Hundreds og jobs coming to Bristol, Tn.

[JoshB]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

It's bad news because $10-$11/hr, even with two incomes, isn't enough to maintain a decent standard of living for single adults, much less with kids. This salary is fine for a college kid putting themselves through school or as a second job, but a self-supporting adult at this level of income is probably going to still be getting government benefits of some type - they often won't make enough to cover even a minimal level of expenses.

I'm as conservative as they come, but you're wrong - not everyone wants something handed to them. A lot of people would love the opportunity to have made a living wage here in the Tri-Cities ($15-$16/hr +), but even with a college degree and industry experience, couldn't make ends meet.

I also realize you've never worked in a call center. When someone calls a call center, something isn't working, they were overcharged, etc. They already have an issue, and once they've had to sit on hold awhile, they're good and pissed off. People generally act much worse on the phone than they would in person. In a call center, you're tied to the headset for eight hours a day, can't just get up and go to the bathroom, have no flexibility in lunch/break times, and are constantly having management breathe down your neck to make your "metrics." I understand there are far worse jobs around, but call center agents are often subjected to customer abuse in a high-pressure, low pay environment where the work is meaningless.

Not directed to person above: CGI and Northrop Grumman both located to Lebanon VA several years ago. I know both of those companies have strong ties to NoVA, but why couldn't Bristol VA make a strong effort to get these companies to locate closer to the TRI instead of way out in the middle of nowhere? Heaven knows they're willing to spend the money on luring low wage, low skill retail (Cabela's), so why not try to get some professionals to come?. Auto plants have opened up in other parts of TN and the South, yet east TN can't get a piece of that action. Google or Apple (maybe both) recently opened a data center in rural NC. I know of several firms that have either recently relocated or are in the process of relocating back-office IT operations from high cost to low cost areas. There are so many projects out there that would both pay better and have a higher quality of life than call center and retail work that local and state governments can't seem to attract to this area.

Two friends of mine got their masters at ETSU this spring - one in education (with no related experience) and one in computer science (with several years related experience). The education guy got on as a high school teacher within a few weeks, but yet the CS guy can't find anything and is probably having to relocate. We need the computer scientists, not more teachers. This area has its priorities all backwards and continuing to attract this low end service work without also getting higher end jobs proves local government has learned nothing and is content continuing to go down the wrong way.

This post sums thing up quite well.

[BP72]

Originally Posted by daveatgso

What type of plant is this potentially going to be?

//www.city-data.com/forum/kings...ash-co-tn.html

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

I cant believe the consistent complaining about jobs since they arent high paying. Every employer that comes here, people fuss that it isnt $30/hour. Bottom line, they are jobs and will decrease the unemployment rate, dependancy on government, and strain on charities. Just as importantly, they give young people jobs which would otherwise sit at home or get into trouble.

Most people working at ACT /Boones Creek Rd. are aged 30-50 and have kids in school and mortgages to pay.

I was Sr Ops manager before transferring to a better region.

Bank of America and AT&T LOVE Tri Cities bcs as the Sr. V.P. from Delaware once told me, she LOVED the fact no one cared about making decent money. These jobs arent just going to the 19 year old kids. That is a myth.

[MetropolitanTN]

It's the same here in Knoxville. Although I think we have more higher paying jobs, the lower end office work/call centers still employ quite a few older folks.

The young people seem to cycle in/out a lot.

[MetropolitanTN]

Originally Posted by dreamofmonterey

Most people working at ACT /Boones Creek Rd. are aged 30-50 and have kids in school and mortgages to pay.

I was Sr Ops manager before transferring to a better region.

Bank of America and AT&T LOVE Tri Cities bcs as the Sr. V.P. from Delaware once told me, she LOVED the fact no one cared about making decent money. These jobs arent just going to the 19 year old kids. That is a myth.

I think that she, in reality, loves that the people dont have many options to make decent money.
There arent that many jobs around meaning wages can be kept low, and people still take them.

[Ridgerunner]

Originally Posted by dreamofmonterey

Most people working at ACT /Boones Creek Rd. are aged 30-50 and have kids in school and mortgages to pay.

I was Sr Ops manager before transferring to a better region.

Bank of America and AT&T LOVE Tri Cities bcs as the Sr. V.P. from Delaware once told me, she LOVED the fact no one cared about making decent money. These jobs arent just going to the 19 year old kids. That is a myth.

