Manufacturing

A strong manufacturing sector is essential to our nation’s economic success and to our ability to raise wages and provide family-supporting jobs. But decades of devastating trade policy and attacks on unions have taken their toll. The loss of factories doesn’t only devastate local communities, but drains the engineering and research jobs that power innovation. The United States must invest in critical manufacturing sectors and technologies and invest in people to meet the needs of the economy.

We will continue to fight for a revitalized manufacturing sector through polices that are good for working people, our communities and our economy.

 

2.6M

The number of manufacturing jobs displaced since 2001.

The U.S. risks losing its global manufacturing leadership and millions more factory jobs because of these lopsided trade imbalances.”

—Scott Paul

93,000

The number of jobs outsourced under President Trump in 2017, a significant increase over previous years.

What We’re Doing

Media Hit

Union Apprenticeships Have More Success Promoting Racial, Gender Diversity Study Finds

A Conversation with Women in the Trades
Press Release

AFL-CIO Applauds House Passage of CHIPS Act, Calls for More Support for Working People

Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the passage of the CHIPS Act (H.R. 4346) in the U.S. House.
Press Release

CHIPS Act Will Help Secure America’s Future

Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the passage of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America (CHIPS) Act in the U.S. Senate.
Convention Resolution

Resolution 31: Preserving Middle-Class Jobs: Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing

The aerospace and defense industry plays a vital role in the American economy as the leading net manufacturing exporter. Our global leadership depends on the millions of well-paid, highly unionized workers spread nationwide across the industrial supply chain. As one of the few core manufacturing sectors left not fully ravaged by pro-corporate trade deals, neoliberal globalization and the short-term interests of Wall Street, it is of the utmost importance to preserve and expand the industry so it remains a reliable source of middle-class, union jobs.

Women in Advanced Manufacturing: Building a Different Story