Chapter 362: Set a Small Goal
Both Whirlpool and the trade union have left behind, and as a result, the negotiation broke down again.
Even if Whirlpool threatened to close the factory, the union still did not compromise. The union even stated that if Whirlpool really decided to close the factory, the union would immediately represent the workers and talk to Whirlpool about the follow-up severance compensation.
I would rather lose my job than increase benefits, which is the normal operation of American labor unions.
For example, the American auto giant General Motors was forced to go bankrupt and restructured by the Auto Workers Union. This is still the case for an auto giant like General Motors, and it is even more difficult for a smaller manufacturing company to stand up in front of the union.
At the management meeting, Smith reported the results of the negotiation to the management.
What do the unions of the microwave oven factory think? Do they rather lose the factory than make concessions! someone said angrily.
I think the union thinks that we dare not close the factory, we are just bluffing! another said.
What do we do now? Are we really going to close the factory and move the production line to China?
What else is there to do? Unless we agree to the union's demands, which we all know is impossible.
Then we will close the factory and let the fish die and the net will be broken. Those people in the union will definitely regret it!
After a long discussion, everyone finally turned their attention to the CEO, hoping that he would make the decision.
The CEO pondered for a moment and said, Although I also want to keep the microwave oven production line in the United States, but now it seems that the possibility is not very big. The demands of the union are too much, and we can't meet their demands at all.
It is imperative to move the microwave oven factory to China. Smith, please contact the Chinese Mr. Li and talk to him about the loss of the microwave oven factory relocation!
Ladies and gentlemen, I know that some of you are against this decision, but it's not just about one factory, the trade unions of other factories are also watching, so we must not be weak, we must kill the chickens and show the monkeys!
We are going to tell the unions in other factories that if they make excessive demands, we will close the factory and they will all lose their jobs. The microwave oven factory is a lesson for them!
...
When the lawyer in charge of negotiating unemployment compensation appeared before the union, the workers at the microwave oven factory realized that Whirlpool was not bluffing, they were really closing the microwave oven factory.
Whirlpool decided to come to a dead fish,
This is something that the union never thought of, but the union is not panic at all, because they still have the so-called Plan B.
Taylor also called Adams again.
Mr. Adams, are you in Milwaukee now? Can we meet if it's convenient? Taylor said respectfully.
Whirlpool will close the microwave oven factory. In the future, everyone will rely on Mr. Adams' new factory to be able to eat and serve. It is natural to treat this future new boss with respect.
Adams seemed to be a little noisy, only to hear him say loudly: I'm not in Milwaukee now, I'm still in New York.
Then when can you come to Milwaukee? Taylor asked quickly.
Probably next week! There are still a lot of tedious things to deal with here in New York. Adams continued: Mr. Taylor, do you have any important business with me?
Whirlpool has decided to close the Milwaukee microwave plant, and we're about to lose our jobs, Taylor said.
Really? Adams' voice was full of surprise.
Adams is happy because once the microwave factory shuts down, he will be able to receive the final payment immediately.
But Taylor thought that Adams was happy because he could recruit workers.
I just listened to Taylor continued: This morning, Whirlpool's lawyers have come, and the lawyers are negotiating with the labor union about severance compensation. The workers in the entire factory are also unemployed.
Adamston remembered Li Weidong's exhortation that he would continue to stabilize Taylor when he was acting in a full set.
So Adams said: Mr. Taylor, I need your help with something. If you have time, please also count the basic information such as the work experience of the workers in your factory. I think this should be a comparison for trade union officials. easy thing.
These words fell into Taylor's ears, as if filling out a personal information form for employment!
So Taylor said immediately: Mr. Adams, please rest assured, this little thing is left to me!
After finishing the call, Adams let out a long sigh of relief, thinking about when to go to Li Weidong to collect the money.
At this moment, a voice came from behind Adams: The one who plays the priest, why are you still here, go get dressed, and you will be on the stage soon!
Adams nodded hurriedly: Okay, I'll go right there, Hallelujah!
In an instant, Adams switched his role from entrepreneur to priest.
...
Li Weidong was worried that there would be too many dreams at night, so when negotiating with Whirlpool, he did not put forward excessive demands. He even made some concessions on the conditions, just for Whirlpool to move the microwave oven production line to China as soon as possible.
