Here and across the country, the storied textile industry -- which plucked generations of farmers from their fields and lifted many to the middle class -- is vanishing as Americans snatch up better bargains on imported goods. So far this year, the mills have lost 29,000 jobs, triple the number lost by the same time last year, government figures show, leaving just 448,400 -- half the number that existed in 1970.
Pillowtex, maker of Cannon and Fieldcrest towels, filed for bankruptcy protection last week, dismissing 6,450 workers -- including the Bennetts and nine of their relatives -- in the largest single-day layoff in North Carolina history. The Bennetts have since scrambled to apply for jobs, but with only high school diplomas, their options are slim. Most of the jobs created here in recent years -- in health care, information technology and finance -- require some technical training. So the Bennetts are aiming for positions at Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Taco Bell.
"Everyone keeps telling us we should go back to school, but it's a little late for that," said Verleen Bennett, 38.
don't worry, they're taking care of those pesky high-wage college graduates too. soon, they'll be competing with you for jobs at taco bell, walmart, and mcdonald's.
The result, economists say, is a growing group of unskilled workers who are striking out not only in the old economy, but also in the new one.
"It is a lost generation in the workforce," said Michael Walden, an economics professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. "Short of financial compensation from the federal government, their future is going to be worse than their past."
Pillowtex employees say they will take what they can get. Kannapolis resident Crystal Trendel, 42, who joined the mill out of high school and rose to become a research and development technician, was one of just 700 salaried employees at the company. Now she is a customer service manager at the local Wal-Mart Supercenter, and she said all of her Pillowtex colleagues are asking her to recommend them for jobs there.
"I don't like it," she said of working for the very kind of discount store, filled with inexpensive imported goods, that pushed Pillowtex out of business. "But I have to look out for my family," she said.
The Bennetts say they will hold on to their house, though they are unsure how they can afford 28 more years on their mortgage without full-time jobs. Both are working part time, Verleen as a home health aide, Jimmy as a maintenance worker at a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant.
They both agree that cable television will be the first luxury to go. Then their home security system. Then, if things get really bad, one of their two cars, probably Verleen's Nissan Altima rather than Jimmy's new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Sitting in their living room, calculating their expenses, they vow their lifestyle will not dramatically change.
"We were middle class," Jimmy said. Then he corrects himself. "We still are. "
i remember a professor who characterized the great depression as the first time in modern history when vast numbers of formerly middle class people began to see themselves as lower class.
