That underscores another aspect of America's recent productivity miracle: the growing use of overseas labor.

Cheap overseas labor has created products that costly labor would never have bothered with - those flexible phosphorescent light sticks, say.

Not everyone blames cheap overseas labor and high rents for the district's decline.

Of course, the first Mr. Adams was not faced with the specter of cheap overseas labor.

This included the right to have notice of a plant closing and the right to compete with overseas labor on a "level playing field."

But G.M. says it needs to reduce costs further, perhaps by hiring nonunion and overseas labor at lower-cost plants.

The others use overseas labor to sew gloves.

Cheaper overseas labor and production has dramatically affected the New York industry for decades.

Our industry has a serious problem competing with overseas labor.

Augustus used to do a lot more subcontracting for other companies, for instance, but much of that work has dried up, lost to cheaper overseas labor.