Trump’s 'Land of Opportunity' doesn’t reach St. Cloud
On Jan. 1, 2018, I was elected shop committee chairperson for the Electrolux plant in St. Cloud, where I led union negotiations with company management. Four weeks later, Electrolux announced it would close our plant.
At the time, the plant employed 900 people. Two years later, the dozen of us who were left shut off the lights in the plant for the last time.
The story of the Electrolux plant is well known in our community. What is less known is who stepped up to help us when we needed them – and who didn’t. Tonight is night two of the Republican National Convention and the theme is “Land of Opportunity.” It’s an ironic theme because it contradicts the actions of Donald Trump and national Republicans.
There were always rumors our factory would close. In the past, we tried everything to save the plant. Some of our members even wrote a letter to President Trump, asking him to do what he pledged during the campaign: Stand up for workers.
After the announcement, some lawmakers helped us, like then-Gov. Mark Dayton, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and then-Congressman Keith Ellison. This was not a partisan issue. Republican state Sen. Jerry Relph, who represents St. Cloud, passed a bill that would pay for worker retraining.
In the end, the plant still closed. Worse yet, Electrolux moved our assembly lines to South Carolina, a right-to-work state. Our chest freezers are now built in southeast Asia. That paved the way for us to get Trade Adjustment Assistance, but we’d rather have our jobs back.
This isn’t new. Right-to-work states are always looking to attract companies from states with pro-union laws like Minnesota. What was surprising was how blatant it all was.
In a conversation I had with Congressman Tom Emmer, now the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee and a close ally of Trump, he told me there was nothing he could do unless our union supported right-to-work laws, which would have eliminated our bargaining power.
When Trump and Emmer talk about the United States being the "Land of Opportunity” tonight, what they really mean is Land of Opportunity for the rich and well-connected.
Take the Carrier plant in Indiana. Trump boasted about saving jobs in the Hoosier State, where Vice President Mike Pence was once governor. Despite his efforts, the plant is still laying off workers and morale has bottomed out. Meanwhile, Trump’s tax cuts helped large corporations with stock buybacks while offering little for workers.
St. Cloud is GOP-friendly turf. Trump won Stearns County by nearly 30 points four years ago. But he still didn’t help us – and neither did national Republicans who will be echoing the "Land of Opportunity" message tonight.
Maybe it’s because we live in a blue state. Maybe it’s because we’re not a right-to-work state. But their collective failure to help us left 900 people out of work. True presidential leadership means helping everyone, regardless of whether they voted for you.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden understands that. In his convention speech, he pledged to be a president for all Americans. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a blue collar city, and grew up surrounded by unions. It’s why he’s put forward a plan to strengthen unions by encouraging collective bargaining and punishing companies that violate labor laws and intimidate workers from unionizing.
Several times a week, I drive by the old Electrolux plant. I still remember the last day, signing withdrawal cards and watching people leave for the final time through a visitors-only door they never used before. You could feel the sadness. The plant wasn’t just a job. We were a family. I spent a third of my life there.
When a factory closes, it doesn’t just kill jobs. It affects relationships, families and communities. Trump’s land of opportunity should be available to all of us, not just his supporters.
Joe Baratta was chief steward of the Electrolux plant in St. Cloud and a member of the executive board of IAM Local 623.