Apple hires 800 at $8/hr

[rsallen]

The first I remember seeing that aggressive business model was Nike.
They were making and selling high priced sneakers, but they were making them in the USA. Then they moved their manufacturing off shore to cheap labor and continued to sell the sneakers for the same high prices.

 

[NoTrespassing]

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Crazy that we compete with 30 cents/hr. wages from China. Import tariffs is the answer.

To me, it's interesting how some people are such advocates of MUCH higher minumum wages for USA workers, and then in the same breath push for tariffs/vats. I guess it's just nationalism, but I can't help thinking about the workers in third world countries that will be starving when the tariffs/vats put companies out of business.

Kevin

 

[houstonscott]

To me, it's interesting how some people are such advocates of MUCH higher minumum wages for USA workers, and then in the same breath push for tariffs/vats. I guess it's just nationalism, but I can't help thinking about the workers in third world countries that will be starving when the tariffs/vats put companies out of business. Kevin

Those third world countries could get off their butt and do the same thing we did in America, not feeling sorry for any of them, the could copy our model at anytime and feed themselves. HS

 

[NoTrespassing]

Those third world countries could get off their butt and do the same thing we did in America, not feeling sorry for any of them, the could copy our model at anytime and feed themselves. HS

I guess I just have a slightly different perspective having married and fathered a child with a woman from one of those third world countries. My compassion isn't limited to people born in this country as it once was. In fact, having witnessed third world poverty firsthand, I probably have more empathy for the poor in third world countries than I do for the so called poor in the US.

Kevin

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for your post Kevin.

 

[houstonscott]

I guess I just have a slightly different perspective having married and fathered a child with a woman from one of those third world countries. My compassion isn't limited to people born in this country as it once was. In fact, having witnessed third world poverty firsthand, I probably have more empathy for the poor in third world countries than I do for the so called poor in the US. Kevin

I would have to agree with you, on empathy, but the model is clearly there to copy by others, and prosper. Where your wife is from is meaningless to ones compassion. May increase your interest in a particular place in the world but doesn't give a better understanding of empathy for a people. HS

 

[NoTrespassing]

I would have to agree with you, on empathy, but the model is clearly there to copy by others, and prosper. Where your wife is from is meaningless to ones compassion. May increase your interest in a particular place in the world but doesn't give a better understanding of empathy for a people. HS

Let me put it this way, I didn't have a good understand of what true poverty was all about until I experienced it first hand. When I was a young boy we would donate to the poor in third world countries and hear stories about life there but it's nothing like living there for weeks at a time.

The Philippines has a form of government that's almost an exact copy of the US but I think the vast natural resourses of the US gives it a distinct advantage.

Which brings me back to the fact that I'm not in favor of tariffs in most cases short of product dumping by companies supported by foreign governments. The US government relied on tariffs to fund itself as a fledgling country but those days a long gone in my opinion.

Kevin

 

[farmgirl19]

As doctors and nurses always say, you have to take care of yourself, before you can take care of others. If the USA doesn't take care of their own, there will be nothing to share and give to the other countries.

 

[dave1949]

Those third world countries could get off their butt and do the same thing we did in America, not feeling sorry for any of them, the could copy our model at anytime and feed themselves. HS

I really hope they don't do that. As far as I know all of the past empires and long-lasting civilizations achieved their longevity and greatness by militarily and economically dominating those around them. We have at least one thousand years of existence yet to be lived before we could be compared with those former great civilizations. You think Texas will go another thousand years without seceding?

The effects on those being dominated are generally culturally and resource severe, and long-lasting. The Philippines could be a modern case in point. They were dominated by the Spanish as a colony, and then by the US following the Spanish American War in 1898. You can read a brief history here: Spanish

 

[houstonscott]

I really hope they don't do that. As far as I know all of the past empires and long-lasting civilizations achieved their longevity and greatness by militarily and economically dominating those around them. We have at least one thousand years of existence yet to be lived before we could be compared with those former great civilizations. You think Texas will go another thousand years without seceding? The effects on those being dominated are generally culturally and resource severe, and long-lasting. The Philippines could be a modern case in point. They were dominated by the Spanish as a colony, and then by the US following the Spanish American War in 1898. You can read a brief history here: Spanish

I would give Texas better odds today than the Union. HS

 

[dave1949]

I would give Texas better odds today than the Union. HS

Well, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either we go on to have a cohesive and long-lasting nation civilization, or we break up and don't.

 

[300UGUY]

What is often overlooked is automation. Companies, especially big ones, can leverage automation to decrease costs (and employment) while bumping up their profits (and bonuses). A smaller company cannot take advantage of automation to the same extent due to capital costs. This automation has really scaled up the last decade and has cost many people their jobs.

