Circuit City to cut more than 3,500 jobs

rskarvan

Madmax... there is no big issue at all on what to do with the majority of the population. We have invented and made socially acceptable a very unique way of "storing" the population.... it is called the cubicle. But, you must also entertain the masses. This is why we have activities to keep them busy. Some of them go by the name of: QS9000, ISO9000, TS16949, Sorbanes Oxley, Conformance Audits, Policy & Procedures, etc. Every once in a great while, we get bored and invite an outside consultant in to introduce the masses with a new activity.

Also, we let the cubic-mates socialize in carefully controlled meeting rooms doing activities like: fishbone diagrams, organizational structures, training, action item meetings, master schedule meetings, etc. Thank God Bill Gates gave us Microsoft Office and Bell gave us the telephone so that we could have the tools necessary to make cubicle life oh so very enjoyable.

rskarvan

jdhdiggs.... perhaps you are right. I would have enjoyed China during that time as my value system wouldn't have required too much adapting.

China has not been successful in the past. But, that doesn't mean that they aren't going to be successful in the future. Once they have the entire world dependent upon them for their manufacturing base, they can pretty much do whatever they want.

jdhdiggs

They are being successful now ONLY because they are losing their walls and entertaining a capitalist, non-communal economy.

hearingimpared

jdhdiggs wrote: »

Man, unforunately your utopia no longer exists. You would have loved living in China from the 1950's to 1990's.

Total "team" atmosphere, no incentives beyond the good of the collective. Extreme isolationism... Absolutely prefect!

A bit like the Borg on Star Trek The Next Generation!!!! add the assimilation and bingo!!!

rskarvan

Ok.... I agree... I am an idealist. Why aren't you?
Did you lose your ideals? Did you out-grow your ideals?
Or, did you just plain give up on everybody besides yourself?

I can live with myself having high ideals. Can you?

PhantomOG

rskarvan wrote: »

Ok.... I agree... I am an idealist. Why aren't you?
Did you lose your ideals? Did you out-grow your ideals?
Or, did you just plain give up on everybody besides yourself?

I can live with myself having high ideals. Can you?

I don't consider depending on co-workers/bosses/government/unions to be successful a "high ideal". I consider that to be a low ideal.

Becoming self reliant is my "high ideal". Knowing that my ambition and determination combined with the freedoms and capitalistic economy of our great country mean I'm only unsuccessful if I don't try.

That is my ideal. I wouldn't trade that freedom and freedom to succeed for anything in the world.

shack

rskarvan wrote:

I am an idealist. Why aren't you?

Your ideals aren't mine.

rskarvan

Whether you like it or not, you are highly dependent upon many other people. We all are.

PhantomOG

rskarvan wrote: »

Whether you like it or not, you are highly dependent upon many other people. We all are.

The difference is I choose to use my freedoms in order to make myself less dependent upon others, while you would give up freedoms to make yourself more dependent.

rskarvan

If independence is your goal, you will ultimately be very disappointed because that simply is not the nature of social creatures (i.e. humans).

Joining a union is absolutely not giving up freedom. In fact, the freedom to join a union is one of the few really great and unique freedoms that our great country offers us. I am extremely grateful to all of the US military (including my relatives) throughout our american history who have made this freedom of choice possible.

PhantomOG

You just don't get it. Having the freedom to join a union is just fine with me. I'm saying I choose to put myself in the position of not needing others for "collective bargaining". I choose to work hard enough to make myself powerful/important enough to bargain by myself. I could say it a million different ways but I don't think you'll ever understand. You are convinced that you, as only one person, are incapable of making it on your own. That's fine with me if you feel that way. I don't, and I won't live my life that way either.

rskarvan

I do not believe that I am incapable of making it on my own. I've been doing that just fine for nearly twenty years in management while working along-side the UAW at Caterpillar, GM, and Ford. I've seen both sides and I am convinced that the UAW side is better. Perhaps the grass is always greener. Perhaps not.

madmax

There are places where unions are a good thing. In my opinion they are needed in areas which have only one place to work and make a reasonable wage, the local factory. In this scenario companies show their greedyness. If all the other mundane jobs pay $7 an hour you can bet that without a union they won't pay the going rates for the given jobs.
madmax

jdhdiggs

Caterpiller, yet another union shop in my neck of the woods gone overseas... sniff...

rskarvan

CATERPILLAR TO CLOSE PLANT IN PENNSYLVANIA

Published: March 20, 1996

Caterpillar Inc. said yesterday that it would close its Precision Barstock Products unit in York, Pa., because the plant was not competitive. Caterpillar said it would begin closing the plant in the next few weeks and would complete the shutdown in two or three years. All of the 1,100 employees will be affected. Caterpillar, based in Peoria, Ill., said it recorded a reserve in 1991 for the cost of the closing, so the shutdown would not have a significant impact on its current results. The company said it had made contract offers to the United Automobile Workers that would have allowed the plant to stay open. Union members at the plant ended a 17-month strike in December, returning to work despite rejecting the company's proposal for a six-year contract.

