Factory Closing Bad News for Small Missouri Town

[Sherman A1]

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — Barely a year after purchasing a manufacturing plant from a competitor, clothing maker Hanes is set to close down the facility, leaving many in the town scrambling for work at a time when jobs in small towns can be hard to come by.
Hanes Brands, which – at least for now – is based out of Lenexa, Kansas, bought the facility from Gear for Sports in August of 2010. Workers at the plant made sports-related clothing like college football t-shirts and other items. Cecilia Harper just started at the plant four months ago after being out of work for two years.
“I think it’s going to be impossible (to find a new job). I mean it took me this long to find this job. What’s it going to take and how am I going to live?” said Harper.

http://fox4kc.com/2011/12/05/factory-closing-bad-news-for-small-missouri-town/

[liberal N proud]

1. I Chillicothe, people will have a very hard time finding new jobs

Companies devistate these small towns when they do this.

[Sherman A1]

2. Indeed

And from the article, it certainly appears this was a pre-ordainded decision by Hanes when the plant was purchased.

[countryjake]

7. I doubt that calling soon-to-be-unemployed factory workers...

"dumb-asses", as you do, would ever do much to sway them, as far as voting any which way is concerned. This plant from the OP is closing now, not in 2016. Does that mean anything to you, at all?

I'd imagine that most there, who no longer have any options left with the closing of this shop, aren't really concerned with which team they should rah rah for come Nov. But food, shelter, and clothing, do come to mind, as what they most likely are worrying over.

Desperate people are found all over this country, in red and blue states.

[SammyWinstonJack]

77. Voting for those whose policies would destroy one's livelihood is being a dumb a$$.

It's time these people wake up and realize that fact.



It's also time for these people to stop with the self-serving self- absorbed crap.



Choosing to be willfully ignorant because of their own agenda (gawd, guns, gays and abortion) isn't helping them or any of us.

This is a reply to the people at the factory in NH whose livelihood depends on making gear for firefighters while rah rahing for a repug candidate for president.


Pretty much that is the definition of a dumba$$.

[KharmaTrain]

91. Stockholm Syndrome...

I've been in many corporate environments where you find the workers are indoctrinated with the concept of what's best for the company is best for them. If that means cutting someone elses' job or working longer hours or taking less for more...it's "taking one for the team". It's also the way many protect their major means of income...not to rock the boat and hope that the big brothers in the corporate suites reward this loyalty by trickling something down. Independent thinkers and boat rockers are quickly on the outside. It's in this enviroment where people will vote for rushpublicans believing the decades long propaganda as to how they're more "fiscally responsible" and how them liberals are out to regulate their company out of existance (and thus your job). It's been going on for generations and, sadly, the Democrats and the labor movement have never been able to counteract this.

[MichaelMcGuire]

8. Doesn't matter

I feel for the families
as should you

[Sherman A1]

9. Precisely

These are folks that need jobs and those jobs are being outsourced for simple greed.

[MichaelMcGuire]

11. Profit

Below are a few paragraphs, which sums up my thoughts and feelings on the subject in general.

"Profit is the sole criterion used by the establishment to evaluate economic activity. From the rat race to lame ducks. The vocabulary in vogue is a give-away. It’s more reminiscent of a human menagerie than human society. The power structures that have inevitably emerged from this approach threaten and undermine our hard-won democratic rights. The whole process is towards the centralisation and concentration of power in fewer and fewer hands. The facts are there for all who want to see. Giant monopoly companies and consortia dominate almost every branch of our economy. The men who wield effective control within these giants exercise a power over their fellow men which is frightening and is a negation of democracy.

Government by the people for the people becomes meaningless unless it includes major economic decision-making by the people for the people. This is not simply an economic matter. In essence it is an ethical and moral question, for whoever takes the important economic decisions in society ipso facto determines the social priorities of that society.

