RE: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute... (a few replies)

Subject: RE: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute... (a few replies)
From: "Thomas Eagles" <tekwriter -at- sympatico -dot- ca>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 20:30:01 -0400


-----Original Message-----
From: dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com [mailto:dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com]
Subject: Re: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute...

> I haven't heard anyone say it's *wrong* for
> companies to use the least expensive resources
> that provide acceptable results.

Really? Then let me be the first. If the least expensive resources means
that highly skilled people who have invested in the company (time,
money, hope, whatever) are displaced by less skilled people just because
they are cheaper and the company wants to pad their bottom line, then
that is not only *wrong* but *evil.* That is, if you consider greed to
be evil. Anyway, isn't it one of the seven deadly sins? I thought I read
that somewhere. <g>

> As painful as that may be for people in areas
> with higher pay scales, it's no worse than--
> indeed no different from--my own family's habit
> of shopping at the discount grocery store across
> town rather than the upscale markets closer to home.

Oh, but it is different. Competing for your family's dollar still keeps
those dollars in your city or state or country. There is a comparable
standard of living from one end of any given North American city to
another (with some exceptions, like the Gold Coast in New York, or The
Bridlepath in Toronto). The standard of living in India and America is
*NOT* comparable at all. It is up to *us* (the people) to ensure that
companies that take more than they give are not rewarded for it. I'm not
here to defend India; I'm too busy worrying about my own job and that of
my neighbour to call someone racist for showing concern. If our concern
or disgust over the loss of jobs is racist, then halleluijah and pass
the epithets.


-----Original Message-----
From: RKMooreTC -at- aol -dot- com [mailto:RKMooreTC -at- aol -dot- com]
Subject: Re: The Indian Menace?!?

> The September 11 attacks are not the problem. India
> is not the problem. U.S. companies paying CEOs billions
> and looking for ways to pay employees (regardless of
> location) as little as possible with few or no benefits--they're the
> problem.

Exactly. India and its people are doing what any country would do in
these circumstances: counting their blessings. This has nothing to do
with 9/11. Gosh! How could anyone think this is related? Anyone
following the news the last year or so just has to look at the list of
corrupt companies cooking books, announcing waves layoffs, each in the
thousands, and still the value of their stocks drop and drop and drop.
If layoffs were a cure-all for undervalued companies, there would be no
more need for layoffs. Yet you continue to hear about jobs moving to
third world countries and layoffs (which is sometimes the first step of
job relocation).


-----Original Message-----
From: bryan -dot- westbrook -at- amd -dot- com [mailto:bryan -dot- westbrook -at- amd -dot- com]
Subject: RE: The Indian Menace?!?

> A wise man* once said, "People first, products and
> profit will follow."
(*AMD Founder Jerry Sanders, 1975)

And how many AMD products are made in the 3rd World VS the USA ? That
will determine just how wise Mr. Sanders really was ... in my books at
least. Are the multi-gig processors made in Taiwan? Indonesia? Korea? Or
are they all made in Texas (or whatever state)?

And if some *are* made in the 3rd World, then what's your point?


-----Original Message-----
From: Tsrouya Rachel-BRT022 [mailto:rachel -at- motorola -dot- com]
Subject: RE: SLAVE labor? Just a darn minute...

> If people choose to documentation through India, it's
> not b/c people are succors there, it's b/c companies
> look for ways to do stuff as cheaply as possibly and
> perhaps the acceptable standards are cheaper, but just
> as good.

But that is the point, Rachel. It's NOT as good and in the long run, it
is NOT as cheap. And without pointing fingers or "being racist", if the
documentation is done in English by a person who does not speak English
as their first language, or with equal facility as with their first
language, then it is probably not racist to presume that the "acceptable
standards" have been significantly lowered. I expect that the people
whose jobs were lost in America or Canada or England or wherever are not
going to be quite as philosophical or existentialist about it as you
suggest. Saying, "Oh well, that's just the economy," certainly will not
put food on the table for their kids. Furthermore, seeing hacked up
documentation might leave them feeling a tad betrayed, knowing they
could have done better but for the cheaper, less skilled labour
available in India or wherever. (note: not saying all Indian labour is
less skilled, but it may be the case that cheaper labour is less skilled
labour, but the compromise is acceptable to greedy CEOs)

There is no obligation for companies in North America to indefinitely
provide jobs to the people who live here. However, after being given all
the the tax breaks, favourable leases, skill provision, and generally
ideal development environments from which to seed their companies
(especially during the tech boom), I think they owe a little back...
some might call it loyalty. Others might call it good corporate
citizenship.

Nobody is saying that people in India are suckers for taking low paying
jobs when previously there were *no* jobs. Nobody blames anyone for
accepting a job (I would think). However, we MIGHT be saying that we're
peeved at the *companies* who are flushing the jobs out of North
America, where the technology and products are seeded in the first place
through tax breaks and the existence of markets for those products. The
solution? Don't buy products produced by companies that export the work,
and don't vote for politicians who do nothing about it. Reward companies
that make a point of ONLY buying North American-made products. Period.

TTFN.

Tom

>_______ >-------> Thomas Eagles >----------+
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cc. Mur, Andrew, David



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