美国制造商仍在大规模裁员,工人向白宫求助


2026年3月5日 / 美国东部时间下午2:42 / CBS新闻

爱荷华州农村地区约350名惠而浦工厂工人将于3月9日失业——这对一个社区来说是沉重打击,该工厂在那里已扎根当地经济八十年。这次裁员再次表明美国制造商仍在持续挣扎,尽管特朗普政府承诺重振这一行业。

2025年4月,特朗普总统表示,由于其关税政策大幅提高了几乎所有美国贸易伙伴进口产品的税率,”工作岗位和工厂将重新涌入我们国家”。尽管一些公司对关税做出回应,承诺在美国投资建厂,但建设这些工厂可能需要数年时间。此类承诺也不具约束力,尚不清楚这些项目何时(如果有的话)能准备就绪破土动工。

与此同时,就业数据显示美国制造商仍在继续裁员,特朗普总统上任第一年,美国就削减了83,000个制造业岗位。经济学家指出,造成失业的因素包括自动化、海外低工资带来的长期阻力,以及部分由特朗普政府关税政策引发的经济不确定性。这些进口关税伤害了一些依赖进口零部件和商品在国内生产的美国制造商。

“工作岗位仍面临风险”


代表爱荷华州阿曼纳惠而浦工厂工人的工会于2月24日致信特朗普总统寻求帮助,援引其”美国优先”的制造业承诺,要求他”要求惠而浦停止这些计划中的裁员”。该劳工组织表示尚未收到白宫的回应。

“这是一个需要告知美国公众的故事,”代表约1,300名惠而浦工人的国际机械师协会(IAM)会长布莱恩·布莱恩特(Brian Bryant)告诉CBS新闻,”这个国家并非一切都好,每天都有工人因企业重利润轻员工而面临失业风险。”

他补充道:”尽管政府宣扬会制止这种情况,但我们并未看到改变。”

白宫未回应置评请求。

惠而浦在给CBS新闻的声明中表示,计划裁员是”多年现代化计划的一部分,将使阿曼纳工厂实现稳定和成功”。

这家市值39亿美元的上市公司是美国最大的家电制造商。2025年,惠而浦公布净利润3.18亿美元,销售额155亿美元。

经济学家告诉CBS新闻,制造商面临多重挑战,包括特朗普政府关税成本和长期竞争压力。

特朗普政府的关税政策也在不断变化,加剧了许多美国企业面临的不确定性。上月,最高法院推翻了总统的”解放日”关税,但特朗普在裁决后不久实施了新的15%全球关税。

“过去一年延续了长期趋势——没有任何转折或逆转,”为中小型企业提供工资服务的Gusto经济学家艾伦·特拉萨斯(Aaron Terrazas)表示。

根据克利夫兰联邦储备银行2025年的研究简报,自2000年以来,美国已失去450万个制造业岗位。相比之下,同期全球制造业就业人数增加了约7100万,其中大部分增长来自中国、印度和越南。

特朗普关税的众多目标之一是大幅提高美国以外的生产成本,使企业有经济动力将工厂迁回美国并雇佣美国工人。

但一些国内公司仍发现将工作岗位转移到海外更便宜。专注于将制造业带回美国的无党派智库Reshoring Institute 2025年的调查显示,三分之一的美国设备制造商表示计划将生产转移到海外,成本是主要推动力。

工会官员告诉CBS新闻,人口不足1000人的阿曼纳惠而浦工厂也感受到了这一趋势的影响。该工厂目前约有1300名工人,较2020年的3000人有所减少,部分岗位转移到了墨西哥的惠而浦工厂。

“过去20年,他们在墨西哥制造业投入超过10亿美元,从墨西哥出口的产品呈指数级增长,”布莱恩特表示,”这不是现代化——这是工作岗位的离岸外包。”

经济格局转变


周三发布的美国主要就业指标——薪资处理公司ADP的月度就业报告显示,2月份美国制造业减少了5000个工作岗位,而私营部门整体增加了63,000个岗位。

“几乎所有增长都来自医疗保健行业,”Indeed北美经济研究主管、前里士满联邦储备银行官员劳拉·乌利希(Laura Ullrich)评论最新ADP数据时表示。

去年医疗保健行业也推动了美国就业增长,乌利希预测这一趋势将在2026年持续,原因是婴儿潮一代老龄化等人口变化,这些人需要更多医疗服务。

“我认为我们很可能看到医疗保健行业获得不成比例的就业增长,而其他行业停滞,”乌利希告诉CBS新闻。

根据克利夫兰联邦储备银行的数据,2026年初美国约有1260万人从事制造业,约占美国劳动力的8%——远低于二战期间38%的峰值。

尽管制造业岗位不再像以前那么普遍,但数据显示,这些岗位对没有大学学历的工人仍提供相对较高的收入。美国劳工统计局数据显示,制造业员工平均时薪约为36.20美元,高于零售业26美元和休闲酒店业23.38美元的时薪。