Which is why these jobs are here instead of in Delaware or Pennsylvania. They will eventually move on to places like Indianola, Mississippi and Enterprise, Alabama. This happened with the sewing industry that was once prevalent in smaller towns throughout our region.

[370z]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

The same reason manufacturing left other cities - the jobs were easily offshored to developing countries or outsourced to temp agencies that are W2/1099 and no benefits. Most of the lost jobs are low to medium skill and these are the easiest types to pay a Chinese or Indian citizen $10/day to perform.

When you get right down to it, the Tri-Cities are really nothing more than a Rust Belt city located south of the Mason-Dixon. The area was severely dependent on manufacturing, and in hindsight, much to its detriment. I just now starting thinking of the seven households on my grandparents' block...five of those men were employed at Eastman, one was a cop, and the other I'm not sure about. Each of those men made enough to pay for a modest house, own a car or two, and take a vacation to Myrtle Beach every year.

My father, and the fathers of many other people in my elementary and middle school classes (I'm 26) also worked at the local factories. We were all solidly middle class at the time. By the time I was a legal adult, many of our fathers had lost their jobs, experienced salary freezes, or both. This was before the recession. My father was fine until the recession then got laid off. His salary declined by 30% or so. I don't think he'll ever make that back up short of relocating.

Today's local kindergartners are much more likely to have a dad working at a call center and a mom at a nursing home. Those children aren't going to have the opportunities that my grandfather, my father, and myself had. Their standard of living has been stunted from the get-go and this is going to make it harder for them to succeed down the road. For the first time in my still relatively young life, I'd say the current generation of children is going to have it worse than any generation that I can remember before them, going back to the Greatest Generation.

This is the story of today's America - the Tri-Cities is hardly unique in its problems. Local governments have failed to address these problems in any substantive way, preferring to defer, deflect, or disregard important social issues. The local governments of the Tri-Cities are failing to spend the citizens' money wisely and keep chasing pipe dreams, wrong roads, or any number of stupid exercises.

Whomever said the area is losing a lot of young talent is exactly correct. Out of the dozen to twenty contacts I keep up with from my economics graduating class in 2010, only one I know of got a job relating to his academic education in this area - he was also the president of the economics club. Almost all of the others took a job outside of their field or below their level of education, relocated, or went to graduate school. None of those people are contributing to the Tri-Cities economy at the optimal level, although most of us were its native sons.

I graduated high school with about 300 people in 2004, and while I don't keep up with everyone, I simply can't think of a single, college-educated person who isn't in education or medical and is making over $40k here. Those who are doing better than $40k are medical people or teachers or left east TN. East TN has no use for young professionals. It disappoints me greatly that the area's job market has virtually given my peers and me the middle finger when we are getting interviews and offers relatively easily elsewhere.

Does everyone that lives in the Tri City area pretty much agree with this and what Emigrations states? Just curious, because everyone has their own opinion of things. Thanks

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by ETSUAccountingGuy

I think that she, in reality, loves that the people dont have many options to make decent money.
There arent that many jobs around meaning wages can be kept low, and people still take them.

Erm, Yeah, that was my point.

A few have repped me on this also.

B of A call center isnt recruiting CSR's in Gray bcs they care about the community. The bank likes the budget and attrition rates. Citi has actually downsized bcs they built a larger customer service OPs center in Mexico.

There's a reason its called a sweatshop. I have no dog in this fight, but really feel sorry for people thinking it will be a land of opportunity. MBA's from UT were working at that job selling HELOC loans.

[angie38]

I see everyone's point of view and couldnt disagree with any of you. I just get frustrated that the cost of living keeps increasing, and I mean that has already happened across the country... and the problem is that a $10 and hour job used to be a big deal, but now it won't pay rent.. you figure rent for a family is easily $600-$800 a month, then you tie in car payment, insurance, utilities, and that doesnt even count household items, groceries..ect. and that is where most of my money is going these days. If you count every item in the grocery store has raised .20 or .30 cents.. it really adds up! and not to mention gas..uggh! So it really is pitiful to me that I have a masters degree and and my husbands income easily matches mine.. and we still are living payday to payday.. when we are people who really try and live a decent life.