IN THIS EDITION…

NC Manufacturers Meet with Lawmakers on Key Business Issues

Key Issues for NC Businesses Part of THINK Jobs! Campaign

Maintaining a Fair & Balanced Legal Climate

Fixing ‘Broken’ Regulations

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NC Chamber on Twitter & Facebook

NC Chamber Co-Hosts NC Manufacturers’ Day with MCIC
NC Businesses Take ‘Good Jobs’ Message to Legislators

The North Carolina Chamber and the Manufacturers & Chemical Industry Council of North Carolina (MCIC) co-hosted NC Manufacturers’ Day at the NC General Assembly this week (on June 15), wherein business leaders from nearly 30 different manufacturing companies in our state delivered a “Good Jobs” message directly to state leaders and lawmakers.  The theme for the event was “NC Manufacturing Means Good Jobs” and it provided an exceptional opportunity for state legislators to hear directly from NC employers about key issues that are critical to manufacturers’ ability to survive, compete and grow – and in many cases extend beyond manufacturing to the NC business community as a whole.     

Manufacturing reaches deep in our state economy and is vital to our state’s economic future.  With record-high unemployment, perhaps at no other time has it been more important for state leaders and lawmakers to make decisions and take action to create the most favorable climate possible for manufacturing and the good jobs that come with it. 

Materials provided for legislators highlighted the facts that manufacturing jobs pay higher wages than non-manufacturing jobs, that for every manufacturing job an additional 1.7 jobs are created, and that NC manufacturers are mostly small businesses. Click here to review NC Manufacturers’ Day Fast Facts. 

The benefits and economic impact of manufacturing in our state are great, historically and today.  (NC has 10,458 manufacturing companies that employ more than 518,000 individuals.  Manufacturing contributes $78 billion to our state’s GDP.)  And contrary to what we too often hear and see in the public dialogue, the growth potential of modern, or advanced, manufacturing in our state is significant – but only if we facilitate the right environment and avoid bad decisions that would make North Carolina less competitive or hospitable to these good jobs. 

Key to North Carolina’s jobs climate for manufacturers and other job providers are maintaining a balanced and fair legal climate, common-sense regulations that work without overburdening employers, and the cost of doing business.  

Key Issues Help Drive THINK Jobs! Campaign

No one disputes the enormity of the challenges our state faces in the wake of an historic global recession. The truth is that North Carolina’s economy will not fully recover until businesses large and small have the confidence to make investments, expand their operations and create jobs again.  That is why your state Chamber launched a statewide THINK Jobs! Campaign earlier this year, focused on economic recovery and growth, and keeping, creating and attracting jobs for North Carolinians.  

Several issues important to manufacturers and other businesses in our state can be tackled despite the state’s ongoing revenue challenges and recurring state budget deficit.  In short, there are a number of things state leaders and lawmakers can do to help grow the economy and protect and create jobs that won’t break the budget.  Here are a couple that were a part of the dialogue between legislators and employers on NC Manufacturers’ Day:  

• Maintaining a fair and balanced legal climate

North Carolina’s legal climate is a vital part of our nationally recognized business climate that helps keep, attract and create jobs.  For decades North Carolina’s civil liability system has been balanced and fair, which has contributed strongly to our competitive legal climate.  Last year a statewide group of plaintiffs’ lawyers began pushing legislation that would tilt North Carolina’s civil liability (lawsuit) laws too much toward those who sue (plaintiffs) and lead to more lawsuits (House Bill 813).  

We can probably all agree that the best legal system is one that favors neither plaintiffs who sue, nor defendants.  Most everyone would also agree that more lawsuits are not good for a court system already strained and lacking revenues, or the taxpayers who help fund it. 

A North Carolina Chamber-led coalition comprised of local Chambers and members of the state’s business and health care communities have worked for months in good faith on changes to our state’s civil liability system that will keep it balanced for both plaintiffs and defendants, while preserving a legal climate that helps attract, keep and grow good jobs.  Click here to read about the Coalition’s position and what we believe are the essential principles to maintain fairness and balance in our civil liability system to protect jobs and the economy.
  
Currently, it appears that the bill will not move forward this legislative session, but we will continue to be vigilant and engaged with our Coalition members on this critical issue for our economy, jobs and businesses of all sizes. 

Click here to read a June 15, 2010 Winston-Salem Journal article that describes the issue, the bill’s status and our Coalition’s efforts to protect our legal climate during this legislative session.

• Fixing Regulations to Help Environment & Economy

Employers need some degree of certainty in order to create jobs and grow the economy.  Knowing this state leaders and policymakers should capitalize on opportunities to eliminate situations where unnecessary uncertainty is hindering economic recovery and job creation.  The North Carolina Chamber believes at least two such opportunities exist where common-sense changes to environmental regulations would help both the environment and the economy.  Manufacturers who joined the North Carolina Chamber and the Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council (MCIC) for NC Manufacturers’ Day on June 15 promoted these common-sense regulatory changes with legislators.

Click here to read about how North Carolina can accelerate the clean-up of industrial properties, which would help create jobs, grow the economy and improve the environment in North Carolina, and how modifying state government DENR enforcement policies would help protect jobs. 

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