“今天的制造业与1950年不同——工作性质完全不同,”Gusto的特拉萨斯表示,”这是一个极其多样化的行业。我们往往将其视为锈带的理想,但也有很多小型轻工业,如当地咖啡烘焙商或食品制造商。”

特拉萨斯指出,小型制造商对关税成本和其他经济阻力更为敏感,因为它们比大公司更难承受财务冲击。例如,许多美国小型咖啡烘焙商受到特朗普政府关税影响,尽管白宫在11月给予咖啡关税豁免。

俄勒冈州波特兰的一位烘焙商12月告诉CBS新闻,关税成本增加迫使他解雇了两名全职员工。”现在只剩下我和一名兼职员工,”Trailhead Coffee Roasters的查理·威克(Charlie Wicker)说,”我们还能维持下去,是因为还有些积蓄维持运营。”

裁员将”掏空”社区


惠而浦阿曼纳分部是突显美国工业实力的老式工厂之一。根据公司网站,该公司由发明家乔治·福斯特纳(George Foerstner)于1934年创立,开发了多项制冷创新,从1947年的首个直立式家用冰柜到1957年的首个底部冷冻冰箱。惠而浦于2006年收购了阿曼纳品牌。

IAM代表、1987年起在阿曼纳工厂工作36年的克里·沃德尔(Kerry Waddell)表示,阿曼纳工厂的失业对严重依赖农业和制造业的当地经济将是毁灭性打击。

“这些员工在社区消费,送孩子上学,”他告诉CBS新闻,”3月9日他们将被解雇,立即失去医疗保险。”

一些爱荷华州议员要求惠而浦重新考虑裁员,包括共和党众议员玛丽安内特·米勒-米克斯(Mariannette Miller-Meeks)和阿什利·辛森(Ashley Hinson)。爱荷华州州长金·雷诺兹办公室未立即回应置评请求。

“这些裁员将掏空社区,并削弱美国工人数十年来建立的国内制造业基础,”他们在给惠而浦的信中写道。

目前,惠而浦的裁员仍按计划进行,工会表示公司暗示可能还有更多裁员。

“如果不改变,工厂员工将缩减至500至600人,”布莱恩特表示,”不幸的是,这不仅仅是惠而浦的问题——我们在IAM的其他地方也看到了类似情况。”

“这是一个重大问题,现在是联邦政府和州政府介入的时候了,”他补充道。

(编辑:Alain Sherter)

U.S. manufacturers are still shedding thousands of jobs, as workers ask White House for help

March 5, 2026 / 2:42 PM EST / CBS News

About 350 Whirlpool factory workers in rural Iowa will lose their jobs on March 9 — a blow to a community where the plant has anchored the local economy for eight decades. The layoffs are also another sign of U.S. manufacturers’ ongoing struggles, which have persisted despite the Trump administration’s pledge to revive the sector.

In April of 2025, President Trump said that “jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country” due to his tariff policies, which sharply raised taxes on imports from nearly every U.S. trading partner. Although some companies have responded to the tariffs by promising to invest in the U.S., building those factories could take years. Such commitments are also nonbinding, leaving it unclear when, or if, such projects will be shovel-ready.

In the meantime, employment data shows American manufacturers are continuing to cut jobs, with the U.S. shedding 83,000 manufacturing jobs during Mr. Trump’s first year in office. Economists point to a range of factors for the job losses, including automation, long-standing headwinds from lower wages overseas to increased costs and economic uncertainty partially caused by the Trump administration’s tariffs. Those import duties have hurt some U.S. manufacturers that rely on imported parts and goods to make their products domestically.

“Jobs are still in jeopardy”


The union that represents the workers at Whirlpool’s Amana, Iowa, plant appealed to Mr. Trump for help in a Feb. 24 letter, citing his “America First” manufacturing pledge and asking him to “demand that Whirlpool halt these planned layoffs.” The labor group said it hasn’t yet received a response from the White House.

“This is a story that needs to be told to the American public,” Brian Bryant, international president of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), the union that represents about 1,300 Whirlpool workers, told CBS News. “Everything’s not rosy in this country, and every day, workers’ jobs are still in jeopardy by corporations that favor profits over the workforce.”

He added, “As much as this administration preaches that they’re going to stop that, we’re not seeing that.”

The White House didn’t reply to a request for comment.

In a statement to CBS News, Whirlpool said the planned job cuts are part of a “multi-year modernization plan that will position the Amana plant for stability and success.”

The publicly traded company, which has a market worth of $3.9 billion, is the biggest U.S. manufacturer of appliances. In 2025, Whirlpool reported net income of $318 million on sales of $15.5 billion.

Manufacturers face multiple challenges, from the cost of the Trump administration’s tariffs to long-term competitive pressures, economists told CBS News.

The Trump administration’s tariff policies are also in flux, adding to the uncertainty facing many U.S. businesses. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down the president’s “liberation day” tariffs, although Mr. Trump imposed new global tariffs of 15% shortly after the ruling.