The negotiation went very smoothly. The main content was determined on the first day, and it took another two days to negotiate various details. Then Li Weidong signed a contract with Whirlpool.
When Whirlpool officially announced the closure of its microwave oven factory in Milwaukee, the union was still wrangling with lawyers over compensation issues. Taylor and other workers were also eagerly waiting for Mr. Adams to move their factory to Milwaukee and collect the $12 an hour wage. .
Even some union members are still dissatisfied with the $12 hourly wage, and plan to negotiate with Adams after taking office for better conditions, such as more expensive medical insurance and dental insurance.
And Adams also received the last payment before Li Weidong left the United States. The moment he received the last payment, Adams disappeared from the world, as if he had never appeared.
...
The United States implements a free employment system. According to the United States' Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can fire employees at any time for any reason, and employees can leave at any time for any reason without any financial compensation.
In other words, if the company really wants to fire you, saying Yor're fired can really inform the security to kick you out.
However, in the actual operation process, it is not so smooth, such as race, skin color, sexual orientation, physical disability, etc., are all means of bargaining between employees and employers.
After all, in the United States, political correctness is very important. In addition to being prejudiced against Chinese Americans, there can be no prejudice against African Americans, no prejudice against women, no prejudice against gays and lesbians, and no prejudice against disabled people.
Of course, apart from these personal factors, the biggest support for workers is the trade union.
When companies face unions, even the Fair Labor Standards Act is useless, and unions will definitely find excuses to demand compensation for workers.
So in order to sever the workers of the microwave oven factory, Whirlpool paid a large sum of severance pay.
After receiving severance pay, many workers choose to take the money to take a vacation. For Americans, they don’t have the habit of saving. If they suddenly get a compensation, they don’t go to Las Vegas to play two games. Even if they save, they will live on.
The same is true for Taylor. After he got the compensation, he went out for a short vacation. When he returned to Milwaukee, he found that most of the equipment in the microwave oven factory had been dismantled.
Tyler realized it was time to get back to work, so he called Adams.
The call you dialed is temporarily unanswered, please leave a message after hearing the 'beep'... Such a voice came from the phone.
In developed countries, whether it is a mobile phone or a landline, such things as telephone messages are very common.
Mr. Adams, I'm Tyler. Please call me back when you hear my message. Tyler left a message to Adams.
Taylor waited for two days, but he didn't get news from Adams. He was a little anxious, so he called Adams again.
It's still the same sentence The call you dialed is temporarily unanswered, please leave a message after hearing a beep....
Taylor instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Over the next few days, Taylor began to inquire about Adams.
...
Taylor went to the real estate agency and found the one who showed Adams the house.
You mean Mr. Adams, I haven't seen him for a long time! the intermediary replied.
I heard that he took a fancy to a factory. Has the deal been done? Taylor asked again.
The agent shook his head: No, Mr. Adams originally liked a factory and had already negotiated the price, but just before signing the contract, he went back and said that he wanted another factory.
I had to take him to negotiate the previous factory, but after the price was negotiated, Mr. Adams regretted it again, and he hoped that I could help him find a larger factory.
I followed his request and helped him find another factory. After seeing the factory, he expressed his satisfaction, but when it came time to sign the contract, he regretted it again. If it weren't for Mr. Adams being very generous, I would even think he was playing tricks on me on purpose!
Generous? Taylor was stunned.
Yeah, even though the factories I found were not in Mr. Adams's wishes, he still paid me a service fee of one thousand dollars, so it didn't make me work in vain! The agent replied with a smile.
Taylor asked again, Do you have Mr. Adams' contact information there?
Sorry, I can't reveal the client's information. The agent shook his head and said.
I really need to find Mr. Adams! It's about the livelihood of hundreds of workers! Taylor said eagerly.
After Taylor's gossip, the intermediary finally revealed a phone number to Taylor.
However, this is also a number that Taylor is very familiar with. In the past few days, Taylor has called this number many times, and has left messages to this number many times, but there is no news, and Mr. Adams has never responded.
The thread is broken again!
...
Adams came out to deceive, and naturally he would not use his real name.
Finding someone in the United States who doesn't even know his name is undoubtedly a needle in a haystack.
There was no internet, no social media of all kinds, no human flesh searches or anything like that. Taylor wanted to find Adams, unless he was on Broadway and happened to see Adams play.
