Solyndra - lock out this morning

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 03:27 PM
  #31  
Overbear's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,856
From: San Leandro, CA
Car Info: Forester XTi
Originally Posted by wrxBRAH
lolwut how do you expect people to live in california if they were forced to work jobs at 2$ an hour overbear?

you need x dollars an hour to pay your rent, food and transportation.
If you don't have the skill, or brains to negociate a good term for yourself, then don't live in CA, simple as that.

Why is it a biz's job to make sure you get paid X wage? Why is it any goverments right to demand a company pay people XX wage above the median norm? Its not, and its bull**** like minium wage laws that have sent our jobs overseas and why we have 10% unemployment.

If a company can't afford to have a factory here, they move where its cheeper.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 03:41 PM
  #32  
FW Motorsports's Avatar
iClub Silver Vendor
iTrader: (25)
 
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 15,494
From: Participating in some Anarchy!
Car Info: 2005 LGT wagon
Originally Posted by Overbear
If you don't have the skill, or brains to negociate a good term for yourself, then don't live in CA, simple as that.

Why is it a biz's job to make sure you get paid X wage? Why is it any goverments right to demand a company pay people XX wage above the median norm? Its not, and its bull**** like minium wage laws that have sent our jobs overseas and why we have 10% unemployment.

If a company can't afford to have a factory here, they move where its cheeper.
I disagree...if you're an American company that sells products in the US but has the majority of your product made overseas, GTFO.

A country can not survive if every one is a consumer.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 04:10 PM
  #33  
pho_shizzle's Avatar
Registered User
iTrader: (17)
 
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,542
From: SLZ
Car Info: MY00 GC6 BRP
Originally Posted by Overbear
"Green" tech is bull**** and that fact is finaly comming home to roost.

So called "Green" companies are going to start to fail left and right, this is just the first of many, many to come. CA is finaly going to pay for its arogant socalist ways.

So terrible that many other bay area citizens are now losing their jobs. I remember how fast the plant got built up and now its going down so quick......



But yea its true...... "Being Green" and "Green" companies are all bull****. But a job is a job..
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 04:33 PM
  #34  
Lowend's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,301
From: San Jose, CA
Car Info: http://kiva.org/invitedby/brett4254
Overbear... I'm guessing you enjoy Health Insurance, Workers Comp Coverage, Regular working hours with some form of overtime pay. I'm betting you really like having a well lit workplace that provides heat in the winter and AC in the summer.

Go ahead and thank the Unions for all of those benefits.

You wanna know what it would be like in this country without Unions to protect worker's and create standards for employment; take a look at the folks picking Strawberry's in Watsonville right now.

BTW where is it written that being a Socialist (which I don't consider myself) is un-American? Capitalism is not in the Constitution.

Last edited by Lowend; Aug 31, 2011 at 04:36 PM.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 04:49 PM
  #35  
cyyeo's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 648
From: Santa Cruz, California
Here is a great short article about what went wrong.
What went wrong at Solyndra - Term Sheet
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 04:57 PM
  #36  
Lowend's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,301
From: San Jose, CA
Car Info: http://kiva.org/invitedby/brett4254
Quote for Obama Bashers

DOE loan guarantee (which, notably was initiated during the Bush administration)
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 05:06 PM
  #37  
OneManArmy's Avatar
General Pimpin'
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,019
From: Knee deep in beer. subabrew crew, ca.
Car Info: MY04 aspen wrx wagon.
Originally Posted by Lowend
You wanna know what it would be like in this country without Unions to protect worker's and create standards for employment; take a look at the folks picking Strawberry's in Watsonville right now.
Just a side note... I happen to see them EVERYDAY. I've lived near or IN the fields right now. I currently live IN.... yes IN the fields and drive by them every day.

Not sure how much you've read on past and current migrant worker protection and rights?

There are quite a few people fighting for and gaining different rights currently. There is actually a program where you can go work as a field worker if you want... something like the take my job initiative. The current thought process is that no one else would take those jobs and they are terrible jobs to have... I don't agree AT ALL. And I'm not gonna go running off in to my personal views of what's going on in that industry.


So back on topic...

They have onsite restrooms (Cleaned Daily) delivered on site daily. They also have sinks with hand lotion and cleaner supplied. They are allowed to bring chairs for REQUIRED breaks and most places have some form of shade set up these days and/or people have their cars there.

Mind you many of them choose NOT to use these restrooms and instead snag the TP out of them and take ****s in the river beds.



My wife's mom and nana both picked the fields.


But I agree with you. Unions 100% have a place in this country. Are they in places they do not belong and involved in things they should not be involved in... ABSOLUTELY. Anything driven by money and power is going to be corrupt and designed to benefit those on top first.

Side note.... the union cost me about $60,000 in wages.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 05:41 PM
  #38  
OneManArmy's Avatar
General Pimpin'
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,019
From: Knee deep in beer. subabrew crew, ca.
Car Info: MY04 aspen wrx wagon.
Originally Posted by Krinkov
this exactly, like I said, we've painted ourselves into a corner
Agreed.

