Ikea's U.S. factory churns out unhappy workers [attempt to unionize VA plant]

[DBoon]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ikea-union-20110410,0,5341610.story

Beloved by consumers worldwide for its stylish and affordable furniture, the Swedish firm had also constructed a reputation as a good employer and solid corporate citizen. State and local officials offered $12 million in incentives. Residents thrilled at the prospect of a respected foreign company bringing jobs to this former textile region after watching so many flee overseas.

But three years after the massive facility opened here, excitement has waned. Ikea is the target of racial discrimination complaints, a heated union-organizing battle and turnover from disgruntled employees.

Workers complain of eliminated raises, a frenzied pace and mandatory overtime. Several said it's common to find out on Friday evening that they'll have to pull a weekend shift, with disciplinary action for those who can't or don't show up.

...

Bill Street, who has tried to organize the Danville workers for the machinists union, said Ikea was taking advantage of the weaker protections afforded to U.S. workers.

"It's ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico," Street said.

[eilen]

1. "It's ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at M

Welcome to the future. Globalization requires us to lower our standard of living to those of third world countries.

For some reason I am reminded of Planet of the Apes.

[stockholmer]

3. touché

:hi:

[stockholmer]

2. in regards to the last line in the OP, it's actually not ironic at all, the systemic controllers....

the bankers, the Fed, the multi-nationals, and both political parties ARE turning the US into Mexico (from a labour base perspective).

A company in the current, deeply-flawed oligarchic global capitalistic model is going to conform to whatever labour laws and dynamics the host country allows.

Mexico has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs to Asia, as the Asian labour costs have undercut the Mexican model. Now, the US is feeling the burn.

Unfair and harsh for the American worker? Of course it is, but it is also the inevitable outcome of the US government's policy choices made at the behest of the systemic controllers, who hold the whip-hand over them.

Free trade was designed to operate from the basis of comparative advantage, with a nation state protecting the means of production.

Since 1965, the USA has off-shored over 85 percent of its industrial production, this is known as absolute advantage, simply the chase for lower and lower production costs on a global basis, irregardless of quality or the effect on the national economy in terms of domestic impact.

Over 80 percent of the industrial innovation occurs in the scaling-up process, from design, to factory floor.

This entire culture has been ripped asunder from the US workforce, and will take at least one or 2 full generations to bring back

You literally will have to recreate the entire educational infrastructure of high-tech trade schools, as well change the spending and saving habits of 315,000,000 citizens, as 70 plus percent of the USA economy is based on internal consumption, with the vast bulk of all goods consumed coming from imports.


Say hello to a Mexican level standard of living, for it approaches on little cats' feet, quicker, quicker.

[jody]

4. How many of the 335 workers want to form a union? Obviously less than 50% so is the article mostly

union PR because if 50% wanted a union one would already be at the plant.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Not necessarily

Have you ever been through an organizing campaign? I have. I was fired illegally. Almost four years in court. In the meantime they made it imposable for me to find other work. It isn't pretty. It is much worse today than it was in 1980. Many want a union but are afraid of being fired. Because NLRB law has no financial penalties, breaking the law is the norm in fighting unionization. IF EFCA had passed, that would have made a huge difference.

My case file at the NLRB in PDF: http://mynlrb.nlrb.gov/link/document.aspx/09031d45800b8166


Board Decision for 17-CA-009763

in light of the exceptions and briefs and has decided to affirm the rulings, find- ings, and conclusions of the Administrative Law Judge only to the extent consistent herewith. The Administrative Law Judge found that Re- spondent did not violate Section 8(a)(3) and (1) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, by terminating Steven Dawes on June 20, 1980. The General Counsel excepts ...

Case Number: 17-CA-009763 - Case Name: Industrial Label Corporation - Slip Opinion Number: 261-375


OS

[Kablooie]

6. This would delight our corporate overlords.

They would be ticked pink to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. as long as the workers could be forced to work under the conditions and pay of Mexico and China.