Tri-Cities TN/VA Job Losses: Globalism’s Impact

Globalism’s Devastation in Tri-Cities and Southwest VA

From 1998 to 2015, the Tri-Cities Bristol region (Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol, TN/VA) and Southwest Virginia counties (Washington, Scott, Wise, Russell, Smyth) lost 52,000-76,000 jobs to globalism—free trade, offshoring, and limited immigration. Manufacturing, coal, and retail collapsed, hitting Sullivan County and beyond. Yet, official unemployment stayed low at 5.0-7.5%. Phony numbers, driven by shrinking labor force participation and mass outmigration, hide the real 30-40% joblessness. This reflects elite indifference, favoring corporate profits over workers.

Over 50,000 jobs gone, but the unemployment rate didn’t spike. Workers either gave up or left the region, exposing the lie of ‘low unemployment.’

Job Losses by the Numbers: 1998-2015

With 550,000-600,000 people and 300,000-350,000 jobs in 1998, the region was gutted by globalism. Here’s the breakdown:

1998-2005: 19,000-32,500 jobs lost. China’s WTO (2001) and NAFTA hit manufacturing. Tri-Cities CSA: 13,000-22,000; Washington/Scott: 1,500-3,000; Wise/Russell/Smyth: 4,500-7,500.
2006-2011 (Great Recession): 12,500-20,500 jobs. Manufacturing and retail fell. Tri-Cities: 8,500-14,000; Washington/Scott: 1,500-2,500; Wise/Russell/Smyth: 2,500-4,000.
2012-2015: 17,000-23,000 jobs. Manufacturing and coal continued declining. Tri-Cities: 12,000-15,000 (e.g., 3,611 in 2012-2013, 3,756 in 2013-2014, per ETSU); Washington/Scott: 1,500-2,500; Wise/Russell/Smyth: 3,500-5,500.

Total: 52,000-76,000 jobs lost—33,500-51,000 in Tri-Cities CSA, 4,500-8,000 in Washington/Scott, 10,500-17,000 in Wise, Russell, Smyth.

Area	Jobs Lost	Key Sectors
Tri-Cities CSA	33,500-51,000	Textiles, Chemicals, Retail
Washington/Scott	4,500-8,000	Manufacturing, Retail
Wise/Russell/Smyth	10,500-17,000	Coal, Textiles, Manufacturing

Closures like Traco (200 jobs, Johnson City) and Alcoa (76 jobs, Lebanon, VA) hit hard, with Bristol Compressors losing 362 jobs later.

Phony Unemployment Stats: The Real Story

Unemployment rates (5.0-7.5%, 1998-2015) hid the loss of 52,000-76,000 jobs. Workers stopped looking or left, skewing stats.

Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR): Fell from 62% (1998) to 58-60% (2015). 25,000-40,000 workers exited due to disability (15-20% of adults), opioids (81 per 100,000 deaths), low education, and no jobs.
Outmigration: 20,000-40,000 workers left for Knoxville or Charlotte. Southwest VA lost 9% of its population (2010-2020).
Disability: 15,000-20,000 moved to Social Security Disability, worsened by opioids.

Real unemployment (U-6) was 30-40%, not 5.0-7.5%. If LFPR matched the U.S. (63.7%, 2012), unemployment could’ve hit 15-20%.

Metric	Reported (U-3)	Real (U-6)
Unemployment	5.0-7.5%	30-40%
LFPR	58-60% (2015)	63.7% (U.S., 2012)

Globalism and Elite Indifference

Globalism—China’s WTO, NAFTA, offshoring—drove these losses, part of 7-10 million U.S. jobs lost ($300-450 billion in costs). Locally:

Trade/Offshoring: 30,000-40,000 manufacturing jobs (textiles, chemicals) and 3,000-5,000 coal jobs lost.
Immigration: Minor (5% foreign-born), with 5,000-10,000 service jobs lost.
Wages: 3-5% suppression ($150-250 million/year). Cheap goods ($1,000-2,000/household) don’t replace $30,000-40,000 jobs.

Elites knew the harm (1980s reports) but chased profits (20-30% labor savings). Corporate welfare ($2.65 million for Bristol Compressors) and retail wars ($33.54 million sales drop in Bristol) ignored workers.

“Elites profit while Tri-Cities workers lose jobs and hope.”

Poverty and Opioids: The Aftermath

Job losses fueled 20-30% poverty and an opioid crisis (81 per 100,000 deaths), costing $1 billion regionally. Unlike Chicago’s violent crime, Tri-Cities sees low violence (4-5 per 100,000 homicides) but high drug despair.

Cheap goods don’t pay rent or stop addiction—jobs do.

Take Back Our Future

Tri-Cities and Southwest VA can fight back:

Tariffs: Tax Chinese imports to save manufacturing.
E-Verify: Prioritize local workers.
Apprenticeships: Train for jobs, like Baltimore’s Civic Works (15% unemployment drop).
Expose Lies: Demand BLS report 30-40% unemployment and $150-250 million wage losses.

Unite workers—here and beyond—against elite indifference. Share your story on X.

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.

Tri-Cities TN/VA Job Losses: Globalism’s Impact on Appalachia, 1998-2015