Barletta meets with Northeast Pennsylvania manufacturers, employers

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) recently spoke with members of the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association, an organization with 345 member companies, about policies, regulations and other topics that affect their businesses.

“I always look forward to this event because local business leaders and employers know better than anyone what is needed to drive economic growth and spur job creation,” Rep. Barletta said. “Manufacturers provide good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.”

Barletta noted that Pennsylvania has seen manufacturing job growth of approximately 10,000 under President Trump and that the economy is on pace for the highest average monthly increase in manufacturing jobs since 1994. There are more than 12,000 manufacturing firms in Pennsylvania, and manufacturing accounts for 11.7 percent of the state’s total output. In 2016, 566,000 Pennsylvanians were employed in the manufacturing industry, with an average annual compensation of $72,151.

“Today’s dialogue provided valuable feedback that will help me continue to fight for policies that allow the manufacturing industry to carry on their historic growth,” Barletta said.