Thread: US Viewed as Third World Nation to Exploit

$19 an hour to box particle board and screws?

How much of that do they actually take home?

Originally Posted by jpn

As Mark Kleiman wrote, "It's an old, old story: the customers of a company renowned for decent treatment of its workers in its prosperous home country are shocked to learn of its ruthless exploitation of workers in a less-prosperous country where the laws make it harder for workers to defend themselves. All that's new is that the first-world country is Sweden and the third-world country is rural Virginia."

You do know what 'third world' means, right?

Originally Posted by jpn

According to the LA Times, a rural Virginian town was thrilled to get an Ikea factory. Then the labor issues started piling up.

Workers are required to attend meetings where they're threatened not to form unions, and the plant hired a law firm noted for union bashing.



As Mark Kleiman wrote, "It's an old, old story: the customers of a company renowned for decent treatment of its workers in its prosperous home country are shocked to learn of its ruthless exploitation of workers in a less-prosperous country where the laws make it harder for workers to defend themselves. All that's new is that the first-world country is Sweden and the third-world country is rural Virginia."

I'd imagine many of the left-leaning customers of Ikea that live here might start looking elsewhere to buy their furniture when they get wind of this.

"Third World" semantics aside, American labor (when it comes to lower skill work) is a bargain compared to most European labor. The Poles are still cheaper than us, but with Poland's recent economic boom, that could change over time.

Originally Posted by Occam's Razor

I'd imagine many of the left-leaning customers of Ikea that live here might start looking elsewhere to buy their furniture when they get wind of this.

"Third World" semantics aside, American labor (when it comes to lower skill work) is a bargain compared to most European labor. The Poles are still cheaper than us, but with Poland's recent economic boom, that could change over time.

The north of my State was covered with furniture factories, making some well known american brands. Yet, today, you would be hard pressed to find one here. They left for China and other cheap labor places. And they would probably be paying 8 bucks an hour today, if they were still here as the wages at those plants was hardly very high, ever. And they never suffered labor shortages from lazy folks as some Cons here believe.

So odd that our own furniture factories left for China, to get cheap wages, and now Sweden is here, to take advantage of cheaper wages. Quick, someone needs to tell em, that our own furniture makers can outcompete them on labor costs! And apparently you can't make furniture here in the US anymore, as our folks want too much money and are too lazy to work.

Originally Posted by Blue Doggy

The north of my State was covered with furniture factories, making some well known american brands. Yet, today, you would be hard pressed to find one here. They left for China and other cheap labor places. And they would probably be paying 8 bucks an hour today, if they were still here as the wages at those plants was hardly very high, ever. And they never suffered labor shortages from lazy folks as some Cons here believe.

So odd that our own furniture factories left for China, to get cheap wages, and now Sweden is here, to take advantage of cheaper wages. Quick, someone needs to tell em, that our own furniture makers can outcompete them on labor costs! And apparently you can't make furniture here in the US anymore, as our folks want too much money and are too lazy to work.

I would suspect that Ikea's choice to put a factory here is because they wanted labor that was more skilled than China but still cheaper than Sweden.

I guess we've become a niche market for certain forms of cheap labor.

Now instead of buying cheap chinese crap we can make cheap swedish crap!

Originally Posted by jpn

All that's new is that the first-world country is Sweden and the third-world country is rural Virginia."[/B]

Given my dealings with "average" Americans I don't find all that much difference between our lower classes and those native to the global south.

It would seem that industry is getting what it's paying for.

Nothing wrong with that.

Don't want to earn minimum wage and be treated like an idiot who needs daddy looking over his shoulder?

Then go out and make yourself attractive enough to an employer that he'll give you the opportunity to do more than "pick things up and put them down".

You act like it's businesses fault that many Ammericans can't be treated like adults.

Is this worse than if Ikea hadn't made a factory here at all?

Originally Posted by ThorHammer

You do know what 'third world' means, right?

No more than jpn knows just why Ikea located a plant here.

Originally Posted by Occam's Razor

I would suspect that Ikea's choice to put a factory here is because they wanted labor that was more skilled than China but still cheaper than Sweden.

I guess we've become a niche market for certain forms of cheap labor.

It's generally a good idea to put your manufacturing facilities in a place where you can easily ship to your distributors and where operations won't be screwed up by politics and/or national disasters. Virginia isn't particularly prone to disasters, is within easy access of the urban NE (where a HUGE customer base exists) and just so happens to be the northernmost Right to Work state on the east coast.

Originally Posted by lutherf

It's generally a good idea to put your manufacturing facilities in a place where you can easily ship to your distributors and where operations won't be screwed up by politics and/or national disasters. Virginia isn't particularly prone to disasters, is within easy access of the urban NE (where a HUGE customer base exists) and just so happens to be the northernmost Right to Work state on the east coast.

Agreed. I would put money on the fact that this was done more because of logistic concerns, and not so much cost of labor concerns.

Originally Posted by lutherf

It's generally a good idea to put your manufacturing facilities in a place where you can easily ship to your distributors and where operations won't be screwed up by politics and/or national disasters. Virginia isn't particularly prone to disasters, is within easy access of the urban NE (where a HUGE customer base exists) and just so happens to be the northernmost Right to Work state on the east coast.

There are definitely strategic advantages to locating a factory in Virginia, but the ethical issue here is with respect to the anti-union meetings.

It seems rather disingenuous to take an anti-union tactic in one area while your home operations are essentially unionized.

Originally Posted by Occam's Razor

There are definitely strategic advantages to locating a factory in Virginia, but the ethical issue here is with respect to the anti-union meetings.

It seems rather disingenuous to take an anti-union tactic in one area while your home operations are essentially unionized.

My understanding is that Sweden is, for all intents, a strict union shop (labor contracts must be negotiated with the union). Moving a production facility to Virginia gives them an opportunity they wouldn't have otherwise had and that's just plain good business.