---

It sounds like the workers elected (by vote) to take a stand and say no to wage reductions.
There are 1100 heroes in York, PA. Honor them.

venomclan

rskarvan wrote: »

I've seen both sides and I am convinced that the UAW side is better. Perhaps the grass is always greener. Perhaps not.

Better for whom?

hearingimpared

rskarvan wrote: »

CATERPILLAR TO CLOSE PLANT IN PENNSYLVANIA

Published: March 20, 1996

Caterpillar Inc. said yesterday that it would close its Precision Barstock Products unit in York, Pa., because the plant was not competitive. Caterpillar said it would begin closing the plant in the next few weeks and would complete the shutdown in two or three years. All of the 1,100 employees will be affected. Caterpillar, based in Peoria, Ill., said it recorded a reserve in 1991 for the cost of the closing, so the shutdown would not have a significant impact on its current results. The company said it had made contract offers to the United Automobile Workers that would have allowed the plant to stay open. Union members at the plant ended a 17-month strike in December, returning to work despite rejecting the company's proposal for a six-year contract.

---

It sounds like the workers elected (by vote) to take a stand and say no to wage reductions.
There are 1100 heroes in York, PA. Honor them.

For what causing the company to shut down and for them loosing their jobs. . . or did I read this wrong? Once again the union doesn't care about its rank and file, they will have their people not working and cause a company to either belly up or move somewhere where they are in control of their own company. Are you blaming Caterpillar Inc for these 1100 people now collecting welfare??

jdhdiggs

rskarvan wrote: »

It sounds like the workers elected (by vote) to take a stand and say no to wage reductions.
There are 1100 heroes in York, PA. Honor them.

Who crushed the local heavy industry and caused more than 3,000 unemployed and a local recession that York is just now starting to recover from. Great hero's? More like shortsighted selfish ****. :rolleyes:

rskarvan

Did you not read that the closure of York was insignificant to Caterpillar. That is right. 1100 people are INSIGNIFICANT!

Do you realize that Caterpillar was logging record profits at this time while the factory workers in York were just trying to maintain their current wages?

Remember... the recession in York was INSIGNIFICANT to Caterpillar HQ's in Peoria. INSIGNIFICANT.

hearingimpared

rskarvan wrote: »

Did you not read that the closure of York was insignificant to Caterpillar. That is right. 1100 people are INSIGNIFICANT!

Do you realize that Caterpillar was logging record profits at this time while the factory workers in York were just trying to maintain their current wages?

Remember... the recession in York was INSIGNIFICANT to Caterpillar HQ's in Peoria. INSIGNIFICANT.

It probably was insignificant in the big picture of the companys profits and its sharing those profits with the other employees who weren't on strike. You are making it out like the people were insignificant. . . they brought that on themselves going on strike.

rskarvan

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3386674426389672298

Attached is a video regarding the current 1-year UAW strike at Conn-Selmer / Steinway -- makers of the best trumpet in the world - The Bach Stradivarius.

I own a Bach Stradivarius. It is a fabulous musical instrument.

TroyD

Face it, skaravan is died in the wool socialist.

Employers should bend over and suck the employees wood every day. Screw the stockholders and other folks who take the risks and have the vision.

I guess it's more noble to be unemployed than accept a lesser wage. (oh and btw, what does the union THEN do?)

I'm done with this thread. Here we have classic examples of the big reasons that America continues to hemorage jobs overseas.

BDT

PolkThug

They recently sent letters to some of the people they fired saying they wanted them back. They must be running CC with a 'magic 8 ball'.

madmax

Experience makes for good sales. You get what you pay for in the end.
madmax

Music Joe

Retail sucks, did suck and always will suck.

disneyjoe7

madmax wrote: »

Experience makes for good sales. You get what you pay for in the end.
madmax

110% there bud

venomclan

PolkThug wrote: »

They recently sent letters to some of the people they fired saying they wanted them back. They must be running CC with a 'magic 8 ball'.

CC will be out of business soon. They have rested all their hope on video display sales and last month got licked in the pants by Wally World as more higher end tv makers warm to the idea of selling in Wal Mart. The end is near.
Venom

sucks2beme

There are a lot of retailers, and even more online.
CC has been sliding downhill for a while. BB and Walmart opens a new store around every corner. CC and some others like Conn's are going to go under.
Either you're on the upside, or downside of the swing. Layoffs, downsizing,
and paycuts might help short term, but without a good plan, they're dead
in the water. The place looked dead during the XMAS rush. BB was packed.
That's a good measure of who was doing business right.

tonyb

Blame Al Gore- after all,he created the internet,no more need for brick and mortar stores.

lOVE THE UNION BASHING- thats ok,some are good,some are bad,I said my piece on it in another thread,and all I will say now is don't judge the barrel from a bad apple or two.Most of you are speaking from observation rather than participation.Like everything else,always more to it than what you are led to believe.

venomclan

tonyb wrote: »

Blame Al Gore- after all,he created the internet,no more need for brick and mortar stores.

And ManBearPig.

Chuck Norris can save CC if he wanted to.