ed070308

On the homepage

Vikings

Favre's stats put him in MVP picture

Out There

Pardon Board

Not all forgiven

Petters

Petters jury will resume deliberations Tuesday

Home | Opinion Exchange | Editorials

Continued: Editorial: Fight for Ford and plan for the future

Print this story

Follow Opinion Exchange on Twitter

STATE AID FOR FORD?

"We have indicated that if there were an opportunity to keep the plant open permanently, we would be happy to talk to them. We would have to go to the Legislature. But for a two-year extension, I'm less excited about that.''

Commissioner Dan McElroy, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

More from Editorials

It's difficult to let go of a proud past, especially when 1,000 good jobs are at stake.

Our elected officials continue to lobby Ford Motor Co. to reverse its decision to close the 80-year-old St. Paul plant in September 2009, and recent news reports have suggested that a two-year extension is under consideration.

Delaying the shutdown of the plant would be a temporary boost for St. Paul, which over the past 25 years has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs from companies such as Whirlpool, Amhoist, 3M and Ford. About 1,000 jobs remain at Ford from a payroll that exceeded 2,600 at its peak in 1979.

A few important notes of caution are in order, though. On Tuesday the automaker said sales of the Ranger pickup produced in St. Paul dropped 33.8 percent in June, compared with the same month a year ago. Sales of the smaller, more fuel-efficient Ranger had been a relative bright spot for Ford early in 2008, but after the June decline sales have dropped 3.9 percent through the first half of the year. That's bad news for the St. Paul plant.

It's also a very good bet that Ford would want some financial assistance from the state to upgrade the facility if it decides to keep it open for a couple of additional years. But unless the company is willing to make a longer-term commitment to Minnesota and St. Paul, it makes little sense to throw incentives at an automaker that's reeling under the weight of high gas prices and the slowdown in the U.S. economy.

Sen. Norm Coleman, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other officials deserve credit for not giving up on a noble cause, but right now a shutdown extension looks like a long shot. Which brings us back to those 1,000 workers in St. Paul.

Manufacturing remains alive and relatively healthy in Minnesota, but skilled workers are in short supply and demographic trends pose a serious threat. A recent state survey found that more than 50 percent of the manufacturing jobs available in Minnesota are not filled because applicants lack the necessary skills. The problem is acute among smaller contract and precision manufacturing companies.

Dave Fiedler, president-elect of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association and president of Checker Machine in New Hope, said high-profile layoffs like those in the auto industry are a black eye for manufacturing, and too few young people are getting the two years of technical education they need to qualify for jobs that can pay $50,000 to $60,000 a year. Meanwhile, small manufacturers like Checker are facing the loss of baby boomer employees to retirement.

"I'm going to lose 35 to 40 percent of my workforce in the next four to five years,'' Fiedler said. "Industrywide, they're going to lose 35 to 40 percent of their people, and there just isn't enough interest from the young people to get into the industry.''

Minnesota needs a renewed emphasis on developing the kind of skilled workforce that can fuel the state's manufacturing sector. And when assembly line workers at Ford or machinists at Northwest Airlines lose their jobs, retraining should be a priority.

Many of the same state leaders who are still battling to keep a part of the past alive in St. Paul should also be leading the effort to position Minnesota manufacturing for a more promising future.

Recent Editorials stories

Editorial: This Bud Light's not for U - July 2, 2008

Editorial: This Bud Light's not for U - Anheuser-Busch's ill-advised 'Fan Cans'' promotion. More

Comment on this story | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments

New ideas for the public sector

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to create a more efficient Minnesota. Facing large budget deficits at the state, county and local levels, Minnesotans are seeing with new clarity that the public sector must adapt to new economic realities. Only the smartest, most strategic reinvention will ensure that our tax dollars are spent on the best programs and services. Read more

About Opinion Exchange

Opinion Exchange is produced by the Editorial Department, which is dedicated to hosting the discussion on a range of issues of interest to Star Tribune readers online and in print. In its new format, it's our hope that Opinion Exhange will create a more dynamic dialogue between Star Tribune readers and the Editorial Board. Many individual posts will be written and signed by members of the Editorial Board and will reflect their own opinions. Daily editorials will continue to represent the institutional voice of the newspaper and be researched and written by the Editorial Department, which is independent of the newsroom.

Subscribe to RSS|Learn more about RSS