MEA Votes

A decade ago, if you were buying a new computer, you were probably looking forward to getting a cow-print box from Gateway dropped off at your door. Gateway was a strong U.S. brand that employed thousands of workers across the country.

Now, Gateway is nothing more than a label placed on overseas-manufactured computers. The jobs of Gateway’s American workers were shipped to other countries. A great American company took a nose-dive while its CEO and longtime board member, Rick Snyder, got very rich.

As a member of Gateway’s board, Snyder oversaw a huge decline in the company’s U.S. employment. According to Gateway’s annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company employed about 1,700 U.S. workers in 2006, down from a peak of 21,000 in the early 2000s.

So where did these jobs go? Again, according to an SEC filing that Snyder signed as Gateway CEO in March 2006, “we [Gateway] have outsourced a substantial portion of our manufacturing operations to countries in Asia and Eastern Europe and to Mexico.”

While Gateway’s corporate standing plummeted, Rick Snyder pulled in millions of dollars in salary and benefits. While people lost their jobs, Rick Snyder earned the $6 million he spent out of pocket to win the Republican gubernatorial primary…and plenty more to spend for the general election this fall.

So, who is Rick Snyder? He may be “one tough nerd,” but he certainly isn’t one who relates to the problems of struggling Michiganders.

You have a choice this fall – Rick Snyder, a Chief Executive Outsourcer who puts profits ahead of people, or Virg Bernero, a Michigan mayor who puts Main Street ahead of Wall Street.

Who is going to do the best job working for you and your family?