I grew up around the corner from Mack's famous 5C plant, on the corner of Lehigh and S. 12th Streets. In the early 1950's, the brightly colored truck tractors would cover the lot next to the old assembly plant. All day long, a new tractor would leave for delivery somewhere, with two more piggy back on the coupling hitches. Over the years I have written a lot of posts about Mack, especially how their workers would use the Fountain Park WPA steps, walking to their jobs on S. 10th Street. Mack made all their own truck parts there, except the tires. Built Like A Mack Truck, was a result of the local craftsmanship.
In Saturday's Morning Call article about Mack investing in the Macungie plant, the vice president is quoted as saying that Mack was here to stay. By Saturday evening, that vice president was no longer with the company, according to WFMZ. I remember when the larger share of production was moved to South Carolina in 1987. Shortly before that plant closed in 2002, they handed out sunglasses to symbolize their bright future there. I remember when the World Headquarters on Mack Boulevard moved to North Carolina. I don't know about Mack's long term future in the valley, but I do know that the ties that bind have long since been broken.
Jack Mack, one of Mack Truck's founding brothers, was killed in an auto accident in 1924. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery on Lehigh Street.
above reprinted from 2016
ADDENDUM APRIL 18, 2025: Mack has announced an upcoming layoff of about 300 workers, citing the tariffs and uncertainly about demand. Local Democratic elected officials, Josh Siegel and Nick Miller, have wasted no time blaming Trump's half hazard approach to tariffs. Mack union officials are also joining the chorus, not against tariffs per se, but the way the administration has implemented them. While local Republicans have not yet commented, they know that Trump's coattails are already turning into a liability. How did this fall from grace happen so quickly? Trump's appointments have been the worse in my memory, and he's a man who certainly needed good advice.
I recently seen on the news a woman who has a small shop ordered $10,000 goods from China She budgeted her usual $2,500 for tariffs. Instead before the ship could arrive Trump imposed his 150% tariff now costing her $15,000 in tariffs alone. She had to loan heavily or lose her entire shipment. She has no idea if she can even sell this merchandise at that large an increased cost.
ReplyDeleteTrump flicks on and off tariffs like a light swich days apart. Neither Mack trucks nor any other business can operate this way.
Let’s just allow China to continue to take absolutely all our manufacturing.
DeleteHow about the business owners (republicans?), that send their work oversees because it is cheaper? That’s not necessarily China’s fault.
DeleteI don’t see why the USA has to manufacture anything when labor overseas is so much cheaper.
DeleteIn time, China will realize it to be in China’s interest to REDUCE, or eliminate the huge tariffs China already puts on our goods. America is one of, and perhaps the biggest customer any other nation has. Everyone can benefit with FAIR trade, a condition that doesn’t currently exist in many transactions. That needs to change.
DeleteI like the way clothes made in Bangladesh and Vietnam fit me now that I am older. Chinese clothes too.
DeleteI’m very happy with the price point on the clothing I am able to buy at the several local Walmart’s my children take me to.
I still have a jacket that I usta use to walk the dog that has a label that says Union Made. I don’t think the Ladies Garment Workers Union is around anymore. I could be wrong about that.
LVCI
DeleteYou are not alone. I can’t tell you how much I miss the Biden years.
I’m not a local Republican but I am very pleased with the plan for America being put into play. I already see positive results that will be lasting, and expect more to come over the coming months.
ReplyDeleteConsider the alternative.
anon@6:15: You can be very pleased and have positive expectations, but if you're a Republican official, don't expect too many Mack votes next election.
DeleteExactly what positive results?
DeleteWhen did Union Mack workers support Republicans?
DeleteAccording to the news release, Mack union officials support the imposition of tariffs. There will be enough Mack employee votes.
Deleteanon@6:57: although the unions officially supported the Democrats as usual, many of the workers actually voted R.
Deleteanon@7:04: they support tariffs in principle, but not the way they're being imposed by Trump.
What positive results? Already, several nations agreed to reduce their tariffs they place on American products. In addition, dozens of other nations have scheduled in-person meetings with Trump officials to discuss the new trading environment. Surely, those officials are NOT coming here to tell us they are maintaining, or increasing, the tariffs they have in place on our goods! There will be positive movement in our direction. To think otherwise is ridiculous. Give it time.
DeleteIsn’t Mack Trucks owned by the Chinese these days? I don’t follow the logic of this post.
ReplyDeleteanon@6:59: You don't follow the logic because the world is more complicated than Trump's short sentences. Mack is owned by Volvo, and Geely (Chinese) has a major position in Volvo. However, for 10% of current Mack workers to be laid off is a big hit locally. These layoffs are our neighbors and the reality of the administration so far. We're not going back to Jack Mack in 1905...We. need sound policy, not campaign slogans.
DeleteMack is now a subsidiary of Volvo, since 2000. People need to hope for a good result, not act like chicken littles at the first acorn drop. The partisan hope of political advantage is destroying the country.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are correct. Unfortunately, Americans expect results to their liking to happen overnight. Big issues and any changes created take lots of time to shake out. This is precisely why Trump has remained flexible. Why he makes adjustments along the way. Changing the way our world does business with America is a long road to travel.
