Regular readers of this blog know that I often visit Allentown's better days of the past. I even belong to a nostalgia group, where someone recently asked where everyone's parents worked. Many group members are in their 50's and 60's. Here was the question;
When we grew up the best jobs for our dad's was the Bethlehem steel and mack trucks unless they were lawyers or doctors or had another profession occupation I know my my mom worked in a factory all her life and I think most of them have closed. Where did you mom and dad work and are the companies are open? Over 90 people responded, actually constituting a survey. In current Allentown, this would be
a study, which taxpayers would have to pay for; Here, it's on the house, no charge. Fourteen of the fathers worked at Bethlehem Steel, while five worked at Mack Trucks, and five worked retail on Hamilton Street. The others worked at Allentown's many other industries, one or two here and there. Only two respondents said that their fathers weren't much for working. Twenty mothers were
stay at home, while eight worked in various sewing factories. The remainder worked as teachers, nurses, factory workers and various other jobs. One person wrote,
"My parents sound like the scene you described. My dad worked at Beth Steel and my mom at Penn State Mills on a sewing machine. They owned their own home and sent me to college where I graduated without the burden of a loan. Thanks, Mom and Dad." Shown above was the General Electric plant on S. 12th Street, just beyond the old Mack 5C.
reprinted from November of 2013
Michael, my dad, Edwin H. Seidler, was the executive Vice-President - distribution and principal officer of pp&l. Mother was a stay-at-home.
ReplyDeleteMy father worked at the silicon daddy of the time western electric, now gone. There were sewing factories from Northampton to Easton along the river, manufacturing everything from clothes to silk parachutes. Then of course the steel and foundries everywhere. All gone.
ReplyDeleteWe are now a service industry, and much of it is government employment, 24 % of gdp is federal government. add city, state ,local and then the school system it may be close to 50%.
Wealth is create by taking raw materials and adding labor. Most everything else is just an expense to the leger. The U.S. became wealthy by making things. China has gotten rich by making things.
Somehow we seem to believe that government can make us prosperous, it cannot, and we will soon see this reality.
Unfortunately we all contributed to this change over the years. As a consumer society we decided we preferred to buy cheaper goods made by non-union off-shore workers and sold at discount houses. Then we decided we liked cheaper cars made by off-shore workers, that sold for higher mark ups, keeping the stockholders happy. Then we decided that it wasn’t important to look for that union label on clothing sold by American chain stores. We undercut ourselves. A single breadwinner in the family is almost impossible for the middle class. But we love our BMWs, Lexus, and Audis.
ReplyDeleteOr we decided that we couldn’t continue to subsidize union members just so they could continue to receive the oversized paychecks and benefit packages they wanted to extort from us.
DeleteI don’t mind paying a reasonable amount more for something made here, but it got to the point where we were not only overpaying for union-made goods, we were overpaying for vastly inferior union-made goods.
To make things worse, union members (through their dues and leadership) used the excess money that we paid them to support politicians that promoted policies that were harmful to our country.
There was once a goose that laid golden eggs, and it’s name name was America.
Unions killed it.
I believe the largest employers in Allentown these days are Lehigh Valley Health and Sacred Heart.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure you’ve noticed how much new building construction is being done by hospital groups like Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s. Every time we drive around we see new hospitals, emergency centers, and specialty treatment centers each carrying those banners. There’s a facility of this type on almost every corner, it seems.
DeleteIt’s obvious the medical/pharmaceutical industry is flush with money in today’s America. All while many other industries suffer.
Beyond hospital-related construction, you’d have to be part of the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone to put up so many structures !
anon@9:20: Although the hospitals keeping building, the new buildings seem very under utilized. Their construction seems based on tax considerations, rather than demand.
DeleteThe disgusting waste of money hospital building boom is a direct result of Obummercare... within that document it stated, that after a certain time frame, hospitals would be required to "kiss the ring" for permission to expand, so expand and acquire they did!!! We are now witness to the results... exceptionally stratospheric health care costs and at the same time, exceptionally regulated health care, and not necessarily better care... will we ever be free of this boondoggle???
DeleteMy uncle was a physician... did house calls, too... you went to the office and you walked out with your pills, if needed... $12.00!!! Later raised to $15.00... Today, just bring your first born!!!
12:50 - I hear what you’re saying.
DeleteImagine, a government program driving prices up. Who would have seen that coming?
Local hospital wars and which is winning is irrelevant to those that traveled from far away lands to break the system of America.
ReplyDeleteMy dad and mom both worked the 2nd shift at GE
ReplyDeleteNo workers at Western Electric? Both my mother and mother-in-law worked there.
ReplyDeleteYou may remember my Mother worked at A&B Meats. I am the sole survivor of the family now.
ReplyDeleteYes, Mike... those post war days folks could make a decent living. My parents had the food concession at GE for many years. In1949 they bought new home in Woodlawn, had a new Packard and a new Mercury and my Mother slowly furnished the home with fine furnishings. The relatives went ballistic at spending $12,900 for a home when, in Allentown, rows were 2000, twins were 4000 and singles 6000. My point is they worked hard and it was possible to succeed. I neglected to mention, after they closed the cafeteria at 3:00PM, my Mother went to New Tripoli to bank the days receipts and my Father went around the corner to 12th and Lehigh till midnight running a garage with a gent he was in partnership with... try doing that today with all the hoops that need to be navigated!! My Mother "retired" when I and my brother came on the scene.
ReplyDeleteYes, Allentown WORKED!!!