Another American manufacturer is moving to Mexico!
By youdontsay
@youdontsay (3497)
United States
February 18, 2010 6:50pm CST
I learned today that Whirlpool is closing it's plant in the U.S. and building a new one in Mexico. This is disappointing news.
I've always thought Whirlpool was an all-American product that we could be proud of. I feels like a betrayal for them to take jobs out of our country in a time we most need them.
Sad.
3 people like this
6 responses
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
19 Feb 10
I think of outsourcing as a necessary evil for some companies but I also think we could cut down on a lot of it. First as some one on here already stated, give the tax credits to the companies that stay here. But also take them away from the companies that are outsourcing. Right now, we are doing it backwards and giving the credits for outsourcing.
The other solution is Health Care reform. Many smaller and midsize companies simply cannot afford to give health care and the larger ones can outsource jobs to countries where there is universal government paid health care. Many argue that the reason companies are leaving is that they can pay a lower wage elsewhere but the real culprit is the health care costs. Most American companies can afford to pay at least minimum American wages but the the straw that breaks the camel's back is the cost of healthcare premiums. They do not have those costs when they outsource the jobs.
1 person likes this
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
21 Feb 10
Actually, the countries that American companies are outsourcing to mostly have national healthcare and the employers do not have to pay for employee coverage. Bill Gates can well afford to build cricket fields for his employees in India (And he has) because India has national healthcare coverage and employers are not expected foot that bill.
One of the reasons we lag behind the world is that we don't have some national basic coverage. The argument against national healthcare seems to be that
US medicine is the best in the world under the current system. That's true but I live about ten miles outside of Philadelphia which has some of the finest teaching hospitals in the country and we are already seeing instances of hospitals treating Arab shieks flying in on private jets but refusing coverage to Philadelphians on HMOs. What good is state of the art medicine if our own people can't benefit from it?
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
19 Feb 10
Agreed!
I hadn't thought about the cost of health care premiums. In so many instances they go to countries with no or little health care and the companies don't seem to care that their employees lack the benefits.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
19 Feb 10
That is really bad news. Especially when we need to keep jobs in the USA NOT farm them out to foreign countries.
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
19 Feb 10
Yes. Yet we as consumers have to bite the bullet too if we want to keep the manufacturing here. As long as we are willing to get lower quality foreign made products for less cost it will continue.
Who among us are willing to pay a little more to have things made here in the States?
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
19 Feb 10
As long as companies believe that they are better served going out of the country, that is what they wiil do. My house is full of Whirlpool appliances right now, but if they start breaking down, which they will, I will be looking for American made products to purchase. I will do some research, you can be sure. I also dislike when you call a local place and get switched to a call center out of the country, but that is a different topic. It seems that we will soon be just a nation of consumers.
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
19 Feb 10
I, too, try to buy American made products. It gets harder and harder to find them, however.
We need to be more informed consumers, refusing to buy products that are made by sweatshops and foreign employees paid next to nothing.
We need to be more informed consumers, refusing to buy products that are made by sweatshops and foreign employees paid next to nothing.
@mslena75 (561)
• United States
19 Feb 10
That is disappointing...there go yet MORE jobs that we need with our sky high unemployment rate. Companies have to look at their bottom lines, just as a household has a budget. I really wish the government would give tax breaks to companies for keeping jobs here.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
19 Feb 10
I've always felt the same way about Whirlpool and agree that this is very disturbing news. I sincerely hope that Americans stop buying their products and that Whirlpool regrets this decision in the long run. I know that I won't purchase anything they make.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
19 Feb 10
Thanks for the info Lamby. I guess I'll have to be veeery careful the next time I have to replace an appliance.
1 person likes this
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
19 Feb 10
Maybe the company is hit by the crisis so it is moving its operations to a place where everything is lowkey including the cost of manpower. It probably has to make this move in order to survive. Otherwise, it is going to close like many other businesses.
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
19 Feb 10
I understand the increased cost of doing business these days. But I believe that it has more to do with increasing their profit without thoughts about their employees.
