Labor Advocates Question Democratic Inaction at Factory Closures
“Imagine if union representatives and leaders from the Democratic Party were present at the factory doors of a business about to shut down,” stated a labor supporter recently. “Why aren’t the Democrats showing up?”
Representative Ro Khanna has been vocal about the widespread job cuts across the U.S. economy, attributing them to the unsuccessful economic strategies under President Donald Trump. This week alone, over 4,000 manufacturing employees were laid off or lost their jobs due to facility shutdowns.
Stellantis, an automotive company, blamed Trump’s tariffs for the temporary layoffs of 900 employees, all members of the United Auto Workers (UAW). According to a report by CNN, these workers were from five different facilities in the Midwest, including both the Warren Stamping and Sterling Stamping plants in Michigan and three locations in Kokomo, Indiana: the Indiana Transmission Plant, Kokomo Transmission Plant, and Kokomo Casting Plant.
On a late Saturday night, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has been a fierce advocate for reindustrialization to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., took to social media to highlight additional recent layoffs. He pointed out the broader economic turmoil under Trump’s administration and the ongoing vulnerability of American workers.
“This week,” Khanna noted, “19 factories had mass layoffs, 15 shut down, and 4,134 factory workers across the country were let go. Cleveland-Cliffs dismissed 1,200 workers in Michigan and Minnesota as a direct consequence of Trump’s tariffs on steel and auto imports.”
“We need jobs, and currently, the majority of the companies where our members are employed aren’t hiring.” —Mark DePaoli, UAW
Union leaders from Cleveland-Cliffs described the atmosphere as chaotic. “Chaos, that’s the word. Lots of questions and concerns from long-time employees about losing their jobs,” said Bill Wilhelm, a servicing representative and editor at UAW Local 600, in an interview with WXYZ-Channel 7.
The UAW expressed concern that the layoff relief funds for these workers would be insufficient and finding comparable employment would be challenging. “Our first step is to check for available positions at all companies where we have members,” mentioned Mark DePaoli, the local’s 1st vice president. “Jobs are crucial, and right now, most companies we partner with aren’t hiring.”
The distress affecting families in Dearborn, as highlighted by Khanna, is only a small part of a much larger issue. Khanna continued to document a series of new layoffs affecting workers nationwide across various sectors:
- Perdue Farms laid off 433 employees this week in Monterey, Tennessee.
- John Deere let go of 9 workers in Ankeny, Iowa, citing the negative impact of Trump’s tariffs.
- Summit Interconnect shuttered its Santa Ana, California plant, leaving 74 jobless.
- Bando USA Inc. eliminated 65 positions at their Bowling Green, Kentucky facility.
- Wilson Creek Energy LLC closed its Friedens, Pennsylvania plant, cutting 332 jobs, plus another 93 at its Grantsville, Maryland location.
- Advanced Drainage Systems in Sumner, Washington closed, impacting 54 workers.
- Sensata Technologies in Carpinteria, California ended operations, affecting 57 employees.
- InvenSense Inc. in San Jose, California laid off 55 workers due to changing market conditions in the tech industry.
- Quantumscape Battery Inc. in San Jose, California let go of 53 employees as part of a restructuring effort.
- Biosense Webster Inc. closed its Los Gatos, California facility, cutting 9 jobs.
- ImmunityBio, Inc. laid off 9 workers in El Segundo, California, and one in Culver City, California.
- Del Monte Foods, Inc. in Hannaford, California cut 378 jobs.
- Connecticut Pie, LLC DBA Diana’s Bakery in Agawam, Massachusetts laid off 229 workers.
- AlaTrade Foods in Phenix City, Alabama let go of 165 employees.
- Rich Products Corporation closed its Santa Fe Springs, California facility, resulting in 139 layoffs.
- Fila USA, Inc. in Townson, Maryland laid off 112 workers, plus 18 in Curtis Bay, Maryland.
- S&B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd. in Kingsport, Tennessee cut 112 jobs.
- Smurfit Westrock in Bridgeview, Illinois closed, affecting 88 workers.
- Syzygy Plasmonics in Houston, Texas conducted layoffs at two facilities, totaling 68 job cuts.
- Pregis in San Antonio, California closed, costing 45 jobs.
- S & B Engineers and Constructors in Longview, Texas cut 43 positions.
- Edaron, LLC in South Hadley, Massachusetts closed, resulting in 24 layoffs.
- Pharma Cann in Holliston, Massachusetts laid off 19 workers.
- Prime MSO, LLC in Encino, California closed, impacting 6 employees.
Amid the wave of layoffs prompted by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, which has impacted public sector workers nationwide, the private sector continues to experience significant job cuts. This economic landscape is shaped by persistent corporate interests and historically low union density.
Les Leopold, the executive director of the Labor Institute, has long warned about the severe impacts of mass layoffs. He recently emphasized that the situation is even worse than previously believed. Beyond corporate greed and the trend of stock buybacks driving many private sector layoffs, Trump’s mismanagement of tariffs and trade policies is likely to exacerbate job losses and increase costs for consumers.
To counteract Trump’s approach, Leopold suggested last month that Democrats should prioritize job protection. “As tariffs lead to job losses, Democrats should be there supporting the laid-off workers,” he said.
Rather than merely criticizing Trump’s tariffs as “insane,” which many have, Democrats should label them as “job-killing tariffs,” Leopold advised. “They should also blame Trump for rising prices.”
With Trump’s economic policies now fully apparent, the outlook for both large and small businesses is grim, signaling further difficulties for workers.
As reported by Axios‘ Ben Berkowitz on Saturday, “The effects of tariffs are causing a cycle of increased costs that could lead to more layoffs, bankruptcies, and higher prices for remaining customers,” he explained. “The cycle is just starting, but the pain is immediate.”
The broader economic picture, Berkowitz continued, can be gauged by looking at the Russell 2000 index, a broad measure of small companies across industries. “It’s down almost 20% this year alone. While this doesn’t directly cause businesses to shut down, it reflects a lack of public confidence in their future,” wrote Ken Mahoney of Mahoney Asset Management.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, a colleague of Khanna’s, highlighted the tangible impacts of Trump’s policies in his district, criticizing Trump for spending the weekend golfing as the global economy struggles and American workers and retirees face hardships.
In a conversation with Common Dreams, Leopold questioned the silence of Khanna and other Democrats on the issue of mass layoffs. “What do progressive Democrats have to say about the thousands of layoffs happening each month? There’s a notable lack of policy addressing Wall Street-induced layoffs, not just tariffs,” he expressed.
The question of who will ultimately stand up for American workers, whether in the public or private sectors, remains unanswered. “Imagine if unions and Democratic Party officials showed up at a company on the verge of closure to oppose massive layoffs for stock buybacks benefiting billionaires,” Leopold wrote earlier in March. “A simple, unified message of support could make headlines. Why aren’t Democrats doing this?” he questioned.
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An economic reporter, Dax Everly breaks down financial trends and their impact on Americans’ daily lives.