Delete…and Volvo is owned by a Chinese conglomerate.
DeleteMike, speaking as a "local Republican" let me point out the fact that the layoffs are due to "tariffs and future uncertainty". Trump is imposing tariffs in order to create a fair global market for American manufactured goods and agricultural products. Presently foreign countries can import products into America at far lower tariff rates than our products are charged when imported in theirs. Rather than allow the status quo to continue and the hollowing out of American industry and manufacturing to continue Trump is seeking real global structural reform to reset trade towards fairness. This is what real leaders do, presently Trump is demonstrating he is one, not just another craven poll driven politician. Trump has closed the borders, something the Democrats and the media said couldn't be done without immigration reform. He has a team routing out vast amounts of waste and fraud in the federal government. He is ridding the federal government of ensconced woke partisans. He is using his executive authority as the Democrats have done to insist states abide by the mandate of the last election, this means there are only two sexes again, illegal immigrants can't vote, we are out of the ruinous Paris climate accords and the UN's corrupt World Health organization... In short, although there will be some temporary collateral effects, what Trump is doing will unleash the American economy from unfair global competition and crushing government regulations. The result will be an even more impressive economic boom than we experienced in his first term. In conclusion, let me say, if this sounds unappealing, and Trump just makes you so angry please know you are not alone. There are others who feel the same way and you can find them standing along streets, and at street corners, (there is a S, Cedar Crest location). There you can participate in their free scream therapy sessions. It's good to meet fellow angry people and together vent the anger out. Relax and enjoy knowing no one will arrest you or have you debanked or fired from your job for participating. The rest of us are buying on the dip.
ReplyDeletescott@8:01: Trump as a lame duck isn't poll driven, but worse for you as a Republican, I don't think he really cares how your party does after his victory in Nov. 24. Although you won't see me at any protest, federal employees actually are being fired for their political philosophy, unprecedented in America.
DeleteYou are correct. He isn't acting on party interests, he's acting on what he believes is America's interests. Meanwhile the hope the Democrats will seize the moment and become reasonable anytime soon seems increasingly forlorn.
DeleteIf you Google "How many foreign parts in Mack Trucks" it says...
ReplyDeleteMack Trucks utilize a wide variety of parts from various foreign countries, including Mexico, Canada, China, and Indonesia,.. The parts used in Mack Trucks, including engines, transmissions, and other components, are not all manufactured in the United States. ... Some specific examples of foreign-sourced components mentioned include air compressors, turbochargers, and various engine components...
Therefore it follows tariffs are very significant to their manufacturing costs. Flip, flopping around tariffs percentages make it impossible to budget ahead. Something every company needs to plan for months in advance.
Let’s get it straight- Volvo is two companies. Volvo Trucks is owned by the Volvo group which is a global corporation, not Chinese owned. Volvo Cars is owned by a Chinese corporation named Geely who purchased it from Ford in 2010. Now, another fact- Trump deliberately created unnecessary uncertainty in the world markets with his simplistic understanding of tariffs. This puts world leaders in action to bend the knee to appease him, but I seriously doubt it will generate skilled manufacturing jobs. Trump says there’s always a deal coming, just like there was always a health plan coming. And what kind of manufacturing jobs do we want? Plastic parts production, or skilled truck assembly jobs? Trump acts like all manufacturing jobs are equal. They are not. Trump breaks things, declares them broken, and blames Biden, Obama, Bush, Clinton, and even Regan. Take your pick.
ReplyDelete@9:46
DeleteAll the Chinese are asking for is a honest deal. I’m glad they manufacture products that we all enjoy.
Trump just feels the need to destroy America.
We all now can see why you're anonymous. Do you also speak Chinese?
DeleteWell, don’t forget Mack Trucks gives its workers a 2 week vacation every summer nest the end of July. Then WE pay their wages through short term unemployment benefits. Nice ‘work’ if you can get it.
ReplyDeleteOver time, Mack management will figure out the best course for management’s benefit.
Whatever Mack is today it is clear it is no longer from Allentown.
ReplyDeleteThe Mack museum and the test track facility are a terrific Allentown
Deleteasset. I was their nearest neighbor for a decade.
mj adams
Your post about tariffs might be relevant if the democrat party weren’t so crazy right now.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, they are tripping over themselves to bring an MS-13 gang member, wife-beater back into the country, after four years of saying we couldn’t secure the border. Now it’s obvious that they just didn’t want to secure the border and represent foreign gang members, not American citizens.
So yeah, I’ll take a little short term pain while Trump gets the tariffs back to something equal to what other countries charge us.
That’s not only fair, it’s looking out for the American worker and the American people.
There is an effort to turn the public against just about anything ‘Trump.’ The desired result is to shut his plans and efforts down in failure.