We are in a position in this country where it is not o.k. to be proud to be an american. We are not proud to be from this country and we are not proud of the work we do in this country.

Toss in the fact that stock value and upper level greed with a leaning toward pay me now screw what happens in 5 years and we're screwed. We allow countries to sell their crap here with no agreements on them selling our goods and without enough taxes. You want to buy something made in america anywhere else in the world and it costs MORE than the local product. That's how it should be. It promotes a buy local attitude.

Untaxed outsourcing, tax cuts, government funding...etc etc etc.

Why would a company want to keep the work force domestic when they can do it outside the country for less? Why would they stay in California when they can do it in Idaho for half?


Excuse the scatter brained. I had to stop mid thought and go to a meeting. LOL!

We've gotten to the point where something drastic has to happen and no one is willing to do it because the issues are not hurting the ones that make the decisions. The rich are still getting richer.



I think it's just crazy. We have excellent production quality and value in this country if people would just look at the long term benefits over the bottom dollar now...

Example.

My old room mate works at a machine shop. One of the best. They do tons of medical equipment and what not. Someone comes to them for a quote and they say... yeah that'll be $17,000 a unit. They say... well I can get it for $10,000 in denmark. Machine shop says... we can't do it for that. We can do it for $15,500 and at that we're barely covering cost. O.K. We'll go to Denmark.

Said parts get produce in Denmark using lower tolerances and lower quality standards over all. That $10,000 part comes to $13,000 after shipping and handling. Still seems like a savings, right?

Sure... until 1/3 of the parts are damaged in shipping and 1/3rd don't pass the quality standards needed by the medical company having the cat scans built and 1/3rd break.

So now all of those have to be repaired and/or rebuilt. So they have to go back to my old room mates machine shop and have the repairs/replacements done.

His machine shop looses out on the larger part of the business but still makes some money. The greedy bastards that outsourced just paid $22,000 for a $17,000 part.

But he they saved money up front right.




That happens in every industry all over the country.




Then you look at the lack of any kind of patent law in many of these new production companies including China and India and those companies save money until the home company reproduces the exact same piece of equipment under a different company name and imports it and sells it for half because the country that originally built the part had to pay for patents, and pay taxes where the chinese one does not. And if someone is paying $79 for a DVD player from china that's exactly the same as the one from the US for $189 then they figure... oh well if it breaks. By the time it breaks I'll be ready for new technology anyways.




Circle circle circle circle.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 06:19 PM
  #39  
moosehed's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 19
From: San Jose, CA
Car Info: WRX 2002
Originally Posted by Lowend

Go ahead and thank the Unions for all of those benefits.
You do know that employers want to attract and keep talent right? I'd wager they don't do that by providing sub-human working conditions...
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 06:27 PM
  #40  
brucelee's Avatar
Friendly Neighborhood Ogre
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 19,930
From: www.gunatics.com
Car Info: GUNATICS.COM
Originally Posted by moosehed
You do know that employers want to attract and keep talent right? I'd wager they don't do that by providing sub-human working conditions...
I agree that some extraordinary companies such as Google and myface do a lot to keep their talent but that is NOT the case with most jobs.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 07:54 PM
  #41  
ldivinag's Avatar
03.23.67 - 06.14.13
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 8,495
From: N37 39* W122 3*
from 2007 to around 2009 the company lost close to $450 million.

so why would anyone throw another $500 mill into it?

oh right. the billionaire CEO donated tons of $$$ during the 2008 election to... Obammy.

green jobs... gotta love 'em.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 08:45 PM
  #42  
Snoopy408's Avatar
Registered User
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,624
From: San Jose
Car Info: 2001 Acura TL - 2016.5 Mazda CX-5
Originally Posted by Lowend
The playing field isn't level...
When China manipulates the value of their currency AND excuses all Environmental regulations... of course they can produce cheaper.

Unions don't have that much to do with it. Union membership is at an all-time low, and so is American Manufacturing. Think about this: Do you want to be treated like the average Chinese worker? ... Than we need Unions
I have a friend that currently works in Shanghai at Foxcon. Foxcon is the company that apple outsources some of the manufacturing of their products such as the iPhone.
The company buys all of the buildings around their factory and turns them in to basically dorms for the workers to live in. The workers work 7 days a week and usually 10-12 hours a day.
The working conditions are so bad there that suicide is a real problem. They had to install nets on the buildings on every few floors to catch people who try to jump from the buildings. One actually tried what my friend who works their calls "the leap of faith" a couple of days ago but was caught by the net.

There is no way that American companies can compete with this sort of labor, its sad for solyndra but its going to be happening more and more often.
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 09:02 PM
  #43  
antonch's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 276
From: SF, CA
Car Info: 06 STI
So sad...
Old Aug 31, 2011 | 09:11 PM
  #44  
iLoqin's Avatar
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,826
From: No Way
Car Info: Nadda
Way to fail. California's so awesome for business!



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:58 AM.