This chance is very small, not to mention that Adams always wears makeup during performances. Under the condition of heavy makeup, it is difficult to recognize Adams.
For two weeks, Adams never showed up. Not only Taylor and the union were worried, but the laid-off workers of the microwave oven factory were also worried.
People kept coming to the union or Taylor to ask when the new microwave factory was going to be built and when that Mr. Adams would show up.
However, the union or Taylor could not give an answer.
Finally, a month later, Taylor and the union completely realized that Mr. Adams might not come!
At this time, the microwave oven production line of Whirlpool has been loaded with ocean-going freighters and sailed towards China.
...
In the Puppy Electric Factory, Li Weidong is holding a mobilization meeting to welcome Whirlpool's production line.
Whirlpool will move two large production lines this time. Compared with the production line we bought at Nakano Co., Ltd., the production line of Whirlpool is much higher in output!
Li Weidong paused, then said: So I also set a small goal, when Whirlpool's production line comes, we will increase the output of microwave ovens to 300,000 units per year, and in two years, we will Production increased to one million units!
Hearing this number, Ma Zhongyi, Wang Kaiping, Wang Jing and others were shocked. You must know that the current microwave oven factory's annual output is only 30,000 units. It is like putting satellites. It is a bit exaggerated to increase to 300,000 units at once!
What's more, there is a target of one million units in two years, which is almost equivalent to the output of a medium-sized industrial country in Europe in one year. If you blow it out, you are not afraid that the wind will flash your tongue!
Director, I think the goal of 300,000 units is a bit difficult. I'm afraid we won't be able to achieve it! Ma Zhongyi said.
Don't say it can't be done, we have to do it! These two production lines, in the United States, can produce 200,000 microwave ovens a year. Our workers should work harder than Americans. They With an annual output of 200,000 units, we are open all year round, with two shifts 24 hours a day, and an annual output of 1 million units is not impossible! Li Weidong said.
Chinese workers work more than 100 days a year more than American workers, and they also work two or three more hours a day than American workers. In this calculation, the efficiency of Chinese workers is at least twice that of American workers.
In addition, the production line in the Chinese factory can work in two shifts 24 hours a day. People rest but the production line does not rest. Therefore, the production line of microwave ovens in the US factory with an annual output of 200,000 units, if placed in China, it is 800,000 in the era. tower.
Li Weidong originally also had a Hitachi production line. In total, it is not a dream to produce one million units per year!
What's more, with the improvement of production technology, the production efficiency will only get higher and higher, and the production capacity will also increase. The automatic production line of microwave ovens in later generations can produce a microwave oven in 12 seconds.
Li Weidong went on to say: I put forward such a high goal, not without reason. First, in the next few years, the global demand for microwave ovens will be very large, not only in developed countries in Europe and the United States, but also in China!
Don't forget that China has a population of 1 billion and 300 million families. How many microwave ovens does it need? Even if every ten households buy one microwave oven, there is a market of 30 million units! Our production capacity of one million units is simply not enough!
And we are now doing OEM for Whirlpool. According to the signed contract, we have to provide Whirlpool with at least 200,000 microwave ovens a year, and there will be more in the future. If we have a production capacity of 300,000 microwave ovens within this year If not, what can I give to Whirlpool for delivery?
Li Weidong's reminder made everyone react. Although the production capacity of 300,000 units is quite high, 200,000 units have to be delivered to Whirlpool. Otherwise, the liquidated damages alone will be too much for the electrical appliance factory.
Li Weidong then said to Ma Zhongyi: Old Ma, the new factory has to be built. After the factory is built, there will be workers' dormitories. This task will be handed over to you!
Ma Zhongyi nodded: No problem, this foreman in eight townships is begging me to start work every day!
Li Weidong looked at Wang Jing again: Pharaoh, wait for the workers to be recruited, and the training must be left to you.
This time there are two production lines, how many more people have to be recruited? Wang Jing asked.
At least one thousand, maybe not enough! Li Weidong replied.
With so many people, recruiting is a hassle! It doesn't take ten days and a half, I'm afraid it won't be completed! Wang Jing said with a frown.
Li Weidong laughed and said, This time we are recruiting, we don't have to worry about it, someone will be rushing to help us recruit workers!
