Michigan's median income below average

Updated: Aug 30, 2006 06:43 PM EDT

By RICK ALBIN

GRAND RAPIDS - For the first time since census records have been kept, Michigan's median income is below the national average.

It's further proof that as manufacturing jobs leave the state, Michigan's economy changes for the worse.

George Erickcek of the Upjohn Institute in Kalamazoo said in the past six years, "We lost close to 270,000 jobs in this state." Erickcek tracks and interprets trends and numbers, and he said these trends aren't good.

The impact is easy to trace. Once the high paying jobs evaporate, so does the income for state residents.

Since 2000, Michigan's median income has fallen more than $6000.

"This state was built to make autos," he said. "Our supply internetwork is so large that for every auto assembly job, we expected another five jobs being supported by that job. As we've lost those auto jobs our income is going down."

Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids median incomes have dropped by more than $5000 in that same time period.

Location
2000 Median Income
2005 Median Income

Michigan
$52,362
$46,039

Grand Rapids
$43,604
$38,229

Kalamazoo
$36,535
$31,152


It's not all bad news. Those who've retained good paying manufacturing jobs are aging and will soon be retiring, according to Erickcek.

"It's very possible we're going to have a lot of job openings in manufacturing and that's good news. The bad news is that these are not your parents jobs."

He means those factory jobs that pay good wages with just a high school diploma are long gone. Tomorrow's jobs will mean advanced education from college or technical schools.

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END OF ARTICLE


BUY AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS

I read that article, too.

Unfortunately, buying 'American' isn't going to stop the job loss, not for a second. The plan is set, the move is in motion, NOTHING will stop it now. It has to run its' course at this point.

BTW, just what is 'American' anymore? Aside from a couple of cars, that designation is pretty muddy. Should we still support companies whose stated goal is to rid themselves of American jobs??

See this topic

:beerchug:

Yeah, I guess your right. Give up, throw in the towel. That's the new American spirit.
NOTHING will stop it now. We're all doomed. There's nothing we can do. Stand by and let it run it's course.

"BUY FOREIGN MADE PRODUCTS" ........cry of the next generation.
(insert foreign flag somewhere here)

Its to bad the average earnings are dropping so much. We need to rally together around the UAW. The UAW creates jobs for the otherwise unemployable. Its not everywhere that a DRUNKEN HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT or POT SMOKING MORON can make a decent wage for putting in a solid 10 Hours of work a week.

Let me tell you all about my father-in-law and his "career" with GM.

His job was to drive a Ford tractor with a floor sweeper and clean the main aisles in the shop. He worked 3rd shift so when he came into work he would fill the sweeper tank and make a pass on the floor and go empty the tank. It would take him about an hour to complete his task. He would than catch about 3-4 hours of sleep. When he woke up he would have to repeat the hour long cleaning process (damn hard worker....I know). Once complete with his second pass he would catch another 3-4 hours of sleep and than clock out and go home (you really have to feel for a guy that has to work so hard). Well...10 years into his "career" he slipped while getting off his tractor and injured his back. His injury required surgery to have a disk fused. That was about 15 years ago. Since than he has been unable to work...its just to hard and his back. Thankfully he is able to get a diability check from GM so he can stay home and ride his quads or maintain the private road he lives on with his John Deere tractor. It also gives hin plenty of time to dig a pond in his backyard with his Case backhoe. Its really to bad that his spine injury left him unable to drive that Ford floor sweeper down a concrete Aisle. Typical UAW piece of shit.

Now do you really have to wonder why the good paying production work is being out sourced? When the UAW protects people like this...and there a plenty of them in the shops...the companys have no choice but to move on. Its thier way of busting the unoins. Don't get me wrong...there are many hard working people in the UAW also. Its the pieces of shit like my father-in-law that are the problem...and there are WAY to many of them in the shops.

So, does your father-in-law come over for Thanksgiving?
Wow, that was harsh.

