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GE Workers Say: ‘Screw That (Made in China) Bulb’ |
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Monday, 14 May 2007 |
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How many U.S. workers does it take to make a light bulb? If General Electric has its way, the answer is none. GE, the company that was built on Thomas Edison’s light bulbs, is putting workers and consumers in a position of having to choose whether they want to save the environment or save U.S. jobs.
GE is promoting new, energy-saving bulbs known as compact fluorescents, or CFLs, which are made in China. These bulbs last longer and use less energy than the typical incandescent bulbs found in most U.S. homes—but they can cost up to 10 times as much.
If GE has its way, it will no longer manufacture light bulbs in the United States. Since 1980, employment in GE lighting plants in this country has dropped by 68 percent. If everyone switched to the Chinese-made CFL bulbs, all U.S. plants would close.
Instead of letting GE make all the profits and send jobs to China, GE’s workers, who are represented by 13 unions, have launched a “Screw That Bulb” campaign. They are mobilizing to save the environment and their jobs.
Environmentally sustainable technology was supposed to stimulate our economy, not lead to more jobs in China, they say. But GE is refusing to invest in the advanced technology needed to produce the bulbs here so U.S. workers can have a future.
You can take action and help save U.S. jobs and the environment. Sign the “Screw That Bulb” petition asking GE to manufacture green bulbs in U.S. plants. Workers and consumers shouldn’t have to choose between a green environment or a pink slip for America’s workers.
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