Posted on 12/12/2005 1:22:19 PM PST by ncountylee
BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Whirlpool Corp. said Monday it would dismiss about 730 workers at an Arkansas plant once a replacement factory in Mexico is operational.
The Michigan-based company recently built a refrigerator plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, to produce side-by-side refrigerator-freezer models, beginning in 2006. The Mexican plant will employ 1,000 workers.
Once the Ramos Arizpe facility is operational, about 730 employees at Whirlpool's Fort Smith, Ark., plant will be part of a layoff, currently planned for October 2006. Some models now made in Fort Smith will be shifted to the new Mexican plant, Whirlpool said.
"Whirlpool currently anticipates that the vast majority of the layoffs will be voluntary and many of those employees would be recalled within 18 months, as part of the normal attrition rate at the Fort Smith facility," said a statement by the company, which is buying Iowa-based Maytag Corp.
..yeah, and thats just to stick on the energy rating stickers
Doogle
Sounds like Whirlpool wants to survive, consumers want to pay less. It could be a conspiracy between manufacturers and consumers to destroy America. No one would have ever suspected.
Our last washing machine was a whirlpool. What a POS! I will never buy whirlpool again! My present one is a GE, and it works fine since new about 3 years ago............
So Perot's "Giant Sucking Sound" is actually a "Giant Swirling Sound"?
So sad and I really liked Whirlpool products. No More!!!
That's ok. The economy is adding about 30,000 new jobs a week.
The cost of labor to produce these machines will probably drop by 2/3rd. as Whirlpool wont pay the Mexicans much, But I wouldnt look for the money they save to be passed on to the consumer. Also the first year will be used teaching Mexicans to do the job right, Dont buy one of these Mexican machines till they work out the manufacturing bugs.
I dont know the answer to this :but how much would you bet that even though these people who will work building these machines for Whirlpool if they crossed the border,would still make more money in the US picking tomatoes.
The US economy is exporting the low-paying low-skill jobs. Meanwhile, tax cuts are causing the US economy to create 200,000 higher paying jobs per month!
" The economy is adding about 30,000 new jobs a week."
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
"Nonfarm employment.......| 133,429| 133,969| 134,030|p134,074|p134,289| p215
Goods-producing(1).....| 22,134| 22,152| 22,164| p22,218| p22,268| p50
Construction.........| 7,217| 7,262| 7,284| p7,319| p7,356| p37
Manufacturing........| 14,292| 14,258| 14,244| p14,259| p14,270| p11
Service-providing(1)...| 111,295| 111,817| 111,866|p111,856|p112,021| p165
Retail trade(2)......| 15,180| 15,221| 15,183| p15,186| p15,194| p9
Professional and | | | | | |
business services..| 16,867| 16,995| 17,037| p17,043| p17,072| p29
Education and health | | | | | |
services...........| 17,289| 17,417| 17,455| p17,445| p17,481| p36
Leisure and | | | | | |
hospitality........| 12,741| 12,798| 12,762| p12,748| p12,777| p29
Government...........| 21,753| 21,841| 21,856| p21,851| p21,872| p21
|________|________|________|________|________|_______
I don't think this looks healthy.
You're right, the formatting is a mess
Free Traitors!
And how many of those are outside the government?
Terrible loss for 730 Americans who should now focus on updating their skills for next century. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans who would now by cheaper-Whirlpool product, would save millions, and that money can be spent on higher quality of life, or making investments, which by its nature creates more opportunities including jobs.
Circle of Life!
Cheers!
Conversely if tariffs were higher they might not want to leave! but without the magic of free trade how would we function... Besides we are not entitled to any job period.
Nor is Whirlpool entitled to freely export jobs to Mexico so they can send crap back here sans an import tax...
Yeah I suppose these workers were greedy b@stards same as the Delphi workers who are being busted down from $26/hour to $12/hour. Come on Freeper union busters! Here is your thread to tell us how much you despise unions, how Americans should accept slave wages.
Most of those jobs are not low-wage or low-skills. For all of the new jobs last quarter, most were either in government or service industries and were low-wage, low-skill. If enough companies like Whirlpool do this how many of the now lower paid american workers are going to be able to afford their products? Packing manufacturing and the related expertise as well as high tech jobs off to countries like Mexico and China might not be in our best interest. Mexico and certainly China are not our friends. Back in the 40s and 50s american companies bought into running a lot of operations including oil and steel overseas. It didn't take long for those countries to nationalize operations and equipment as soon as they became profitable. No american company operating in a foreign country is safe from having their assets siezed in the name of the masses and the greater good of the host countries.
Whats this make, 40,000 laid off in Michigan in the past month?
"Terrible loss for 730 Americans who should now focus on updating their skills for next century. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
This is one of the reasons why the GOP is going to be slaughtered in 2006.
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