American Jobs
Encyclopedia
American Jobs is a 2004 independent film
, documentary
, written, produced and directed by Greg Spotts. The film is about the loss of American jobs to low-wage foreign competition, covering the phenomenon of outsourcing
in manufacturing and high-paying white-collar jobs. The filmmaker visited 19 cities and towns throughout the United States
interviewing recently laid-off workers, focusing on three industries: textiles, commercial aircraft and information technology. It also contains interviews with a number of members of Congress
, including: Sherrod Brown
(D-Ohio), Rosa DeLauro
(D-Connecticut), Robin Hayes
(R-North Carolina), Donald Manzullo (R-Illinois), and Hilda Solis
(D-California), and includes an extended section of clips from the 1993 congressional debate on NAFTA
. (North American Free Trade Agreement).
Spotts self-released the film on DVD via a website on Labor Day, 2004. The CNN program Lou Dobbs Tonight featured excerpts from American Jobs on seven consecutive weeknights in September 2004, exposure which attracted a distribution deal. The Disinformation Company, publisher of Robert Greenwald's series of documentary DVDs, released American Jobs on DVD in February 2005, along with a companion book penned by Spotts, CAFTA and Free Trade: What Every American Should Know. The book was used as a lobbying tool by the AFL-CIO and members of the US Congress during the summer of 2005 when Congress was debating ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Spotts subsequently wrote the official companion book to Robert Greenwald's 2005 documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, written, produced and directed by Greg Spotts. The film is about the loss of American jobs to low-wage foreign competition, covering the phenomenon of outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
in manufacturing and high-paying white-collar jobs. The filmmaker visited 19 cities and towns throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
interviewing recently laid-off workers, focusing on three industries: textiles, commercial aircraft and information technology. It also contains interviews with a number of members of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, including: Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...
(D-Ohio), Rosa DeLauro
Rosa DeLauro
Rosa L. DeLauro is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in New Haven, and includes most of that city's suburbs.-Early life, education and career:...
(D-Connecticut), Robin Hayes
Robin Hayes
Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes is the current chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. For five terms from 1999 to 2009, he represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district in the House of Representatives.-Early life:...
(R-North Carolina), Donald Manzullo (R-Illinois), and Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
(D-California), and includes an extended section of clips from the 1993 congressional debate on NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
. (North American Free Trade Agreement).
Spotts self-released the film on DVD via a website on Labor Day, 2004. The CNN program Lou Dobbs Tonight featured excerpts from American Jobs on seven consecutive weeknights in September 2004, exposure which attracted a distribution deal. The Disinformation Company, publisher of Robert Greenwald's series of documentary DVDs, released American Jobs on DVD in February 2005, along with a companion book penned by Spotts, CAFTA and Free Trade: What Every American Should Know. The book was used as a lobbying tool by the AFL-CIO and members of the US Congress during the summer of 2005 when Congress was debating ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Spotts subsequently wrote the official companion book to Robert Greenwald's 2005 documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.