Ikea's Third World outsourcing adventure -- in the U.S

Overheal

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Reminds me of Nickel & Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich's book about how it isn't possible to live on a minimum wage job in the USA.

Didn't that - oddly, American guy - do that in Ireland though? He made a whole television series about it in around 2002-2004, I can't remember the name of it though. He was a comedian and he took a bunch of minimum wage Irish jobs and essentially concluded the same thing

edit: Des Bishop Work Experience (Irish raised in NYC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QOeC5Aj0gY

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

OP, what are you? When are you leaving our planet to return home? Will it be soon? Please?

Killer Wench

Hookah wrote: »

In Sweden, IKEA plant workers start at $19/hr, get 5 weeks vacation and are unionized. In Danville VA, they start at $8/hr and get 12 days vacation (8 picked by IKEA), have mandatory overtime and required meetings discouraging union membership. (reddit)

I'd imagine this is the reason.

I wonder what the average house costs in Sweden? Or, in Dublin.

Wow, would you look at this. I could get a three bedroom/two bath house for 20K in the Danville, VA.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-Detail/827-Paxton-St_Danville_VA_24541_M51470-75993?ex=VA527284810&cmid=1107219&source=web

Overheal

thats nothing, if you want to pay the paperwork and taxes you can get a house in detroit for $1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/02/detroit-homes-mortgage-foreclosures-80

gargleblaster

Another thing that must be considered is the social safety net.

Things really are different in the US. It's not just the fact that you don't have health insurance unless you can pay for it. There is also little to nothing in the way of housing assistance, and food assistance is hard to get as well. Hunger is a growing problem.

Killer Wench

Overheal wrote: »

thats nothing, if you want to pay the paperwork and taxes you can get a house in detroit for $1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/02/detroit-homes-mortgage-foreclosures-80

Yep, HUD has been advertising $1 homes from other parts of the country on their site. There's even some program about buying your neighbor's property for them or something like that.

Regardless, there is some dude in Danville, VA who will be making enough to support a mortgage on a decent house thanks to IKEA.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Reminds me of Nickel & Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich's book about how it isn't possible to live on a minimum wage job in the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_Beginnings

"During his first 70 days in Charleston, Shepard lived in a shelter and received food stamps. He also made new friends, finding work as a day laborer, which led to a steady job with a moving company. Ten months into the experiment, he decided to quit after learning of an illness in his family. But by then he had moved into an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and had saved close to $5,000."[2]

gargleblaster

Is anyone reading the links?

From the OP:

"What's more, as many as one-third of the workers at the Danville plant have been drawn from local temporary-staffing agencies. These workers receive even lower wages and no benefits, employees said."


From the piece about the super-duper deals in Detroit:

"Technically, Brumit paid $95 for the land and $5 for the house on Lawley Street – which fitted what estate agents euphemistically call an opportunity.

Brumit said: "It had a big hole in the roof from the fire department putting out the last of two arson attempts. Both previous owners tried to set it on fire to get out of the mortgages. So there's a big hole about 24ft long and the plumbing had almost entirely been ripped out and most of the electrics too. It was basically a smoke damaged, structurally intact shell with a snowdrift in the attic.""

And the reason Detroit properties are so cheap is because there are no jobs.

No jobs + little to no social safety net? Sign me up!

HavingCrack

Whiteonion also believes the drinking age should be raised to 25 and in putting heavy taxes on sugar to make us healthier......:rolleyes:, he clearly worships the nanny state, whats the point in debating.

ScumLord

America is the largest exporter of renewable timber in the world. Makes sense to put your furniture factory there.

I wouldn't think they have the highest quality workers but most of the products will be made by machine so it's not really much pf an issue.

Overheal

gargleblaster wrote: »

No jobs + little to no social safety net? Sign me up!

Then whats that Unemployment cheque I was collecting at the start of the year

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_Beginnings

It's on my shelf; a good read. I give him props for going to that staffing agency, they sounded like pricks. I think it might have even been the same agency I almost went through before I thought better of it.

gargleblaster

Overheal wrote: »

Then whats that Unemployment cheque I was collecting at the start of the year

I said "little to no" safety net. I didn't claim there wasn't one at all.

Overheal

Child Labor in the US:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUcpCB7Wls8

lcrcboy

InTheTrees wrote: »

Dude? he's bashing IKEA...

Dont be so sensitive.

if you were reading what he posted he said America is slipping into a third world country, but beside that its a few other lads on here having a bash at the states. Im not being sensitive to it but some people here need a wake up call and need to get off the fcukin computer and buy a ticket and visit the states or anywhere else in the world instead of sitting around complaining about it all day.
Its a waste of ****ing time and the Americans dont give a **** what some island off the coast of Europe thinks.

Overheal

lcrcboy wrote: »

Its a waste of ****ing time and the Americans dont give a **** what some island off the coast of Europe thinks.

Wellllll.... only insofar as entertainment value

InTheTrees

Overheal wrote: »

Then whats that Unemployment cheque I was collecting at the start of the year

In the US you pay into an unemployment fund with every paycheck.

When/if you become unemployed you get six months of payments of around $250(?) a week. And only if you've paid into the system.

Once that six months is up the payments are over and you're on your own.

Not only that but you are also officially off the unemployment rolls. Amusing to think that if everyone in the USA was unemployed for over six months then officially there would be ZERO unemployment.

I should add that unemployment payments have mostly been extended to 18 months due to the current fiasco, but its purely a temporary measure and they'll lower t again as soon as they can.

Padkir

InTheTrees wrote: »

In the US you pay into an unemployment fund with every paycheck.

When/if you become unemployed you get six months of payments of around $250(?) a week. And only if you've paid into the system.

Once that six months is up the payments are over and you're on your own.

Not only that but you are also officially off the unemployment rolls. Amusing to think that if everyone in the USA was unemployed for over six months then officially there would be ZERO unemployment.

I should add that unemployment payments have mostly been extended to 18 months due to the current fiasco, but its purely a temporary measure and they'll lower t again as soon as they can.

That's a good idea though. Better than here anyway, where people might not bother even looking for a job if they can be indefinitely guaranteed of a decent cheque at the end of each week!

Whereas if you knew in 6 months that yo'd be living on nothing, well my guess is that you'd put a lot more effort into finding some kind of work! Not saying everyone on the dole is a scrounger, but this system is there to ensure the people who deserve it get it, and those that don't, don't!

mconigol

TheZohan wrote: »

This might explain some of the difference in wages.

No that's definitely not it! You don't get paid based on the cost of living, cmon! :rolleyes:

Overheal

InTheTrees wrote: »

In the US you pay into an unemployment fund with every paycheck.

When/if you become unemployed you get six months of payments of around $250(?) a week. And only if you've paid into the system.

Once that six months is up the payments are over and you're on your own.

Not only that but you are also officially off the unemployment rolls. Amusing to think that if everyone in the USA was unemployed for over six months then officially there would be ZERO unemployment.

I should add that unemployment payments have mostly been extended to 18 months due to the current fiasco, but its purely a temporary measure and they'll lower t again as soon as they can.

I was being facetious/sarcastic for my part but good to write that up. I happen to prefer that system as you don't ever have a situation where someone can dole off the system for years, regardless of whether they have any work ethic or not, or have made any contributions. Not saying it's an easy economy out there but people need to adapt, not head to the fetal position on the couch. Incidentally entrepreneurial rates are at a 15 year high.