Don’t abandon Philips workers

U.S. Sens. Liz Warren and Ed Markey were in Fall River on Saturday, rallying in support of workers from Philips Lighting. The company is set to move 160 jobs from the Massachusetts factory to Mexico.

U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III has been loudly critical of the move and has called on President Trump to get involved.

This does prove an interesting test for our congressional and senatorial delegations. Can they apply enough pressure on Philips Lighting to reverse the fortunes of the workers? Can they at least ameliorate the pain?

“This just isn’t right,” Warren told the crowd. “This company, Philips, got huge tax breaks, and now it’s taking its jobs down to Mexico. So, millions for Wall Street. Millions for their investors, and they spit in the face of Massachusetts workers.”

It certainly sounds like the senator means business.

Also, it could serve as a possibly seminal moment in the young political career of Rep. Kennedy, who minced no words on the subject. “This is a company that got roughly $30 million in profit last year in part because of these employees.”

It is also fair to ask what Gov. Baker intends to do. Though the administration has indicated that they’ve dispatched resources for workers affected in Fall River, the governor has been relatively quiet.

If the rhetoric of the political class in the commonwealth is just that, then we are right to be cynical. If, however, pressure can be put upon Philips Lighting, or if opportunities can be afforded to those 160 workers through clever cajoling by our elected officials, then credit should be given.

Until then those workers lie in the lurch.