The United States has lost over 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the naysayers, those jobs are never coming back.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The purchasing choices we make dictate the kind of economy we have. If we continue to buy goods made overseas or by workers making substandard wages, good jobs will continue to leave.

We can build a stronger economy by paying attention to where the goods we buy are made -- and the earning power of the workers who make them.

A vehicle is one of the most expensive purchases most of us will make in our lifetimes and impacts our household budget. But that same purchase also affects the workers who assemble the vehicle, the workers in related industries who make the parts, and even the amount of police officers and firefighters our communities will have.

You can be sure that a vehicle listed on the 2018 UAW Union-Built Vehicle Guide will do the most toward maintaining and growing decent-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs, which in turn keep our families and communities stable.

Take a look at the guide and make a choice that’s good for our entire economy. While you’re at it, take a look at buildbuyusa.org, which has a lot of great information on how we can bring back those decent-paying jobs.