By Pat Bradley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-847777.mp3
Washington, D.C. – New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has outlined her efforts to aid the manufacturing sector in the wake of record and increasing job losses. North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley joined the conference call.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued a report indicating that more than 160,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in upstate New York since 2001. The numbers show all regions of the state lost manufacturing jobs between 2001 and 2008. The Capital Region lost over 7-thousand, the Hudson Valley nearly 7-thousand, the North Country over 3-thousand, and Central New York over 14-thousand. In a conference call Tuesday, Senator Gillibrand told reporters that's more than a fair share of losses and she is sponsoring, or co-sponsoring, 3 pieces of legislation that she believes will mitigate the losses.
Gillibrand emphasized that America imports seventy percent of its clean energy systems and components. She believes those items should be manufactured in the US and the legislation she is working on should help not only with retooling, but create opportunities for new products.
New York State has also seen overall wage declines and Gillibrand says the focus should be on job creation in specific areas.