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I work in manufacturing. I've talked to several people at international companies that regret moving plants to Mexico. They can't get educated workers. Many of them are looking into coming back.
I suspect that might be what is already happening.
If we got rid of these ridiculous environmental, safety and minimum wage laws tons of companies would come back.
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Originally Posted by Jill61
I sincerely don't understand why anyone would want to go back to a time when people had to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for substandard wages. I just don't get it.
I agree, Jill. We shouldn't be racing to the bottom. Those so-called "ridiculous environmental and safety laws" are responsible for our longer life-spans since the days when men working in factories were expected to breath in all likes of chemicals and the companies dumped toxic waste where it could get into the ground water. It's the rest of the world that needs to come up to our environmental safety and minimum wage laws, not the other way around.
Jobs in my area are slowing coming back. But it's going to take time because many who were in the auto industry are in the process of getting retrained for another field of work.
I agree, Jill. We shouldn't be racing to the bottom. Those so-called "ridiculous environmental and safety laws" are responsible for our longer life-spans since the days when men working in factories were expected to breath in all likes of chemicals and the companies dumped toxic waste where it could get into the ground water. It's the rest of the world that needs to come up to our environmental safety and minimum wage laws, not the other way around.
Don't hold your breath waiting. That's exactly the reason why business went over there to begin with.
I sincerely don't understand why anyone would want to go back to a time when people had to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions for substandard wages. I just don't get it.
If you look at history you will see wages in the U.S. were raising at a faster rate in the mid and late 1800s than at any other point in history. That is before unions and minimum wage laws. All minimum wage laws do is destroy entry level jobs. They don't help anyone.
Yoou could eliminate every safety regulation on the books right now and safety standards would not go down. First, companies don't want their workers hurt or injured. Second, companies buy insurance. Those insurance companies do safety audits. Companies will not be able to carry insurance if they provide unsafe working conditions. What OSHA forces comapnies to do is spend money and time needlessly. The comapnies already take care of this stuff. I've been involved with audits from the government and private insurance companies. The private folk do a much better and extensive job.
Environmental laws should be limited to "Thou shall not dump waste on anothers property" and "Thou shall not dump waste into public property such as rivers" Again, I have been involved with enviromental audits. All this forced recylcling and energy "efficient" equipment do is force companies to spend money they don't need to spend. Most of them hurt the environment more than help, but that's another thread.
All this stuff does is forces companies to slow production to make up for costs. Once production is slowed then they have to let people go. The only other options are to move where the extra cost isn't forced upon them or go out of business.
The same applys to taxation and minimum wage laws. Add extra cost to a business and they will slow production, move overseas or go out of business. Contrary to popular belief, they cannot pass the cost on to the consumer. It's also why freakin' healthcare costs so damn much. Govt regulation. Only they can pass the cost along.
It really simple. The quickest and cheapest economic transaction involves 2 people. In this case, employer and employee. Anytime you add a 3rd party (government) costs go up. Everytime. The employer and employee must then adjust their behavior to limit those outside costs. If that means moving to Mexico then so be it.
Until people understand that simple concept we will continue to lose jobs here making sure everyone is "safe" and paid a "living" wage and all this other nonsesne.
If you look around there is always work to be done. There is always someone willing to pay someone to do the work. And there is always someone willing to do the work. But the work doesn't get done? That's because there is a 3rd party invovled that makes that work ost prohibitive. If we the feds out of the way we would zero percent unemployment in this country at almost all times. Rarely would anyone go without being able to find work. Of course, that work gets more expensive when you have to sit there and fill out form after form about what your gender and ethnicity is. Like that has a damn thing to do with work.
I'm wondering if it's because transportation costs are so high--local production may be more competitive now, plus we've had friends involved in out-sourcing manufacturing and services overseas, and the quality hasn't been great--they've decided to explore US sources. Just because something looks cheaper on paper doesn't mean it's the best thing for a business. This is terrific news!
