Good point: There's no sustainability without jobs

Ouch. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers makes a devastatingly important point with its “Keep the Lights On” initiative: Companies that tout smart, sustainable and livable futures should take care to practice what they preach.

The North American union organisation, which represents some 725,000 workers in a variety of industries, is accusing international lighting giant Philips of failing to do just that. The Netherlands-based corporation, which has put a big spotlight on better cities and expects to announce its Livable Cities Award winners later this month, has drawn the union’s ire for its plans to shutter its manufacturing plant in Sparta, Tennessee, early next year.

The 48-year-old facility, which employs well over 200 people and was purchased by Philips in 2007, was named a Top 10 Best Plant by IndustryWeek in 2009. The magazine noted the plant’s success at keeping its products more affordable than those imported from China and in repeatedly innovating to improve operational efficiency.

The Sparta plant was also set to shortly begin producing high-efficiency LED lighting, a fast-growing segment of the lighting industry.

According to a local news report on Philips’ plans, a company spokesperson said the factory shutdown was “no reflection on performance at the plant.” The union campaign to keep the plant open, however, makes it clear that workers definitely see the decision as a reflection on the lighting firm’s commitment to livable communities. As its website sardonically notes, “Heck, what’s one more factory?”

That’s a question well worth asking.