Big business used to have more of a social contract with employees and their country than they do now. Companies are not really 'American' anymore; they are global companies that have patriotism to their return on capital and profits. The S&P 500 gets about 45% of revenue abroad. They will always chase cheap labor abroad unless it costs them otherwise.

Walmart creates a monopoly at the local level by driving out smaller businesses. So they have a lot of leverage over the local labor market, among other things. I have to wonder if this is really capitalism (at the local level anyway). It is not a good situation for the labor market, but it is for the consumer looking for a cheap product (if said consumer has a job).

And then there is the saying "the problem with capitalism is there is not enough capitalists left". That is where we are headed with all the mergers and acquisitions. This hurts the job market because you don't have two payroll depts, two marketing depts etc. The merged companies only need one of these departments and that increases their leverage in the marketplace.

I think you brought up 2 good points:

1) Automation. 35 years of working in factories, watching macines getting more productive every day. Factory budgets are set up to reduce costs every year. Usually that means fewer workers. If you boss tess you that they need to be more competitive, look out, somebody is gonna get screwed.

2) Until the 80's, the government used anti trust laws to keep any one company from dominating any market segment. Then we got "tricle down" economics, and Wallmart killed off Sears, Monkey Wards, and thousands of small merchants.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I think you brought up 2 good points:

1) Automation. 35 years of working in factories, watching macines getting more productive every day. Factory budgets are set up to reduce costs every year. Usually that means fewer workers. If you boss tess you that they need to be more competitive, look out, somebody is gonna get screwed.

2) Until the 80's, the government used anti trust laws to keep any one company from dominating any market segment. Then we got "tricle down" economics, and Wallmart killed off Sears, Monkey Wards, and thousands of small merchants.

Where would we be without innovation and automation? I'd still be drafting with pencil and paper, laying out holes with bluing, a scribe, and center punch.

I wouldn't say Walmart killed off Sears or Monkey Wards. I'd say they didn't keep up with the times. Target seems to be doing ok. Meijer, although they're a smaller company, is competing head to head with Walmart too. In the news this week there were several reports of retailers closing down multiple stores that don't compete with Walmart, rather they're losing to Amazon and other online retailers.

Kevin

 

[300UGUY]

Where would we be without innovation and automation? I'd still be drafting with pencil and paper, laying out holes with bluing, a scribe, and center punch.

I wouldn't say Walmart killed off Sears or Monkey Wards. I'd say they didn't keep up with the times. Target seems to be doing ok. Meijer, although they're a smaller company, is competing head to head with Walmart too. In the news this week there were several reports of retailers closing down multiple stores that don't compete with Walmart, rather they're losing to Amazon and other online retailers.

Kevin

I'm not against new technology, just there isn't anybody keeping one player from running others out of biz. We are going back to the era of the "Trusts". Meijer is a Michigan company, and are privately held. They treat employees much better than Wallmart, but the only reason they have survived is that they are privately held, family run. No mercenary execs, corporate raiders, or venture capitalists to deal with.

And maybe Amazon becomes the dominant hard goods seller, and wallmart the biggest grocery store? Costco is doing ok, but they are having problems lately.

 

[ultrarunner]

Where would we be without innovation and automation? I'd still be drafting with pencil and paper, laying out holes with bluing, a scribe, and center punch.

I wouldn't say Walmart killed off Sears or Monkey Wards. I'd say they didn't keep up with the times. Target seems to be doing ok. Meijer, although they're a smaller company, is competing head to head with Walmart too. In the news this week there were several reports of retailers closing down multiple stores that don't compete with Walmart, rather they're losing to Amazon and other online retailers.

Kevin

I didn't leave Sears, Wards or JC Penny... they left me.

Don't shop Walmart... I do think Target has good value and the Targets and Costco stores are always busy.

I've visited Walmart because TBN members have said good things about tractor fluids and such... none of my Walmarts carry it...

 

[Grateful11]

I've searched high and low for some sorta reference to anything relating to Apple hiring 800 or 800 at $8.00 an hour and other combinations and the only thing that comes up is this thread. I believe this is just another smear campaign from an Apple hater. Even if it is true what's wrong with starting off at $8/hour? No one is holding a gun to anyone's head making them take a job at $8/hour. If you have the skills most anyone can make more. I started off as a Machinist Apprentice at $8/hr over 30 years ago but I had 2 years of Tech school beforehand.

 

[Alan L.]

Apple and Walmart, I won't shop at either, period. Human Beings are treated as slave labor to serve the masses who love the cheap deal.

You hit the nail on the head. You don't like a company's policies don't buy their product.

 

[Grateful11]

Since when is anything Apple, "the cheap deal"?

Where do you folks buy your clothes and shoes? Do think they're made one piece at a time by someones grandma?

This whole thread is laughable at best.