workers Adjusted Out of Their Jobs

by Lewis Loflin

Update November 1, 2016: Bristol Compressors has announced another round of "workforce adjustments" (layoffs) in addition to the 200 other workers 'adjusted" so far this year. In addition Eastman Chemical has announced "worker adjustments" of an unspecified number of its workers. They were given millions in incentives several years ago promising thousands of new jobs, no luck, just more layoffs.

According to the Wall Street Journal (Oct. 18,2016) that Chinese companies that once imported coatings, adhesives, and other chemical industry products from America are now manufacturing their own. This was one bright spot in exports that might be going down the drain like everything else. To quote,

Exports to China, which had risen nearly every year since 1990, fell 14% last year, the largest annual drop since the 1960s. They are down another 8.2% this year, through September. The decline helped shave 0.3 percentage point off world trade growth last year, and is a big reason that growth is expected to slow to 1.7% this year from the 5% a year it has averaged over the last two decades. China's trade surplus with the U.S. hit a record last year, largely because China is buying less and because global commodity prices fell.

To further quote,

For low-end products, especially in sectors that have suffered from overcapacity, China’ Ministry of Commerce has levied antidumping tariffs against companies such as Dow Chemical and Eastman Chemical Co. that it views as undermining local industry by unloading goods in the country at too cheap a price.

Dow Chemical declined to comment on the tariffs but said it has sold the business that was affected and focused on higher-end chemicals. Those now account for more than 95% of its revenue in China, says Peter Wong, the company’s president for Asia Pacific. Eastman declined to comment.

This could further impact Eastman Chemical and could be related to this. This problem does plague Bristol Compressors. The future for both these companies look questionable and I'm guessing more "worker adjustments" will be coming.

Note that new call centers and restaurants are hiring, the future of jobs in this community. Can I get fries while I answer the phone...

Also see: Layoffs and more Corporatism at Eastman Chemical
Sorry Job History of Eastman Chemical

Update May 2016: they lied again. The promised 600 new jobs never materialized and by February 2016 the 444 people that were mainly transferred from Bristol Virginia are fired. Millions in corporate welfare to pay for the relocation went down the toilet and millions more will bring in another call center to rehire the same workers. Read more...

Update May 20, 2016 - 12 workers were fired at Emory & Henry College due to "restructuring". This comes after weeks of hysterical hell raising by 200 poor little cupcakes (students) over "safe spaces" and demands for more "diversity" racism. This was over some bogus and unproven claims of widespread racism. Some vague claims about "racist graffiti spotted at a brick seating area...the incidents prove that while E&H is a diverse campus it lacks inclusivity, leaving minority students to feel marginalized."

Reports are unspecific as to what the incidents are and I believe overblown. Mere criticism of Islamic violence or a Donald Trump yard sign have been cited as racist on many college campuses. in a region with massive white working class poverty the only concern these little brats show is how coal mining leads to climate change and the industry needs to be shutdown - ditto concern for jobs losses and poverty.

Many nonsense liberal art degrees offered by this college are worthless in the real world. Many are left buried in debt. See College Job Unemployment Chart. In particular over half of humanities majors which is the mainstay of E&H are unemployed or flipping burgers.

That brings outright jobs losses in Bristol-Washington County 362 for May 2016 in the community, but not the slightest show of concern at Emory & Henry College.

 


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