Several days ago, Donald Trump announced he had successfully negotiated with United Technologies, parent corporation of Carrier Corporation, to keep “1100” of the 1700 Indiana jobs about to be exported to Mexico. Trump had vigorously campaigned against exporting US jobs, but isn’t that primarily what US negotiated trade agreements are all about? Precisely!
Trump promised during his campaign that he would tax US corporations that exported jobs, and then shipped their products made in other nations to the USA.
When push came to shove, Trump backed down on his promise like a scared nerdy kid against a gang of bully thugs. Trump offered tax cuts, equivalent to giving up the nerdy kid’s lunch money, rather than tax increases. In other words, United Technology executives got away with extortion.
Worse yet, Trump must have known he’d been spanked, so he exaggerated the number of jobs he’d negotiated to save. For $7 million in tax breaks, Trump saved 730 jobs, not the 1100 he’d claimed a week ago.
According to the Washington Post,
“Trump had pledged to save the plant’s jobs, most of which were slated to move to Mexico. Then the businessman won the election, and the 1,350 workers whose paychecks were on the line wondered if he’d keep his promise.
Chuck Jones, president of the United Steelworkers 1999, which represents Carrier employees, felt optimistic when Trump announced last week that he’d reached a deal with the factory’s parent company, United Technologies, to preserve 1,100 of the Indianapolis jobs — until the union leader heard from Carrier that only 730 of the production jobs would stay and 550 of his members would lose their livelihoods, after all.
In exchange for downsizing its move south of the border, United Technologies would receive $7 million in tax credits from Indiana, to be paid in $700,000 installments each year for a decade. Carrier, meanwhile, agreed to invest $16 million in its Indiana operation. United Technologies still plans to send 700 factory jobs from Huntington, Ind., to Monterrey, Mexico.”
Not always easy to keep promises.
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