“The last year was a continuation of a long-standing trend — nothing pivoted, nothing reversed,” said Aaron Terrazas, an economist with Gusto, which provides payroll services to small and midsize businesses.

The U.S. has lost 4.5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. By comparison, overall global manufacturing employment over that period has increased by about 71 million workers, with most of that growth in China, India and Vietnam, according to a 2025 research brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

One of the many goals of Mr. Trump’s tariffs is to sufficiently raise the cost of production outside the U.S. so that companies have an economic incentive to reshore their factories and hire American workers.

But some domestic companies are still finding it cheaper to shift jobs overseas. A 2025 survey from the Reshoring Institute, a nonpartisan think tank focused on returning manufacturing to the U.S., found that one-third of U.S. equipment manufacturers said they were planning to move their production offshore, citing cost as the main impetus.

Whirlpool’s plant in Amana, whose population is less than 1,000 people, has itself felt the impact of that trend, union officials told CBS News. The factory now has about 1,300 workers, down from 3,000 employees in 2020, with jobs being shifted to a Whirlpool plant in Mexico, IAM’s Bryant said.

“If you look at the last 20 years, they’ve invested over a billion dollars into beefing up their Mexico manufacturing, and their exports that are coming out of Mexico have exponentially increased,” he said. “This is not modernization — this is offshoring of jobs.”

A shifting economy


A key yardstick for the U.S. labor market, payroll processor ADP’s monthly employment report, showed on Wednesday that the U.S. lost 5,000 manufacturing jobs in February, even as the private sector as a whole added 63,000 jobs last month.

“Almost all the growth was coming from health care,” Laura Ullrich, Indeed’s director of economic research for North America and a former official at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, said of the latest ADP numbers.

Health care jobs also drove U.S. employment growth last year, a trend that Ullrich predicts will continue in 2026 due to demographic changes such as the aging baby boomer generation, whose members are requiring more medical services.

“I think we’re likely to see an outsized share of whatever job growth we have in that sector, and stagnation in the other sectors,” Ullrich told CBS News.

About 12.6 million Americans were employed in manufacturing at the start of 2026, or about 8% of the U.S. workforce — down from a peak of 38% in World War II, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Although manufacturing jobs aren’t as prevalent as they once were, these jobs still offer comparatively higher earnings for workers without college degrees, data shows. Manufacturing employees earn an average of about $36.20 per hour, above the $26 hourly pay for retail workers and $23.38 for leisure and hospitality employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Manufacturing today isn’t the same as it was in 1950 — it’s a different type of work,” Gusto’s Terrazas said. “It’s this incredibly diverse sector. We tend to think of it as a Rust Belt ideal, but there is a lot of small light manufacturing as well,” such as local coffee roasters or food manufacturers.

But small manufacturers tend to be more sensitive to tariff costs and other economic headwinds, given they have less leeway to absorb financial shocks than bigger firms, Terrazas noted. For instance, many small U.S. coffee roasters were among those hit by the Trump administration’s tariffs, although the White House granted an exemption for coffee tariffs in November.

One roaster in Portland, Oregon, told CBS News in December that the increased costs from tariffs had forced him to lay off two full-time employees. “Now it’s down to just myself and one part-time employee,” Charlie Wicker of Trailhead Coffee Roasters said. “The fact that we’re still standing is a function of having a little bit of savings to keep the lights on.”

Layoffs would “hollow out” a community


Whirlpool’s Amana division is one of those old-school factories that underlined the U.S.’ industrial strength. Founded in 1934 by inventor George Foerstner, the Amana company developed several refrigeration innovations, from the first upright home freezer in 1947 to the first bottom-freezer fridge in 1957, according to the company’s website. Whirlpool bought the Amana brand in 2006.

The job losses at the Amana plant will be devastating for the local economy, which is heavily dependent on agriculture and manufacturing, said Kerry Waddell, an IAM representative who worked at the Amana factory for 36 years, beginning in 1987.

“These are employees that spend their money in these communities, they send their kids to the schools there,” he told CBS News. “At this time, they’re getting laid off, they’re losing their health insurance — on March 9, they lose it immediately.”

Some Iowa lawmakers are asking Whirlpool to reconsider the job cuts, including Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, both Republicans. The office of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“These layoffs would hollow out a community and undermine the very domestic manufacturing base that American workers have spent decades building,” they wrote in a letter to Whirlpool.

As of now, Whirlpool’s job cuts are still on track, and the union said the company has indicated there may be more layoffs in store.

“If something doesn’t change, you’re looking at the workforce shrinking down to 500 to 600 people” at the factory, Bryant said. “This, unfortunately, is not just a Whirlpool issue — we’re seeing it elsewhere in the IAM.”

“There’s a major problem, and it’s time for the federal government and the state governments to get involved in this,” he added.

Edited by Alain Sherter

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