Ingrates

~ susie

There was a time when American businesses actually took pride in being American businesses, employing Americans. Now that The World Is Flat, companies are in a constant game of musical chairs, seeking out the cheapest possible foreign locations to bump the price of stocks.

Even if a federal subsidy helped them bump up their first quarter profits:

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal rebates for energy-efficient appliances pulled shoppers back into stores, helping Whirlpool Corp.’s revenue rise and its first-quarter profit more than double, the company said.

Guess how Whirlpool is repaying American taxpayers for their support:

Whirlpool Corporation is shutting down a refrigerator plant in Evansville, Indiana that will put 1100 people out of work. Are they having trouble selling refrigerators in these bad economic times? No. Whirlpool is profitable and still selling plenty of refrigerators here. But they want to ship these jobs to Mexico where they can produce them cheaper and without having to respect U.S. labor and environmental regulations.

Whirlpool took $19 million in economic recovery money and now instead of helping our economy recover, it’s destroying 1100 good American jobs. The AFL-CIO has started an online petition drive telling Whirlpool to “Keep It Made In America” to save our jobs. You can find it at unionvoice.org/campaign/Evansville.

The AFL-CIO says Whirlpool should reverse its decision to keep these 1100 jobs in the U.S. and help our economic recovery. The labor federation says taxpayer economic recovery money should be used to create jobs in America, not ship them to cheap labor markets in other countries.

I know if I ever buy another refrigerator, it won’t be a Whirlpool.

Published by susie

10 thoughts on “Ingrates”

  1. Twenty-odd years ago I bought a Whirlpool refrigerator and I’ve been pleased with it. I will soon be buying a new one. Yes, it won’t now be a Whirlpool.

  2. anyone track down a whirlpool contact name — we’re going to be dishwasher shopping soon (too) and I’d like to let them know we’ll find another vendor.

  4. I distinctly remember Obama saying no more out sourcing of jobs on the campaign trail,with a proviso about tax breaks.I won’t hold my breath waiting on this promise either.

  5. Don’t buy Maytag, either…owned by Whirlpool. They moved our local plant to Mexico a couple years ago…Or Estate, also Whirlpool.

  6. Whirlpool union members in Galesburg fought the closing of their plant and the moving of their jobs to Mexico beginning before Obama ran for the US Senate.

    However, the union did ask for help. Obama went on to use their plight to reinforce the idea that he would fight to keep manufacturing jobs in the US. Alas…

    Per this article, which takes quotes from this Bob Secter, Chicago Trib article, the union people never felt Obama took very much action on their behalf.

    Despite Obama’s claims of deep concern for Galesburg’s proletarian victims, however, Maytag union members told Secter that Obama had done remarkably little to save the Galesburg workers’ jobs. Those workers belonged to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose president noted that “Obama’s support for Maytag workers was more show than substance.”

    Maytag employees and former employees were particularly rankled by Obama’s inaction because he possessed a special relationship with a leading Maytag decision-maker. Between 2003 and 2008, Obama received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the family of Lester Crown, one of Maytag’s directors and largest investors. The Crowns and employees of their family-managed holding company (Henry Crown Investments) gave at least $195,000 to Obama’s senate and presidential campaigns between 2003 and 2008. According to Crown, however, Obama never once raised the fate of Maytag’s Galesburg workers with him.

    From the ChiTrib article:

    Most of the Galesburg workers were members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose national president has complained loudly this campaign season that Obama’s support for Maytag workers was more show than substance.

    So, GE sucks, Whirlpool trashes US workers…what’s left? Serious question: My frost free frige is alternately dripping into the refrigerator section and then freezing…. Not long for serving it’s purpose?

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