From the Olympian heights of an executive suite, in an atmosphere where your success is judged by the extent to which you can maximise profits, the overwhelming tendency must be to see people as units of production, as indices in your accountants’ books. To appreciate fully the inhumanity of this situation, you have to see the hurt and despair in the eyes of a man suddenly told he is redundant, without provision made for suitable alternative employment, with the prospect in the West of Scotland, if he is in his late forties or fifties, of spending the rest of his life in the Labour Exchange. Someone, somewhere has decided he is unwanted, unneeded, and is to be thrown on the industrial scrap heap. From the very depth of my being, I challenge the right of any man or any group of men, in business or in government, to tell a fellow human being that he or she is expendable." - Jimmy Reid

A link to the "rat race speech" is here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024108

[Sherman A1]

68. Let me check on that Nafta thing......

Gosh, when was that.......?

[Zalatix]

93. Outsourcing is America's way of sacrificing our livelihood to help the world's poor! <sarcasm>

When foreign aid isn't enough, there are always American jobs to hand out.

(Of course this "war against global poverty" master plan fails when America's economy tanks, but don't tell the free traders that.)

[pintobean]

12. How do you know how they voted?

[pintobean]

18. I can't. And you can't prove anything.

The burden isn't on me, I'm not making the claim. So, again, how do you know how they voted?
What a few people said in another state doesn't mean shit.

[Sherman A1]

39. Meaning that

in 2004 - 36% voted for other candidates and in 2008 38% did likewise. No matter the district, none are monolithic. Yes, the majority in both cases voted republican and on that basis you believe they should lose their jobs? I am not entirely certain that the two are as linked as you may wish to believe. When was that NAFTA thing enacted?

[izquierdista]

24. He can't

Livingston county is 95% white and voted 62% for McCain in 2008. Somehow, I think the same statistics on the factory workers aren't going to be wildly different.

[pintobean]

27. I live in Missouri

Should every job in the state be sent to Mexico, just because it's a red state?

"I think" doesn't equal proof.

[hatrack]

17. Livingstone County, Missouri General Election Results 2008:

McCain/Palin 61%
Obama/Biden 37%

http://www.livingstoncountymo.com/election110408_all.pdf

Livingstone County, Missouri General Election Results 2004:

Bush/Cheney 63.5%
Kerry/Edwards 35.9%

http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/countyresults.asp?eid=131&cids=15128&arc=1&cboCounties=15128&submit1.x=19&submit1.y=5

Livingstone County, Missouri General Election Results 2000:

Bush/Cheney 59.1%
Gore/Lieberman 38.6%

http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/countyresults.asp?eid=14&cids=1556&arc=1&cboCounties=1556&submit1.x=92&submit1.y=18

[pintobean]

21. Where are the stats for these workers?

[hatrack]

22. Don't know - Secretary of State's office doesn't provide that level of detail

nt

[pintobean]

29. What?

Um...........ok

[MichaelMcGuire]

36. No need to ask

It only gives their premise the credit it doesn't deserve.

[MichaelMcGuire]

19. You ought to be ashamed

Last edited Thu Jan 5, 2012, 11:47 AM - Edit history (1)

I don't care how you rationalize the hatred you have of other human beings

[MichaelMcGuire]

48. Na its the lack of solidarity

towards others which if you where to take away politics you'd find that we have many worries and problems in common
in terms of finding work, keeping your job and a roof over the families head with the individuals in Missouri.

[Romulox]

34. It's not even an internally consistent hatred. nt

[Romulox]

45. Neither I, you, nor anybody else here even knows who the "dumb-asses" are supposed to be,

specifically.

Factory workers? Southerners? People who work with their hands? Your diatribe wasn't specifically directed, so it comes off as a generic kick to those who've stumbled.

I personally just think that you, an ardent defender of buying overseas products when local people are suffering, are a weird person to take up the mantle of the dictating the "interests" of US factory workers in the first place.

Perhaps you can drive your Audi, or your Porsche to this town and tell these workers that they are "dumb-asses" directly, after which you can tell them what their "interests" are? What kind of response would you expect?

[MichaelMcGuire]

51. hope no one notices

really I'll edit and put it in bold for you.

