Unions Drive More Jobs to Mexico.

[thundley4]

upi402   (1000+ posts)             Mon Feb-28-11 10:26 PM
Original message
PLEASE SIGN petition: STOP Philips Elec from moving factory to Mexico
   
President Barack Obama told Congress in his State of the Union speech that "no workers are more productive than ours … we know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time."

And no workplace better reflects America's commitment to excellence than the Philips Luminaires plant in the little town of Sparta, Tenn. The 40-year-old lighting fixture plant has won numerous awards, being named one of North America's 10 best plants in 2009 by Industry Week magazine. It even won Philips' own "lean" manufacturing award last fall.

And this summer, it will begin production of energy-efficient LED light fixtures, which are in increasing demand as incandescent bulbs are phased out.

But now the Netherlands-based Philips has pulled the plug on Sparta, announcing last November that it was shutting the plant down and moving most of the work to Mexico by next year.

To Mexico?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x531502

socialist_n_TN   (1000+ posts)           Mon Feb-28-11 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
1. THIS is the kind of factory that should be reopened.......
   
as a worker's co-op and compete with these ****ing international capitalists. It wouldn't take very much government money (compared to bailing out the ****ing BANKS) to keep the workers going long enough to see if they could make it work. Of course, you'd have to take the physical plant under eminent domain.

THAT'S what a REAL "for the people" government would do.

Why should the government give them the money?  Let some socialists that believe that crap finance them.

upi402   (1000+ posts)             Mon Feb-28-11 10:43 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Foreign owners closing a US plant, moving to Mexico, to sell bulbs to US unemployed
   
Now there's a true Republican business model!

The Netherlands are pretty liberal. I guess even they realize that American union workers are worthless.

We can blame the unions and environmentalists for this one.  It will cost as much to refit the 40 year old plant as to build a new one in Mexico, especially when you consider the labor savings.  If the government wasn't banning incandescent light bulbs , the plant wouldn't be closing.

[JohnnyReb]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x531502

Why should the government give them the money?  Let some socialists that believe that crap finance them.

The Netherlands are pretty liberal. I guess even they realize that American union workers are worthless.

We can blame the unions and environmentalists for this one.   It will cost as much to refit the 40 year old plant as to build a new one in Mexico, especially when you consider the labor savings.  If the government wasn't banning incandescent light bulbs , the plant wouldn't be closing.

Maybe there's a toxic reason they're running from the EPA.

[dandi]

socialist_n_TN   (1000+ posts)           Mon Feb-28-11 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
1. THIS is the kind of factory that should be reopened.......
   
as a worker's co-op and compete with these ****ing international capitalists. It wouldn't take very much government money (compared to bailing out the ****ing BANKS) to keep the workers going long enough to see if they could make it work. Of course, you'd have to take the physical plant under eminent domain.

THAT'S what a REAL "for the people" government would do.

Yes, let's "socialize the risk." Then, when half the workers at your co-op are sitting around on their dead asses trying to let the other half do all the work, it can shut down or force the government to throw good money after bad to try to keep it afloat. It's the perfect Socialist model for nonproductivity. Brought to you at the expense of the working taxpayer, of course.

[Karin]

And a petition is going to do what, exactly?  There are 1,868 signatures currently affixed to basically a begging letter.  So now what? 

Hey DUmmies, who's John Galt? 

[jukin]

And this summer, it will begin production of energy-efficient LED light fixtures, which are in increasing demand as incandescent bulbs are phased out.

I LOL'd at this then cried. That line sums up how people that have never worked in the private sector or produced anything think. Demand is increasing because of the demand of communist democrats and enviro-fascists force us to buy them as there now is no alternative. I think we are past the point of no return. Find a deck chair and listen to the music.

[AllosaursRus]

Was this a union shop? If so, why didn't they just fire the worthless bastards and hire people who want to work?

From what I've heard, I think the incandescent ban is goin' tits up. Even the guy who introduced is sayin' it was a mistake.

[thundley4]

Was this a union shop? If so, why didn't they just fire the worthless bastards and hire people who want to work?

From what I've heard, I think the incandescent ban is goin' tits up. Even the guy who introduced is sayin' it was a mistake.