And these companies relocating back to the U.S.-are they paying Americans a lower wage than before, knowing that many Americans who've been out of work will take whatever they can get?
Our local unemplyment rate dipped a little bit, down to 9.6% from 9.9% for August 2010. Not much, and it was influenced by people who stopped looking for work. We're at least treading water and not getting worse.
Home construction is still WAY down, there is some increase in retail. Areas that should be hiring, health care, aren't.
Low-paying jobs don't necessarily mean factory jobs. Factory jobs can only come back when demand for what's being manufactured comes back, and demand is felt when people start buying things again. That's what we're seeing here, not a trend towards low-paying jobs because of a bad economy, but a return to manufacturing goods.
oh come on..don;'t you understand economics...all of those blue collar workers are going to hire people..that's why we keep funneling money to SEIU and the union bosses...created or saved a billion jobs...brilliant...
If you look at history you will see wages in the U.S. were raising at a faster rate in the mid and late 1800s than at any other point in history. That is before unions and minimum wage laws. All minimum wage laws do is destroy entry level jobs. They don't help anyone.
I'd prefer not to go back to working conditions from the 1800s, thanks all the same.
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Originally Posted by OhioIstheBest
Yoou could eliminate every safety regulation on the books right now and safety standards would not go down. First, companies don't want their workers hurt or injured. Second, companies buy insurance. Those insurance companies do safety audits. Companies will not be able to carry insurance if they provide unsafe working conditions.
Ok, that's just silly. If that were the case, then today, right now, there would be no companies providing unsafe or unsanitary working conditions. I mean, they've got both insurance companies and government regulations overseeing their workplace environments. So tell me why there are thousands of cases of health and safety violations still happening in businesses all across this country.
Insurance companies don't have a vested interest in maintaining the health and well-being of employees or citizens who live around businesses that might pollute or destroy the environment. Their only interest is in making money. Farmer's doesn't come out and inspect my car to ensure it's road-worthy before I can drive it. But if I don't maintain it and I have an accident as a result, they'll pay out, then jack up my rates and go right on taking my premiums without concerning themselves with my car's actual condition.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioIstheBest
What OSHA forces comapnies to do is spend money and time needlessly. The comapnies already take care of this stuff. I've been involved with audits from the government and private insurance companies. The private folk do a much better and extensive job.
Companies don't already take care of this stuff. Where on earth would you get an idea like that? If they did, we wouldn't have just had millions of eggs recalled because of salmonella due to grotesque health and safety violations at the processing facilities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioIstheBest
It really simple. The quickest and cheapest economic transaction involves 2 people. In this case, employer and employee. Anytime you add a 3rd party (government) costs go up. Everytime. The employer and employee must then adjust their behavior to limit those outside costs. If that means moving to Mexico then so be it.
Until people understand that simple concept we will continue to lose jobs here making sure everyone is "safe" and paid a "living" wage and all this other nonsesne.
Forgive me if I don't consider keeping people safe and paying a living wage to be nonsense. And the fact that companies are willing to move operations to foreign countries that don't care about employee or environmental safeguards, proves their unscrupulousness. If they're willing to subject their employees to those conditions outside this country, then they'd be just as willing to do so in this country if we removed the regulations -- insurance companies be damned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioIstheBest
If you look around there is always work to be done. There is always someone willing to pay someone to do the work. And there is always someone willing to do the work. But the work doesn't get done? That's because there is a 3rd party invovled that makes that work ost prohibitive. If we the feds out of the way we would zero percent unemployment in this country at almost all times. Rarely would anyone go without being able to find work. Of course, that work gets more expensive when you have to sit there and fill out form after form about what your gender and ethnicity is. Like that has a damn thing to do with work.
Sorry about the dissertation. LOLs.
What do you mean the work doesn't get done? Are you seriously saying that OSHA regulations control 100% of employment statistics? That just doesn't even make any sense.
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