A salute to ‘Made in Ohio’

Manufacturing Day today, Oct. 2, is an opportunity to tout Ohio’s strong manufacturing sector and commit ourselves to making it stronger. The men and women of this critical sector build the cars we drive. They mold the medical equipment that keeps us healthy. They create and make so many of the products we use each day.

In an era of stagnating wages and a shrinking middle class, investing in manufacturing jobs is more important than ever, particularly in Ohio. Since 2000, Ohio’s middle class has shrunk by more than 5 percentage points – the second-largest drop in the country.

The manufacturing industry can lift families up into our middle class and help them stay there. It has the strongest multiplier effect of any industry, with every $1 spent in manufacturing adding $1.48 to the entire economy. But we can and must do more to boost our manufacturing sector.

Last year, I wrote and passed into law the Revitalizing American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act, which provides funding for a National Network of Manufacturing Innovation made up of advanced manufacturing hubs, like America Makes in Youngstown. These hubs bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and all levels of government to leverage resources and spur innovation.

Unfair trade practices

Preserving our manufacturing jobs also requires strong trade-enforcement measures. In June, President Obama signed my Leveling the Playing Field Act into law. Now, U.S. companies – especially our steel industry – are better equipped to fight unfair trade practices like dumping. This is a major win for manufacturers but we must also address currency manipulation, which hurts American workers. That’s why I’ve urged negotiators to crack down on China’s currency manipulation by strengthening U.S. trade laws and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

To grow this industry, we need to invest in a new generation of manufacturers. This summer, five counties across Ohio convened Manufacturing Camps to give students a firsthand look at our manufacturing sector. Mahoning County is home to the first and longest-running camp, convened by OH WOW!, the Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, YWCA of Youngstown, and the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition. This summer’s camp brought together local manufacturers like KTSDI, VEC, FireLine, Bridgestone Tire Operations, and Cortland Banks – plus local schools to expose Ohioans to these jobs at a young age. We must build on the success of these camps to get our kids interested in building and inventing.

Moving forward, we must also boost training for manufacturing jobs and other high-skilled sectors to ensure that all Ohioans are prepared to enter the workforce. In July 2014, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), legislation that contains provisions modeled after my Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act that would help dislocated workers train for high-tech jobs in their region.

Investments in manufacturing are a down payment on our future and will help build and sustain an economy that works for all Ohioans. This Manufacturing Day, let’s redouble our efforts to invest in our manufacturing jobs and Ohio’s middle class.

Democrat Sherrod Brown of Cleveland is the senior U.S. senator from Ohio.