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Pink Slips at Disney. But First, Training Foreign Replacements. - Another hurdle for US Workers

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html

We talked about how people don't have money for retirement.

I don't see how they will get it. Illegal aliens taking unskilled jobs and not legal aliens taking skilled jobs.



Comments

  • This story was really awful and made me think less of Disney
  • edited June 2015
    Unfortunately, it's this type of abusive situation that unions are helpful at preventing, but tech workers generally don't feel a need to unionize. With Disney in Florida (not a union-friendly state), the deck is totally stacked against labor.
  • The people of this nation are not thinking. If your kids owe their souls to the Student Loan store already, they cannot pledge allegiance to the company store too unless we just plan to have them live on ever increasing ETIC supplements from the shareholders of the good ole USA.
  • Anna said:

    The people of this nation are not thinking. If your kids owe their souls to the Student Loan store already, they cannot pledge allegiance to the company store too unless we just plan to have them live on ever increasing ETIC supplements from the shareholders of the good ole USA.

    shareholders = China?
  • Slimeball pigs in charge. "“I just couldn’t believe they could fly people in to sit at our desks and take over our jobs exactly,” said one former worker, an American in his 40s who remains unemployed since his last day at Disney on Jan. 30. “It was so humiliating to train somebody else to take over your job. I still can’t grasp it.”"
  • Dex said:

    Anna said:

    The people of this nation are not thinking. If your kids owe their souls to the Student Loan store already, they cannot pledge allegiance to the company store too unless we just plan to have them live on ever increasing ETIC supplements from the shareholders of the good ole USA.

    shareholders = China?
    Not sure if you don't know what EITC is or if you are trying to make some point. My point is that the more we drive segments of our society out of jobs with feasible expectations and salaries, the more they will need to turn to government programs designed to prop up low wage salaries (like Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC)). Call me Polly-Anna (many have) but offering these VISAs merely to halve salaries and double positions makes a joke of telling Americans to acquire skills, especially when it costs them so much money to get those skills and they can't pay that money back if forced to compete with people that did not need to acquire that debt just to get skills.
  • You have to ask yourself, what benefit is there in being a US citizen.
  • [It's] "a joke... telling Americans to acquire skills, especially when it costs them so much money to get those skills and they can't pay that money back if forced to compete with people that did not need to acquire that debt just to get skills."

    @Anna: I do believe that you just nailed it. There must be some sort of culling process that eliminates people like you, with brains, from being elected to Congress.

    The really sad part is that the citizens of this country just sit there and take it, instead of generating a massive boycott of Disney and all of their works.

  • I'm aware of a financial services company with several offices in the US that decided it was cheaper to relocate main offices in low-wage, southern states and hire overseas companies that staff call center workers in the Philippines and India. In many instances, the foreign workers were flown to the United States to train with US workers, and vice versa. Once the foreign workers were trained (or so they say), the US workers slowly dwindled. Obviously, there is a big savings for labor but the quality of work dropped markedly due to the problems with language barriers and understanding of US business. Some companies are willing to make that sacrifice to save money.
  • Old_Joe said:

    Unfortunately, it's this type of abusive situation that unions are helpful at preventing, but tech workers generally don't feel a need to unionize. With Disney in Florida (not a union-friendly state), the deck is totally stacked against labor.

    Yes Unions had a reason and still do!!!
  • Some "executive" (so close to "executioner', and not far removed from "enabler") got a bonus for this maneuver to save a few (million?) dollars.
    This forum has little power, but, if you own Disney stock, or your mutual fund does, you can always vote "No" on retaining the board of directors of the fund or the company (they're all syncophants anyway.) Perhaps they will eventually ask you why you did. While I doubt your response will matter, why waste the opportunity?
  • Unfortunately this is the dark side of capitalism. Management team gets rewarded when they cut cost (as in domestic human capital) that ultimately leads to higher stock price and large bonus, regardless of the quality of the products or services they provide to their customers.

    Case in point - support service of the large box PC manufacturers are absolutely appalling in the last decade since they are outsourced to foreign countries who have considerable language barrier challenges and thorough understanding on the local cultures. When were the last time you have a great experience with Dell and HP computers?
  • Sven said:

    Unfortunately this is the dark side of capitalism.

    Capitalism gets blamed for all that is wrong and not for what is right. There is no 'free capitalism' in the USA. It is regulated capitalism. The issues is that there were regulations in place to avoid the Disney situation. Lobbying and influence buying weakened those protections.

    In addition, add in trade agreements from the 80s on and the worker has got the shaft.

    There is no way to change course for the US worker. Service jobs are the largest in the economy. Those are not as well paying as mfg jobs, nor are service jobs as beneficial for the economy.
  • Those Disney jobs were service jobs!
  • Old_Joe said:

    Those Disney jobs were service jobs!

    ... and ...

  • edited June 2015
    First the manufacturing, now the service. What's left? Who the hell is going to have enough money to go to Disney/land/world/whatever? Is anyone in a position of commercial or capitalistic or governmental responsibility even thinking about where this inevitably leads, or are they all so absorbed in their own private moneymaking world that they can't see the logical end of this?

    (Rhetorical question only: no answer required.)
  • Old_Joe said:

    First the manufacturing, now the service. What's left? Who the hell is going to have enough money to go to Disney/land/world/whatever? Is anyone in a position of commercial or capitalistic or governmental responsibility even thinking about where this inevitably leads, or are they all so absorbed in their own private moneymaking world that they can't see the logical end of this?

    (Rhetorical question only: no answer required.)

    It is desperation. Once mfg jobs in the rust belt began to leave politicians went to 'free trade' route to give the appearance they were doing something.

    "Who the hell is going to have enough money to go to Disney/land/world/whatever?"

    No one will. Think about automation putting more people out of work from fast food to truck drivers and cab drivers. Have you noticed how self drive cars are all the rage?
  • Bernie in '16.
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