• Home
  • Archive
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • March 28, 2023

The Madison Times

The Paper That's More Than Black and White

  • News
    • Local News
    • National News
    • International News
    • Sports News
    • Education News
  • Columns
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Life Lessons with Alex Gee
  • Events
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Classifieds
  • Community
    • Middle Spread
  • Milwaukee
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MADISON TIMES

Catching the Vision: What Wisconsin Needs on the Horizon of a new Decade

January 4, 2020

By LaKeshia Myers

Representative LaKeshia Myers

Over the holiday break, I took time to engage in some much-needed rest and relaxation. During this time, I also had the opportunity to watch the documentary “American Factory”, a film produced by former first couple Barack and Michelle Obama. “American Factory” chronicles the 2008 closing of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, and its revival in 2014 as Fuyao Glass America. Fuyao is an automobile glass manufacturer based in China that is owned by Chinese billionaire Cho Tak Wong.

The film details the growing pains of a Chinese company taking over a former American factory and the cultural shifts endured by both the Chinese and the American workers. The American workers at Fuyao, many of whom were former General Motors employees, dealt with significant pay cuts, lack of a union, and the demand of increased production output. Of particular interest to me were the differences between American and Chinese work standards; when the film showed the Fuyao plant in China, employees discussed the fact that they worked twelve-hour shifts, took very few breaks, and had few days off.

This clash in culture was on full display as many of the Chinese managers discussed the fact that the American workers complained too much, took too many breaks, or were lazy. Conversely, the Americans complained that Fuyao didn’t treat them well, disregarded Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards, and they had no American in management with whom to liaise on their behalf.

Tensions come to a head when some of the American employees seek to form a union with the United Auto Workers. Fuyao management uses deliberate tactics to discourage union ratification and some workers lose their jobs with the company.

Watching this film was another reminder that the industrial age is indeed dead in America.

Manufacturing as we knew it is no more and there is no resuscitating it. In order to thrive in the workforce, Americans must obtain a post-secondary education. As we embark on the new decade, we must realize the need for education in the ways of twenty-first century manufacturing; this includes robotics, computer numeric control (CNC), and computer aided design (CAD). I encourage individuals who are interested in manufacturing and technical education to consider enrollment at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

As Wisconsin turns the page on its industrial past and embarks on its new future, it is my hope that all Wisconsinites “catch the vision” and embrace the changing academic landscape that helps make us competitive in the workplace. It is a necessity if we ever hope to remain viable in a global society.

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: LaKeshia Myers

Read More - Related Articles

  • The Mis-education of Wisconsin Republicans
  • All Politics are Local: Politicizing the Education Landscape in Wisconsin
  • Time is Money: Exploring the 21st Century Poll Tax Levied by the Georgia G.O.P.
  • Are Your Edges on Life Support?: Weaving Our Way into a World of Trouble
  • In Times like These, We Need Common Sense





Connect With Us

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Karma Chavez
Amanda Zhang
Julianne Malveaux
Benjamin Chavis
George Curry

Journalists

Jacklin Bolduan
Brianna Rae
Aarushi Agni
Rob Franklin
Claire Miller

Topics

Brown Girl Green $
Young Gifted & Black
Universally Speaking
Ask Progress
Civil Rights

Topics

Police Shooting
Police Brutality
Black Lives Matter
NAACP
Racism

Politicians

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Gwen Moore
Paul Soglin
Scott Walker

Contact Us

The Madison Times
313 West Beltline Hwy
Suite 132
Madison, WI 53713
608-270-9470

Copyright © 2023 Courier Communications. All Rights Reserved.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.