Mass industry unemployment could be reduced for less than $4,000.
Dear US Demolition News reader,
I am writing this letter to you in the hope that you will work with me to help your fellow US demolition workers who, through no fault of their own, find themselves unemployed at this time.
Although the worst recession since the Great Depression is apparently over, the US economy is not out of the woods yet. Figures released today show unemployment to be at its highest level since 1983 (10.2% to be precise). According to the National Demolition Association, more than 7,000 US demolition workers are currently among that figure.
Now I realise that 7,000 out of the 15.7 million national total is small beer. But for those 7,000 demolition workers facing a bleak Christmas and an uncertain New Year, that small beer must feel like the end of the world.
For the past few weeks, I have been urging the US to adopt the demolition-jobs.co.uk scheme that I started here in the UK to help the industry’s short and long term unemployed in this country. That campaign has received a swathe of coverage and feedback, all of it positive, but a decision is still to be reached. And all the while, those US demolition workers remain unemployed; and a lack of confidence continues to undermine the recovery of the US economy.
The cost of implementing a US version of the demolition-jobs.co.uk website would be less than $4,000. No-one stands to make a profit from that $4,000; that simply covers the purchase of the background code and the changing of the various elements to US terms etc. (Furthermore, you must understand from the outset that this is not an investment – The site is free to use for employees and employers; no-one will make a red cent on this venture. So if you’re looking for a fast buck, you’ll need to look elsewhere.)
Now if memory serves me correctly, the National Demolition Association‘s membership comprises something like 1,000 members. So what we’re talking about here is a “donation” of less than $4 per NDA member company to possibly help get one of your fellow demolition workers back to what he does best – work demolition.
So what can you do to help? Well, the easy answer is that you urge the National Demolition Association to look at the UK site and to make a fast and positive decision. Failing that, we just need a group of like-minded, altruistic individuals that are willing to stump up sufficient cash to help their fellow demolition workers in their hour of need.
I thank you for your attention and apologise for the begging nature of this letter – I trust that it will be received in the spirit with which it is intended.
In the meantime, let me leave you with one final thought. The next time you emerge from your local Starbucks clutching your double-decaf grande macchiato, please remember that the amount you just spent could have helped put a US demolition worker back on site.
Kindest Regards
Mark Anthony