[MichaelMcGuire]

74. What? LOL

[TwilightGardener]

35. I agree with you. Having lived in red areas for many, many years, and hearing them complain

ad nauseam about taxes, and big gubmint, and welfare moochers, and evil Democrats, and "Obama's gonna grab my guns", I am worn down to the point of not caring what happens to them. Their stupid arguments never change even with new facts, circumstances, and events. They are nothing more than hateful, ignorant, selfish pre-programmed sheep. I'm sorry for the people in that plant who voted the right way, but that's about it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

37. Can you please provide a list of 'good' factories and 'bad'?

Clearly, if we had your list, we could refer to it and ignore when bad things happen to 'bad' factories.

Because we all know that if 60% of an entire county voted R, that makes 100% of the people there
worthless.

[Sherman A1]

40. Precisely

Well said!

[TwilightGardener]

42. As I've said, I feel bad for Democratic voters in red areas, especially those who lose their jobs

or have no health insurance and have to live among assholes in the same boat who vote to deny for ALL of them any kind of safety net when shit like this happens. It's not even a matter of the factory closing--it's a matter of people in the place where it closed voting to erode or cut their own emergency lifelines in order to screw that commie socialist muslim in the WH, or "libtards", or to save fetuses, or 'cause Jesus wants them to. For those folks, I feel absolutely nothing.

[Dreamer Tatum]

43. You don't even know that anyone there feels that way.

Sounds like you have a caricature in your mind that you demand to see punished, regardless of whether
the facts support it or not.

Real nuanced thinking on your part.

[TwilightGardener]

49. Reading comprehension not your bag, eh? I assume there's Democrats, liberals, the apolitical, and

the middle-of-the-roaders everywhere. I feel bad for them when they live in red areas--and usually small towns in the plains and the south are red areas. I could repeat myself sixteen more times, if you want. But then I have to go.

[Dreamer Tatum]

50. Got any stereotypes for them?

Volvo-driving Apple-addicted latte-slurping longhairs?

Feels nice to reduce humans to your prejudices, doesn't it?

(Oh, but yours are better than theirs, right?)

[TwilightGardener]

52. ?? When a given area predominantly votes for Republicans, it's safe to assume they

probably like what Republicans stand for, and/or that they want what Republicans pledge to do. I have no idea what you're reaching for, except possibly to egg me on to keep this silly shit going on longer.

[Dreamer Tatum]

53. Just clarifying your conditional humanity. nt

[TwilightGardener]

54. OK, pal.

[SammyWinstonJack]

78. +1

[Romulox]

33. Your comments, below, tend to take some of the bite out of your critique of globalism.

[Romulox]

20. Aren't you an imported car enthusiast? nt

[Romulox]

32. You seem a bad spokesperson for the "interests" of US factory workers. That's all. nt

[Dreamer Tatum]

38. Where is the product in your avatar made?

Just curious.

[Dreamer Tatum]

46. Bzzt. Check the cash on AAPL's balance sheet, the price of their products, and report back.

They can produce here if they want to. They don't want to, so more money can line
their pockets.

My phone is also foreign, but I don't open myself up for hypocrisies as you do.

[bighart]

55. I was determined to stay out of this one but

"If our country's import policies made it more cost-effective to manufacture...
..on shore, I'm sure that's what Apple would do."

Wow, you really believe this?

[bighart]

61. So if regualtion and tax rates favored US produciton they would produce here

instead of using forced labor in China?
Apple has shown itself to be just like every other large corporation when it comes to production decisions and that is not "where can I make reasonable profit" but "where can I make the most profit"

[bighart]

71. I would really like to read some of the data that leads you to conclude that

"Apple have proven themselves to be a rational corporation over the years"
All of the information I have seen leads me to the opposite conclusion and if I am missing something I would like to see it.

[bighart]

83. I don't dislike apple, have several of the products they offer

Corporate value and consumer popularity do not equate to being good citizens, if they did Walmart would be near the top of the good citizen list as well.
Apple CHOOSES to produce off shore because doing so allows them to put the maximum dollars in the profit column on the balance sheet.
Apple, like all electronics manufacturers, use underpaid, and often underage, workers in China who are forced to work demoralizing hours in unsafe and inhumane conditions with little, if any, options or alternatives. This is well documented so if you have documented evidence to the contrary I would love to take a look at it.
Steve Jobs was one of the least philanthropic of the uber wealthy, but he did dream up and produce some really cool toys.

