When States Compete to Win Jobs, Residents Pay The Price: ‘The Problem’ with Jon Stewart, featuring Mother Minerva Camarena Skeith

Mother Minerva Camarena rector of St. John's, Austin, and a clergy leader with Central Texas Interfaith, participated in a panel in Apple TV series “The Problem” with Jon Stewart. She talked about the importance of community involvement in determining benefits related to the cost of tax incentives and tax abatements that governments give to corporations.

In the panel, she appeared with Stewart and an education association representative from South Carolina. The trio discussed the merits of activism when cities and counties court corporations for relocation.

“The truth of the matter is companies don’t move and relocate because of incentives,” she said. “They move for other reasons, like good employees. They move for infrastructure, for good schools.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX7aSX9A0HA Small clip

Skeith said she and other community activists had success getting involved in negotiations between companies and county/city leaders by advocating for citizens’ needs such as decent wages, career training and health benefits. By making “claw-back” demands in cities like San Antonio, Houston, Austin and other Texas communities, citizens benefitted as companies relocated to Texas.

You can watch the full episode now on @AppleTVPlus.