What happened to the unions?

[marlinspike]

We've got some older folks on here who have or do work with their hands, so I figure people here might know what happened to the unions. I had a bit of an epiphany while buying light bulbs. Nevermind all the other cronyism that has been done in the name of environmentalism over the years (as is well known here, ethanol is my archenemy), but I couldn't figure out who gained from the legislated phase out of incandescent light bulbs. It clearly wasn't the people, as if people felt it was worth the energy savings to buy incandescent bulbs and, among other short-comings, risk having a toxic waste spill any time a bulb breaks, and not being able to throw bulbs in the trash under threat of law when they burn out, then CFLs would be more than 5% of bulb purchases.

So, I was buying light bulbs and it hit me. Those three letters written on the top of the bulb: USA. Incandescent bulbs are made here in the USA, whereas the CFLs are shipped in from China at 25cents/pop and then sold to you the consumer for 10 times the price of an incadescent bulb.

Where were the unions in all this? Phillips and GE have already started closing US plants. What happened to the days when an unruly mob would have been at the docks to break CFLs as they come in, and when the photographed violence of thousands of American workers would force Congress to look out for the blue-collar worker? Sure there were crooks at the top, but they're crooks in the government too and we give government more and more power every day it seems.

[tangerine terror]

Interesting point, I live and work in Scotland. Every company we supply subcontract engineered parts to is ultimately owned by a US company, be it GE, Husco, Woodward or Delphi Diesel Sytems.

Every one of these companies also has a supply base manufacturing for them in India or China - why ? because they want cheap bits.

I supply directly to GE, medical anaesthetic equipment no less - parts that cannot be sourced off the shelf, some of the materials take 16 weeks to procure, before we can even start manufacture.

We hold an ISO 9001 manufacturing standard, we hold an ISO 14001 environmental standard, not even worth the paper they are written on if the guy down the road can do it for $3 cheaper, believe me, the quality and environmental standards go out the window if the price is right.

If the guy in the street can get his new microwave for $5 cheaper, does he really care where it was made ? does it stop him sleeping at night if it it wasn't made to certain environmental standards ? or the guy making it doesn't make minimum wage ? course it doesn't - but who created this monster - government ? us - getting a cheap deal ? could the unions have stopped the work going abroad to cheaper economies ?

Here in the UK our government tells us that we should embrace globalisation, other countries in Europe are very good at looking after their manufacturing sector - ours is decimated weekly - cost is king as the guy at Delphi Diesel Systems used to say to me.

I take a real interest in manufacturing, here and in the US, as I still believe that we are amongst the worlds best at producing components.

Sadly though, the day of the cheap "parts" is upon us, I dont think unions will ever be able to change the face of manufacturing back to what it was, only governments......... and I dont see that happening any day soon

Rant over

cheers

tangerine terror

[marlinspike]

I think the problem is partly the consumers, but that's because an uneducated consumer follows false economies.

The government on the other hand has the resources to know the results, but instead has pursued the short-term interests of big business in the face of the workers.

[bruno]

I'm sickened by the changes and have been stocking up on various styles/watts of incandescent bulbs.

Besides what you shared, I guess the government (or the people?) think it's better to pollute the environment with hazardous mercury and lead found in those awful fluorescent bulbs. They break so easily, especially when you're trying to do the right thing by transporting them to some official recycling center. The last time I tried replacing a regular incandescent bulb with one of those spiral compact bulbs, it broke into hundreds of pieces while I was screwing it into the socket. Maybe that's why I'm having problems with my thinking abilities.....I probably inhaled too much toxic dust!

bruno

[marlinspike]

The State of Maine has written up a guide on what to do if a flourescent bulb breaks. What if I accidentally break a fluorescent lamp in my house?, Maine State Department of Environmntal Proteciton, Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Of course how many elderly people are going to get mercury poisoning because they think that if a bulb breaks you clean it up with a vacuum?

I don't think the people think it's better to use these things because if they did, flourescents would be more than 5% of bulb sales. The government has decided that they know what's good for us, and rather than be our REPRESENTATIVES they think it's their job to be our RULERS. I've got to run for office or something. I see so much stuff that goes on that just makes me sick, but I'm powerless to stop it. I vote in every election and I write to my representative when they do stuff I don't like, but how many other people either don't know that stuff is going on, or even if they do won't take the time to write a complaint?

BTW, while made in America isn't always the best product, for many things it is or is the best product for the money in the US market (because other products get more expensive when they have to cross the atlantic), and even if it's not, the best product will be made by a country with comparable labor laws (or strong unions...for instance, I won't hold it against a German product that they don't have minimum wage laws because the unions made their own minimum wages and wages and taxes are generally high so the companies are on equal ground with our companies). For a while now I've been following this rule, and I buy everything once. Even my shoes are going on several years and by all reports they will likely last 15-20 more.

However, I can't find a toaster made in USA or a country with comparable labor conditions. Any ideas? I haven't had a toaster in a year.

[marlinspike]

washingtonpost.com (I can hear it now, "but, but, but, I'm reducing my carbon footprint by buying Chinese solar panels, and the Chinese ones are more affordable")

[Moose]

Maybe whyunionsarenotworking.com could better help you on your answer here.

[marlinspike]

I find no such website.

[bruno]

Originally Posted by Moose

Maybe whyunionsarenotworking.com could better help you on your answer here.

^^That is funny, Moose!^^

Originally Posted by marlinspike

However, I can't find a toaster made in USA or a country with comparable labor conditions. Any ideas? I haven't had a toaster in a year.

Richard,
You really need to get to a store like Sears that carries several products manufactured right here in the USA, including toasters!

Four companies make 90% of the home appliances sold in the USA under more than a dozen brand names, of course. Whirlpool, for example, manufactures KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Roper and Estate; Maytag also makes Amana and Jenn-Air. And they all make products for Sears' house brand Kenmore, which doesn't actually manufacture anything.

Don't deny yourself a home grown toaster any longer!
bruno

[marlinspike]

I looked at the Kenmore ones. The ones I saw were all made in China. Only a select few KitchenAid appliances are made in the US, and the rest of those brands don't make toasters.

The only made in USA toaster I found is a viking, but those are old school 2-slice toasters and their prices reflect the name (as all things Viking do), not the product.

Even those super expensive British ones the name of which I've forgotten are just a British made case on Chinese parts.

We had a made in USA Toastmaster from before I was born that lasted some 20 years. My mom replaced it with a Krups made in Germany (back when they were still made in Germany) that is going on 7 years. The 2 made in China ones I bought (after I gave up trying to find a good quality one and just figured "good" relative to other Chinese toasters was good enough) gave up within a year each, so I'm going to quality or bust.