Nope...I only see him a couple of times a year and he is not welcome on any holiday. He knows my opinion of him. He is currently pissed off because he now has to pay a $5 copay for perscriptions. In the last year it has cost hin $75 for copays and he wants Blue cross to reimburse him. He has decided to NOT take his prescriptions and to call an ambulence anytime his asthma acts up costing Blue Cross thousands of dollars since there is no copay on emerency services. He figures Blue Cross will eventually give in and cover is medications. He says he has all the time in the world...so what if he has to ride to the hospital a couple of time a month....it cost him nothing. On the other hand...I have Blue Cross. It cost me about $240 a month in premiums (its free for my father-in-law), A $20 copay for doctors visits (free for UAW workers) and a $15 copay for prescriptions ($5 UAW) and he's complaining to me about his $75 annual out of pocket cost???? Last year I had over $3000 out of pocket for my family.

Yea, hes a real winner!!!! My wife can't stand him either. The only reason we see him is because my wife likes her mom. She's said that if her mom passes away 1st she will have nothing to do with her Dad.

Not quite sure how these 2 statements fit into the same story?




Maybe, the next time you go vist the in-laws, you could talk your wife into hiding his asthma inhaler so this typical piece of UAW shit could have cardiac arrest and finally put himself out of your misery. :banana:
........and they all live happily ever after.........well, except for him, but he had it coming anyway. :smilielol:
More turkey for you at Thanksgiving.

I could only hope....life would be so much better!!!!

No, it would be "Buy American-made Foreign Products"... remember, the UAW already builds the Toyota Tacoma truck (among others)... should they not support the vehicle that pays their wage? Pontiac GTO... Foreign car! New Camaro... Foreign car! Can we buy those??

As far as the Big 2 are concerned, it's not about US jobs, it's about money, period. Wall Street is demanding higher stock prices, and they will deliver them, at the cost of millions of US jobs. MI has already lost over a quarter million auto jobs in the last few years... it's gonna get worse. Buying US cars won't stop the outsource, just give the brokers and fatcats more moolah, IMO.
Reality is harsh sometimes... it is what it is. :cn:
Thats a great line!! Can I use it?? :div20:

Y.H.
I thought that line was appropriate. Of course you can use it.......it's the internet. :smilielol:

By advocating "Buy American Made Products" you know what I mean. You can twist it anyway you like. I never advocated buying American Made Products in order to support the UAW and it's workers. Buying American made products is a spirit which supports this great nation and the many workers and people that live here. Yes, those foreign companies have and are building autos in the U.S. and employing American workers. They are not stupid. When it has come to the auto industry, they took away the whole "Buy American Made Products" argument (just as you have pointed out).
Where do those profits and American dollars go.....out of the USA. Sure, they invest a portion of their profits into plants and hire American workers. However, they are not in a break even mode of operations. Their profits go back to their homeland.

American auto manufacturers have built plants in other countries and hired their people to build cars in their country and are thriving. They are American companies and their profits return to the US. Yes, it's about the money and those fatcats your refer to are the same people who have the money to start businesses to provide jobs to people here. Ever try and go look for job from a poor person?

Try and start up a business and market your products to those same foreign countries and you will be slammed with tarrifs and taxes to the point your products will not compete in their country. Our doors are wide open here in the United States thanks to greedy politicians who would rather line their pockets than protect American workers.

I am not so naive to believe that one can go out and buy only American made products. Go to any store to buy almost anything and it's made some where else and not in the USA. You can go buy any old stinking thing you want from any place you want. I don't care. However, I will not apoligize for promoting products made in the USA. The times we live in are complicated when it comes to these and other matters.
I don't expect my little voice crying in the wilderness to change the tide of things, but when I close the door and night and lay my head down, I have a clear conscience.

Never heard that twist on it... :div20:
Not a twist, it's reality... these days, just wtf does BAMP really mean? Sounds like you really mean Buy from US Companies Only" to me. So 'they' take their profit and invest in plants and jobs HERE, while 'our' companies invest any profits in plants and jobs THERE... who is supporting whom? So... how many jobs has Rick Wagoner provided? Jack Nassar? How 'bout Bill Ford? Robert Eaton? Dr. Z?? Pssh.... I think you're kidding yourself with that vision... IMO. I think most people feel that way... personally, Ive never owned a 'foreign' vehicle. But the lines in the sand are changing, the loyalties we all felt are gone; these are times about money, not loyalty. The companies we've grown to believe supported Americans are no longer faithful to us, but sold us out as soon as they had the chance to 'lower cost' markets.

