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IBM Europe Workers Strike
csimoes writes "IBM employees in Europe are on
strike today. This is in response to the 10,000-13,000 job cuts that IBM is planning, most of them in Europe. Strikers will be wearing black and blue to signify their struggle. Here is their main union web site. Now I can't say I'm big union guy, but they do make some interesting points on their site. Such as: "IBM is a wealthy and successful company. Its first quarter profit for 2005 was $1.4 billion, and $9 billion for the whole of 2004. It increased the dividend to its shareholders, recently bought back $5 billion in IBM stock, and acquired 19 companies in 2004." The union also questions if other cost cutting mechanisms could achieve the same effect without cutting so may jobs."
Can this rescue our economy?
Perhaps if it reaches India and China.
---We don't need no stinking unions.---
Help end the use of Sigs. Tomorrow
When will the Europeans figure out that their polite, silent walkouts, singing songs, sitting down in the corridors, etc... are viewed with a certain amount of amusement by US companies who are used to associating the word strike with picket lines?
IBM is going to do what's right for IBM. (western) European workers are very highly paid, work on average about 35 hours per week, get 5-7 weeks of paid vacation, and phenomenal benefits (most state supplied, but paid for through employer subsidies).
IBM can get the same work done cheaper China/India/etc. What's their incentive for paying more for the same result?
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Hey, don't knock it just 'cause you ain't got it.
The fact is, the Europeans are living the "American Dream." I, for one, am tired of us Americans whining about it, when instead we can do something about it.
We lost our own "Dream" when we started electing politicians who pray to the God of Capitalism.
Governments know NOTHING about running business and should keep their noses out. If an employer makes a bad decision letting a good guy go, his competitors will benefit.
Umm, we OWN this country. It's OURS. Whatever happens in it, it happens because WE made it that way. The way I see it, if America can provide a cushy living for everyone, but makes NO ONE rich, that is fine with ME.
But the rich people and corporations have filled your head so full of elite-centered propaganda, you are like some kind of unthinking animal....
eat shiat and bark at the moon
Wow. Wow... You need to understand that America is the richest country in the world because of capitalism. Our poor people have cars and fridges because of the innovation of the greedy. This really isn't a very complicated concept to grasp so why don't people get it? Our taxes are low but 20% of a trillion is more than 70% of a billion. I guess I'm being harsh, I was a Deomocrat for a while except that whole preponderance of evidence thing finally got to me.
What if Digg added local news and a Slashdot inspired comment karma system? ---
http://houndwire.com
"workers, meanwhile, have given the best of themselves to a company"
I suspect that if that were true, IBM wouldn't be able to afford to lay them off. Maybe you've never seen a large group of real human workers. Show me where I can get 10,000 workers that give the best of themselves to a company instead of stealing office supplies and using the photocopier for personal copies and I'll relocate.
"Wealth is a limited resource"
Uh... what? That's like saying 'happiness is a limited resource', or 'ideas are a limited resource'.
"individuals and groups, a.k.a. parasites"
So now individuals are parasites on nations?
"if this is just plain old cost cutting then IBM deserves to suffer as a result"
Pursuit of an efficient workplace deserves punishment? Inefficiency will make society better?
None of this makes sense. Who believes such things?
"this is a class issue"
Oh, yes. Those people.
Sell your poison somewhere else, comrade.
Europe's workers, with their 35 hour work week, are also veiwed as extremely lazy.
View that way by Americans. Europeans think we're work-a-holics.
How likely do you think it will be that when these abused immigrants hold a majority that they will vote to continue transferring their wealth to a bunch of infidels?
Very likely. Look at the last national election in the US. If they can sell that, they can sell anything. All they have to do is find a scapegoat, and they will be able to rally the population to any cause. So the Anti-Infidel Party will come to power mouthing platitudes about sticking it to the infidel elite, all the while looting the gullible population and continuing the wealth transfer to the same corporate oligarchy that funds their political campaigns. It's worked in the US, don't see why it wouldn't work in Europe.
Edith Keeler Must Die