DeleteLet’s assume the Trump haters succeed. What exactly would these folks then be gaining?
anon@4:16: The "effort" has been by both sides against each other for many administrations. Trump won the 2024 despite what he calls "Fake" news. The courts have either been supporting him, and when not, he has been ignoring their directives. None of his "plans or efforts" have been shut down. He will own the success or failures, but the Republican incumbents will pay the price.
DeleteI am sure 8-10 Republican incumbents would like Trump to be gone. We can only guess what their reasons are. I think it has something to do with special interest funding of their campaigns. I also believe many voters of that political party would like those same unhappy Republicans to themself be gone.
DeleteI find none of this type of behavior unusual. No matter who is elected, this Independent voter does NOT want to see a return to wide open borders, wasteful government spending, war mongering, lawfare, etc., etc. Frankly, I consider most Incumbents to be easily replaceable.
anon@5:06: By mid-terms it will be most of them. Trump did a good job on the Mexican border, on everything else he went way too far. If both chambers shift, he'll be able to play a lot of golf the last two years.
Deleteanon@1:16: Although Trump started out stating the goal was to restore American manufacturing, now the goal will be tariff equity. In reality, we'll be lucky to get back to where we were before he started tinkering. Besides the workers who might be laid off at Mack, he has instilled anxiety into their entire work force. It may not bother you, but it's bothering Republican incumbents.
ReplyDeleteWhen he was a candidate, he said that if he was president, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine. Hamas would not have attacked.Israel, and he'll end both conflicts on day 1 if elected. Now he's still staying, if he was president back then, instead of Biden, they would not have attacked, but he's no longer talking about ending the conflicts on day 1....On the contrary
Trump's second term is making his first one look diplomatic and seasoned. Uncertainty is coming your way too, but as an anonymous commenter you won't have to admit it. :)
Here’s what we KNOW:
DeleteOther countries have been raping us for years with their tariffs and we’ve done nothing.
As we learned during the COVID shutdown, it’s not only bad economics for the USA to have certain things made predominantly (or entirely) overseas, it’s a national security issue.
China is no friend to us, and continued reliance on China will damage us economically and militarily.
Do I expect Trump to solve every issue on day 1? No. But at least he’s addressing them. The Democrat “solution” was ignoring the problem, kicking the can down the road, and running massive deficit spending to keep things covered up. That’s the road to slavery for our youth, and not an acceptable outcome for America.
So yeah, I’ll talk a little short term pain for the long term gain.
The whole Mack Trucks tariff thing is being used as the latest Democrat talking point by the likes of Shapiro, Siegel and their ilk. It’s the latest chapter in their fear campaign that shamefully includes trying to scare seniors into believing that their social security and Medicare are being cut just because people are trying to remove the fraud from those programs.
DeleteIf you’re going to take anyone to task for creating anxiety, start there. But I suppose your Trump hatred wont allow that.
anon@6:05: Trump is calling the shots, not Siegel or Shapiro. I suppose next thing after calling me a "Trump hater", this blog will be "fake news". I'm actually worried for some Republican incumbents I appreciate.
DeleteI may be all wet, but the whole purpose of the tariffs was to get the world to stop tariffs on US. You tariff us, we'll tariff you EQUALLY... end of story. Dairy tariff on our products sold in Canada... 248% or some silly number... but how dare WE respond in kind. BUSHWA!!!
DeleteMike it's like the ugly red headed step child has been sending night terrors to Allentownians. When the asylum is run by the patients there is no common sense just more theft of services. Makes for a good business attraction if your in the traveling carnival circus passing through.
ReplyDeleteMack Trucks should have went the way of Hess’s, the Bethlehem Steel, Lucent, Agere, etc a long time ago. If it wasn't for Volvo Mack would not exist.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the Lehigh Valley is people are trying to hold on to a day of old that does not exist anymore. The PA Dutch are no longer a majority. The Irish don’t run the cities and towns. The demographics of the LV and the nation are changing rapidly and these old white mindsets are becoming a growing minority. Stop fighting and STOP holding on to yesteryear.
While Volvo did buy Mack, the main reason was for their motor design... it was exceeding smog requirements at a time when no other company's design did. I'm told they even moved all design to their Maryland (?) motor operation. Any other patents, etc. were icing on the cake.
DeleteWhy folks are getting their undies in a bunch over a layoff makes no sense, since this has been the way it is nearly forever. Mack always had layoffs periodically.
‘Old white mindsets?’ That’s an awful outlook on the future of this nation. Pigment does not determine useful intelligence, common sense, and decency toward fellow human beings. I sincerely hope you can find happiness on your own, and not at the expense of anyone else.
ReplyDeleteGive Trump some time. We might all bleed a little before we heal better than before. Everyone is in panic mode. Don't listen to Siegel or Shapiro. They want you to panic. Helps their agenda.
ReplyDeleteI just spoke with my neighbor who works at Mack... he stated they just hired 300 workers... he said "...who do you think they're going to lay off?" According to him they are running 2 shifts and have orders... I guess the sky will stay up after all.... or as Paul Harvey would say "and now you know the rest of the story".....
ReplyDelete