How do we stay loyal to those that betrayed us?

:beerchug: <same goes for people

I work for a manufacturing in Grand Rapids, and things are going pretty steady. Lets just hope it will stay that way. Things should pick up soon (hopefully)

Here's my opinion on things....

When GM is happily reporting 1st quarter loses of only $200 million there is something very wrong with your business. And they are using that as a tax break and probably getting kickbacks from the union I'm sure. The American company's have lost sight of what is important. If you are that big of a company and you start shutting down plants and laying people off who's going to be able to afford to buy your product???? I don't think they realize what a huge part of the American economy they are. And if you do buy their products it's not going to help the american economy at all. You will only be keeping a few people employed until some idiot in headquarters wants his settlement package.

If an American company does nothing for the country/economy except provide a few jobs they are the same as the Foreign companies that are setting up plants here.

Example... Toyota built a plant in Texas to build the new Tundra....They pay taxes in America and invest in the land, Americans build the plant, Americans work at the plant. That sounds like it's a benefit to the USA to me.

Yes I know your going to say all the profits are going to go back to japan, but where do the GM profits go??? Well... if they could ever turn a profit I'm sure they wouldn't invest it in america. They would probably invest it into toyota to try to find out how a company can actually turn a profit!!

I can't wait til the day comes that all of these execs that drove the big 3 into bankruptcy are unemployed and broke. And most of America is back to work at good jobs...... whether it's a foreign or american employer!!

Here's my opinion on things....

When GM is happily reporting 1st quarter loses of only $200 million there is something very wrong with your business. And they are using that as a tax break and probably getting kickbacks from the union I'm sure. The American company's have lost sight of what is important. If you are that big of a company and you start shutting down plants and laying people off who's going to be able to afford to buy your product???? I don't think they realize what a huge part of the American economy they are. And if you do buy their products it's not going to help the american economy at all. You will only be keeping a few people employed until some idiot in headquarters wants his settlement package.

If an American company does nothing for the country/economy except provide a few jobs they are the same as the Foreign companies that are setting up plants here.

Example... Toyota built a plant in Texas to build the new Tundra....They pay taxes in America and invest in the land, Americans build the plant, Americans work at the plant. That sounds like it's a benefit to the USA to me.

Yes I know your going to say all the profits are going to go back to japan, but where do the GM profits go??? Well... if they could ever turn a profit I'm sure they wouldn't invest it in america. They would probably invest it into toyota to try to find out how a company can actually turn a profit!!

I can't wait til the day comes that all of these execs that drove the big 3 into bankruptcy are unemployed and broke. And most of America is back to work at good jobs...... whether it's a foreign or american employer!!

Here's my opinion on things....

When GM is happily reporting 1st quarter loses of only $200 million there is something very wrong with your business. And I can almost guarantee it's not because you have too many employees or plants. And they are using that as a tax break and probably getting kickbacks from the union I'm sure. The American company's have lost sight of what is important. If you are that big of a company and you start shutting down plants and laying people off who's going to be able to afford to buy your product???? I don't think they realize what a huge part of the American economy they are. And if you do buy their products it's not going to help the american economy at all. You will only be keeping a few people employed until some idiot in headquarters wants his settlement package.

If an American company does nothing for the country/economy except provide a few jobs they are the same as the Foreign companies that are setting up plants here.

Example... Toyota built a plant in Texas to build the new Tundra....They pay taxes in America and invest in the land, Americans build the plant, Americans work at the plant. That sounds like it's a benefit to the USA to me.

Yes I know your going to say all the profits are going to go back to japan, but where do the GM profits go??? Well... if they could ever turn a profit I'm sure they wouldn't invest it in america. They would probably invest it into toyota to try to find out how a company can actually turn a profit!!

I can't wait til the day comes that all of these execs that drove the big 3 into bankruptcy are unemployed and broke. And most of America is back to work at good jobs...... whether it's a foreign or american employer!!

Ive heard of double talk.. but triple talk?? :smilielol:
That wont happen unfortunately... those guys' money is all protected and secured... they're no dummies. :banghead:

:beerchug:

Yeah my computer kind of stu..stu..st..tu..utterd a little and I hit send a few times