One Voice | Government Advocacy for the Metalworking Industry

After watching a disturbingly skewed profile of Erie as a "sinking ship" in CBS News' first installment of its ironically named "Manufacturing Hope" series, American manufacturers were left feeling anything but hopeful. So I was pleased to see the Erie Times-News editorial, "National media distort picture of Erie." While some companies have left Erie and other cities across the U.S., manufacturing is far from a "fleeing industry" as CBS depicted. Manufacturing is alive and well in Erie, with more than 460 manufacturing companies employing 16 percent of the local workforce.

Members of the northwestern Pennsylvania chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association alone employ in the area of 2,200 people in precision machining, manufacturing parts for products that contribute to the U.S. economy every day.

NTMA member companies in Erie and in nearby cities are not leaving; we're doubling down. We are investing in our current employees and in building a new generation of skilled workers who can meet the industry's changing needs. For example, every year we reach more than 250 students through RoboBots competitions and train other young people through apprenticeships. We know that success in manufacturing requires a commitment to the communities that make us strong.

When news outlets incorrectly show a city in decay or an industry in distress, it is damaging to the future of both. And when Americans are recording unprecedented doubt in news sources, it is more important than ever that journalists refrain from harmful generalizations and endeavor to find the truth.

Manufacturing is not fleeing and Erie is not sinking. Rather, together we are pushing ahead toward the future.

— Tami Adams, northwestern Pennsylvania chapter executive director, National Tooling and Machining Association

Read it here.