According to many articles written on the subject, the corporate world of the United States has been whacking away at labor costs since the 1980s. Corporations tamed unions, laid-off millions of hourly workers, and sent many jobs overseas. Yet multitudes of U.S. companies still cannot compete with their international rivals, and large operations such as Pfizer, AT&T, General Motors, Du Pont, and many others, continue to go through new rounds of restructuring?

Discuss why you believe that labor competitiveness is still so elusive for large U.S. corporations. Include a discussion of your recommendations for turning this situation around over the next five-to10 years. What must U.S. companies do to restore their competitive advantage in the labor marketplace?