But the ban is still coming, so far.  I think the change over might be too expensive and add in the added cost of EPA regulations dealing with the more harmful materials that LEDs use compared to incandescents.

I'm just guessing at reasonable reasons.

[BlueStateSaint]

Was this a union shop? If so, why didn't they just fire the worthless bastards and hire people who want to work?

From what I've heard, I think the incandescent ban is goin' tits up. Even the guy who introduced is sayin' it was a mistake.

Ya wanna know something screwy with this?  IIRC, during last winter's cold snap in Europe (a "winter day" here), some company started selling these little "heaters" that one could screw into a light fixture . . . Guess what they were?  Incandescent light bulbs!

[AllosaursRus]

Ya wanna know something screwy with this?  IIRC, during last winter's cold snap in Europe (a "winter day" here), some company started selling these little "heaters" that one could screw into a light fixture . . . Guess what they were?  Incandescent light bulbs!

Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Now that's funny!!

[AprilRazz]

Ya wanna know something screwy with this?  IIRC, during last winter's cold snap in Europe (a "winter day" here), some company started selling these little "heaters" that one could screw into a light fixture . . . Guess what they were?  Incandescent light bulbs!

That reminds me of the person that was selling the gas saving device for cars. They said that the device was simple to install and would cut gas use in half.
It was a brick with instructions to install it under the gas pedal.

Of course DH talked me out of selling 'green/solar clothes dryers' on the internet. For the low cost of $50 you got a brand new clothes line and some pins.

[JohnnyReb]

Ya wanna know something screwy with this?  IIRC, during last winter's cold snap in Europe (a "winter day" here), some company started selling these little "heaters" that one could screw into a light fixture . . . Guess what they were?  Incandescent light bulbs!

We raised a few thousand turkeys back in the 50's. We had heat lamps in the brooder house. I bet those would have gone over even better.

[Wineslob]

upi402   (1000+ posts)             Mon Feb-28-11 10:26 PM
Original message
PLEASE SIGN petition: STOP Philips Elec from moving factory to Mexico
   
President Barack Obama told Congress in his State of the Union speech that "no workers are more productive than ours … we know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time."

And no workplace better reflects America's commitment to excellence than the Philips Luminaires plant in the little town of Sparta, Tenn. The 40-year-old lighting fixture plant has won numerous awards, being named one of North America's 10 best plants in 2009 by Industry Week magazine. It even won Philips' own "lean" manufacturing award last fall.

And this summer, it will begin production of energy-efficient LED light fixtures, which are in increasing demand as incandescent bulbs are phased out.

But now the Netherlands-based Philips has pulled the plug on Sparta, announcing last November that it was shutting the plant down and moving most of the work to Mexico by next year.To Mexico?

I suppose they don't want to produce a $10 LED bulb, when they can produce one that's $2.99.

How are those Union wages working out?

[DumbAss Tanker]

Basic economic math...and therefore completely over the heads of the DUmmies.

[LC EFA]

socialist_n_TN   (1000+ posts)           Mon Feb-28-11 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
1. THIS is the kind of factory that should be reopened.......
   
as a worker's co-op and compete with these ****ing international capitalists. It wouldn't take very much government money (compared to bailing out the ****ing BANKS) to keep the workers going long enough to see if they could make it work. Of course, you'd have to take the physical plant under eminent domain.

THAT'S what a REAL "for the people" government would do.

Steal the physical plant. Great. Way to encourage future investment jackass.

[AllosaursRus]

This is what they don't understand. If it takes any government money, the damn thing isn't viable! If they can't make it on their own then why on Gods Green Earth should the taxpayer foot the bill?

[chitownchica]

Ok- whose mole is Socialist in TN? 

[ChuckJ]

socialist_n_TN   (1000+ posts)           Mon Feb-28-11 10:35 PM
Response to Original message
1. THIS is the kind of factory that should be reopened.......
   
as a worker's co-op and compete with these ****ing international capitalists. It wouldn't take very much government money (compared to bailing out the ****ing BANKS) to keep the workers going long enough to see if they could make it work. Of course, you'd have to take the physical plant under eminent domain.

THAT'S what a REAL "for the people" government would do.

Government money + workers with a lot of power. I remember a story about a place where the workers had a lot of power and the government pumped money into the company. It went like this...
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVmKyJXHXRE[/youtube]