DETROIT - Last night we heard President Obama issue a call to the nation and Republicans in Congress to work together to solve the nation's unemployment crisis and focus on strengthening the middle class by strengthening manufacturing. The president has demonstrated his commitment to creating an economy 'built to last' by restructuring the U.S. auto industry for the 21st century, while Republican opponents were willing to let it die and see millions of jobs lost. The recovery of the American automotive industry is one of our country's greatest economic success stories.

General Motors Co. is back as the world's No. 1 automaker, Chrysler Group LLC is outpacing its U.S. competitors in sales growth and Ford Motor Co. continues to make large investments in its U.S. plants. All three domestic automakers are bringing jobs back to the United States from other countries. Thanks to the Obama administration's commitment to U.S. manufacturing, the domestic automakers have added nearly 160,000 jobs to the economy. The president says he bet on U.S. workers. That bet paid off, as we had no doubt it would.

To those who say unions chase jobs out of the country, the facts prove them wrong. President Obama reminded us last night of yet another U.S. manufacturer that is insourcing rather than outsourcing. We're proud that Master Lock, a UAW-represented workplace, has decided it makes more business sense to bring jobs back to the United States. Today, Master Lock's plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

We agree with the president that if we level the global playing field for U.S. manufacturers and insist that the wealthy pay their fair share to rebuild our country, America's future is hopeful, and the state of our union will always be strong.

Let's keep that message alive as we work to re-elect President Barack Obama in November.

Click here to read President Obama's State of the Union Address.