[MichaelMcGuire]

73. 3 cars

[MichaelMcGuire]

88. I'd expect someone that owns 3 cars and ones a porsche

to be well off.

[pampango]

90. Which to value more: union labor (if foreign) or American labor (if non-union).

Most of us would agree that to the extent that we base a car purchase decision on the labor that went into building it, a ranking would be:

#1 - American union labor (at an American company being 1A and a foreign company being 1B for many) would be a first choice;
#4 - foreign non-union labor (at an American company being 4A and a foreign company being 4B for those who are concerned with where profits end up) would be our last choice.

Where some here may differ is in whether to give a relative preference to cars made by American non-union labor or cars made by foreign union labor. Your post shows that you value the workers belonging to a union; others will value the nationality of the workers.

Your #2 would be - foreign union labor; #3 - American non-union labor
Others' #2 might be - American non-union labor; #3 - foreign union labor

Of course, many considerations go into purchasing a particular car but one thought will always come up: "Why not go with preference #1 above?"

[WolverineDG]

23. That's the way to win friends & influence people

to vote Democratic! Not.

You don't kick people when they're down. You lend a hand, give a shoulder to lean on & listen with a sympathetic ear.

[bighart]

56. What would you propose as a solution?

Factories can't close and can only layoff republican workers?

I have personally witnessed what this kind of thing does to a town and
it not only decimates the out of work factory workers, it ripples through
every business in town and negatively impacts every single person.
More vacant homes, less tax revenue for the school system, and the list
goes on and on.

[bighart]

72. Citizens vote on budgets?

Not the way it works where I am from.

[WolverineDG]

57. Considering that I am from the South

I could take offense at your regionalism, but instead I will pity you for not having an ounce of compassion in your body or the smarts to realize that NOT kicking people when they're down & calling them "dumbasses" will make them more likely to consider voting for Democrats. AKA catching more flies with honey than vinegar

[MisterP]

60. would voting for equally-neoliberal, pro-outsourcing Dems have helped their

neoliberalism and outsourcing problems?

[Laelth]

94. Spot on. Both major parties are principally neo-liberal.

The Republicans are more guilty, certainly, but they are aided and abetted in their treason by a good many Democrats.

To these people, it would not have made a bit of difference which party they voted for.

-Laelth

[onethatcares]

4. this is what is meant by a "right to work" state

and you ain't got a right to work if the company that hired you leaves.

welcome to the competitiveness of the global market.

Tesha, I was going to write something similar about the fine people of this company in Missouri but couldn't bring myself to.

Want to bet the exemployees are just dieing to take the country back................................to the 1920s that is.

[MadHound]

5. So you think it's OK for a factory to close,

Just so long as it's a factory in a red state?

[onethatcares]

62. no, I don't think it's ok for a factory to close, especially

when those jobs are moved to China which Hanes apparently does.

[Sherman A1]

6. Just a note here

Missouri is not a RTW state at the present. Assuming our Republican State Legislature has it's way, it probably will become one, but not at present. Unions in St. Louis & KC are trying to hold the line as best they can.

As to how the employees feel or vote, I have no idea. I assume they are not pleased at being out of work, but that is just a guess.

[lacrew]

13. IIRC MO is not a Right to Work State

[AmandaRuth]

70. hmmmm

someone like Mitt facilitated the sale. Wonder how much money was made in destroying Gear for Sports.

[brentspeak]

76. Meanwhile, Obama refuses to renegotiate NAFTA

These Hanes jobs are moving down south to Mexico.

[NNN0LHI]

82. Yea, my job was moved out of the country about ten years before NAFTA, thanks

[brentspeak]

84. The Hanes work is being sourced down to Mexico b/c of NAFTA

[pampango]

85. Given our experience with China, what makes you think that Hanes would not move to

Mexico without the existence of NAFTA?

We don't have "free trade" with China, just "regular" trade, yet that doesn't seem to have stopped many factories from moving there. Without NAFTA "regular" trade is what we would have with Mexico.

[brentspeak]

86. How would Mexican-made Hanes products avoid a USA tariff if NAFTA didn't exist?

[pampango]

87. They wouldn't avoid a US tariff, but then neither do Chinese products. n/t