American Factory

[wdfifteen]

https://www.netflix.com/title/81090071

Netflix movie made by a couple of local film makers.
Very interesting.
I'll reserve comment for now.

[Zeke]

Shades of Michael Moore?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Shades of Michael Moore?

Watch it without prejudging it.

[Hugh R]

I saw it on netflix advertised, I'll look at in the next day or two.

[scott540]

Watched it the other day. Thought it was ok. Interesting for sure

[island911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Watch it without prejudging it.

He wasn't prejudging. He was asking a question.

Certainly the trailer begs that question.

Read it again w/o prejudging.

[drkshdw]

Watched it this afternoon. Interesting insight into Chinese vs American way of doing things. And the morals and values each culture has. But in the end it just proves that it doesn't matter what side you're on it's all about money, control and power and who wants it and/or thinks they deserve it.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by island911

He wasn't prejudging. He was asking a question.
:

And I stated in the OP that I would reserve comment.
I’d like to discuss it with people who have seen it. Lots of fodder for discussion among open minds here.

[SeanPizzle]

Went from making 29 an hour with GM to 11 an hour at China Glass, Inc.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by SeanPizzle

Went from making 29 an hour with GM to 11 an hour at China Glass, Inc.

What they didn't mention is why Chairman decided to invest into an American factory. Is it because they know the value American's place on the 'Made in the USA' label? Or are they realizing it's cheaper to make stuff here with Chinese labor under the guise of providing them with 'opportunity' instead of shipping it from overseas? Which brings up another thing they left out of the doc...how much they're paying the Chinese laborers they brought over to work there.

[wdfifteen]

There were 2200 Americans working at the plant and 200 Chinese. Few if any of the Chinese were laborers. They were management and supervisory personnel.
One reason they invested here was $10 million in tax incentives from Dayton and the state of Ohio.
My observations are several. Chinese workers in China are trained to be robots and don’t have lives in the sense of being human that we recognize. Going home to visit your family twice a year? That’s productive but inhumane by our standards.
US workers are work slow, waste time, and are not invested in the success of their company. I’ve witnessed this first hand. The most salient statement in the whole comparison of workers is “Chinese workers come to the plant to make glass. US workers come to make money.”
There is a lot to unpack in this film.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

There were 2200 Americans working at the plant and 200 Chinese. Few if any of the Chinese were laborers. They were management and supervisory personnel.
One reason they invested here was $10 million in tax incentives from Dayton and the state of Ohio.
My observations are several. Chinese workers in China are trained to be robots and don’t have lives in the sense of being human that we recognize. Going home to visit your family twice a year? That’s productive but inhumane by our standards.
US workers are work slow, waste time, and are not invested in the success of their company. I’ve witnessed this first hand. The most salient statement in the whole comparison of workers is “Chinese workers come to the plant to make glass. US workers come to make money.”
There is a lot to unpack in this film.

I think this country (the US) is reaping that which has been sewn for generations now. It's a big f'n mess.

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

US workers are work slow, waste time, and are not invested in the success of their company. I’ve witnessed this first hand.

Awfully wide paint brush.

I haven't seen the doc.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

Awfully wide paint brush.

I haven't seen the doc.

It’s an appropriate brush for this one place. Watch the movie.

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

It’s an appropriate brush for this one place. Watch the movie.

You weren't just talking about this one facility. You said you had seen it first hand,. American workers are slow, waste time, and not invested.

That is not always the case.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

There were 2200 Americans working at the plant and 200 Chinese. Few if any of the Chinese were laborers. They were management and supervisory personnel.
One reason they invested here was $10 million in tax incentives from Dayton and the state of Ohio.
My observations are several. Chinese workers in China are trained to be robots and don’t have lives in the sense of being human that we recognize. Going home to visit your family twice a year? That’s productive but inhumane by our standards.
US workers are work slow, waste time, and are not invested in the success of their company. I’ve witnessed this first hand. The most salient statement in the whole comparison of workers is “Chinese workers come to the plant to make glass. US workers come to make money.”
There is a lot to unpack in this film.

I understand the Chinese were in supervisory positions at the plant but I would still consider them laborers. Six factory 'management' workers living in one apartment? Not exactly what we would consider a supervisory type lifestyle outside of work. Which again, makes me wonder how much they were being paid to work there.

Also, the way they were teaching them how to 'handle' Americans kind of made me question why the Chinese are even doing this. Is it really to sell the most glass at the lowest price the quickest way? Or is this the start of the Chinese trying to take over the US? They've already made it pretty much impossible for the US to survive without them. Our entire economy and lives would be nothing without their technology. They own tons of our real estate and rent it back to us.

Like I said...it's all about money and power. On one hand it's the Chinese thinking they have all the money and power (as evidenced by Chairman wanting to move the fire alarm just because he didn't like where it was even though it was illegal) and on the other, unions telling the Americans that they have all the power (and money) if they just can find a way to unionize the factory.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

You weren't just talking about this one facility. You said you had seen it first hand,. American workers are slow, waste time, and not invested.

That is not always the case.

Yes, my experience is not universal. I worked in two union shops as an IBEW member at a foundry and as a non member in a GM UAW plant (I was management). Union members lost interest in the balance between the interests of the company and the interests of the workers. They did things that cost the company just because they could, without gaining any real benefit for themselves. But, as shown in the movie just the threat of a union got the employees a $2 an hour raise.

[sc_rufctr]

The trailer looks "interesting".

More political BS: Meanwhile the Chinese continue to steal you tech and laugh at you behind your backs.

And for the record... Some of the best stuff available is made in the US. Looking at the preview, how is that possible?

[sc_rufctr]

and BTW... Most stuff Made In China is junk. We all know this and yet we keep buying it.

[Hugh R]

I watched it, its an terrible conundrum, I'm very glad I wasn't born into, and didn't have to work in such mid-western factories. It must be awful to be tied to a company town, put your heart and soul into the factory, take out a mortgage and 30 years later see your mortgage and other investments turn to dust.

The Chinese scare me, they have a billion people and they are just worker ants, to be used and discarded like dirt on the floor when they are no longer useful,

I had a US name brand jack stand that was made in China fail on one of my cars, I'm very lucky I wasn't under it, I'd have been dead.