Another Ontario Plant Closing.....

So. Another plant closing. OK. Car plants closing seemingly due to the price of gas and people shifting away from trucks, SUV's and other gas guzzlers. All the related suppliers going out of business as a result. Other plants closing and blaming it on free trade and the economy. John Deere closing and blaming it on the economy. Even tho' there is a projected profit for the product they are putting out in Welland. I would put the blame squarely on shareholders and company greed. Must make more money. All right....when you invest in a company, you would like to see a profit. As shareholders own part of your company you have to listen to them...and there are usually many. Everyone wants to see a profit. How to make that profit ? Hmmmm. Well, we pay our employees in North America an exorbitant amount in wages and benefits....no ? Lets just pick up and move to Mexico or India or China then. Someone will actually make money (kickback !!)by just saying we'll move there !! North America has evolved to the point where the general populace is living well and wages are good....but the companies and businesses that supply us with our consumer goods want to make more money also. So why not produce where the wages are 2 or 3 dollars an hour and there are most likely huge incentives to stay put there. OK. That is where a union would actually come in handy. It would get to a point tho' where the employees are making decent wages and benefits and the union should back off and stay at status quo. Otherwise, the company would pick up and move again to another country who has not yet developed fully and allows $5/day labour....until the union comes in there also. You see where I'm going. The unions and employees are partially at fault also. The unions for trying to drive wages even higher if the company is making record profits (even if not...) The employees for having a feeling of power over the company knowing they can get away with a lot with the security of the union behind them. I don' say this without knowledge. I have worked in both unionised and non-unionised environments. I hate unions and their fervent supporters. If I am perfectly happy with the wages and benefits I am making and complacent in my work environment, why should I be forced to go on strike for better benefits and more wages ? And then be called a scab and scumbag for wanting to keep working and not supporting the union's demands ? Not right. I have worked with complete idiots who took full advantage of the security of the Union and would have been fired or even criminally charged in a normal working or public environment. Protected by the Union. The Union was beneficial to a point and is a good employee advocate but keep it at that. Unions are a dominant factor in driving big companies out. If you don't like your wages and benefits, get another job. Work someplace else. Who cares if the company is making record profits. Yes it would be nice to get a bonus or something but ultimately if your not happy....get out. If you want to share in those profits, buy stock. Your compensation for your work is your salary and benefits. The shareholders compensation is profits from the money they invested. This in no way condones their greed for more money...just puts into perspective the arguments between both. For anyone blaming this on any political party...get a life.
Are companies fines if they up and move after services have been made available to them ie: changes in infrastructure to accommodate them etc ? In the article it mentions a fine. I really hope this holds true. The large companies should be hit hard for moves like this.
So to sum up what is possibly at fault;
a/ Corporate Greed
b/ Bottom Line (same?)
c/ Unions for inflating wages
d/ Economy
e/ Consumer need for inexpensive products versus corporate need for customers and profit
f/ Countries that allow $10 paydays to help their economy blossom overnight
g/ Idiots like us that don't voice our concerns on a regular basis to these companies. I for one am getting tired of speaking to a person with a language barrier in India. I am calling as I am having difficulties understanding something and don't need a language barrier on top of that.

Unions are a thing of the past. Times have changed. In North America anyway......