WASHINGTON, DC — The Level Field Institute, a grassroots organization founded by retirees of GM, Ford and Chrysler, is launching a national advertising and PR campaign aimed at educating American consumers, media and policy makers about what it feels are the pitfalls of the increasingly global automotive industry.
At a press conference in Washington, D.C., Level Field President Jim Doyle said, “Our increasingly global economy makes defining ‘made in America’ more difficult. But we believe it still matters. It matters for U.S. jobs. It matters for consumers. And it matters for America’s economic competitiveness.”
The group said its campaign responds, in part, to PR and lobbying campaigns by foreign manufacturers promoting those companies’ new plants.
“We welcome free trade and foreign investment, and think there’s nothing wrong with the job ads foreign automakers are running. We simply believe consumers should be able to compare these numbers side-by-side with the scale and quality of domestic automakers jobs,” said Doyle.
Level Field says it will address three central issues. First, the number of jobs at stake is larger than many industry observers believe, according to Level Field. Ford, GM and DCX employ four times more workers than all foreign automakers combined. They also purchase nearly 80 percent of all U.S. auto parts.
Second, domestic manufacturers represent America’s largest source of corporate R&D, and losing the tens of thousands of research jobs and billions in research support they provide could undermine America’s future competitiveness. In Michigan alone, more than $10 billion is spent annually on research conducted at more than 200 facilities operated by 65,000 workers.
Finally, the number of jobs, and billions in R&D America may lose could vary widely, depending on which companies, and which investment strategies, prevail. Even among foreign automakers, the difference in jobs supported per car sold varies widely.
The group is publishing scorecards that detail the jobs and economic contributions of several leading manufacturers operating in the U.S. The scorecard data provides company-by-company comparisons of job totals, job outlooks, domestic content and other factors. For example, according the group’s scorecard, Honda employs nearly seven times more Americans, operates eight times more assembly plants, and has significantly more domestic content than Hyundai. Meanwhile, Ford employs approximately four times more Americans, operates nearly three times as many assembly lines, and has significantly higher domestic content than Honda.
Doyle continued, “We believe many Americans care about these issues – and they will care more once they have all the facts. That’s why we are launching a national media and advertising campaign comparing the U.S. economic and jobs contributions of major automakers. Through television, print and Internet ads and through detailed scorecards, we will provide Americans with the facts they need to make informed decisions.”
Level Field will also examine how the quality of auto jobs varies among companies. A Center for Automotive Research study sponsored by foreign automakers found that eight out of 10 foreign automaker jobs based in the U.S. are in sales, not assembly lines, headquarters or design labs.
Doyle continued, “The U.S. market demands increasingly lean and flexible manufacturing. But there is a difference between lean and flexible manufacturing practiced by companies based in the U.S. and lean and flexible manufacturing practiced by those based elsewhere. It affects where many of those research, management, accounting and other jobs will be located.”
A full transcript of Doyle’s remarks, the new Level Field television ad, and the complete set of scorecards are available at levelfieldinstitute.org .
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