Dick DeVos' answer for manufacturing in Michigan: Flexibility, ...

Dick DeVos may have been soundly thumped in his bid to unseat Gov. Jennifer Granholm 15 months ago, but he still believes he has some answers for what ails Michigan's economy.

[RollngGrnade]

Michigan workers can be as flexible and team-oriented as they want - but the fact of the matter is that we have a higher standard of living here in the US so those 130 jobs at Windquest will always be under the threat of being outsourced somewhere else where the standard of living (and thusly the wages, not to mention the environmental and fair labor standards) are lower.

DeVos' claims are nothing more than the same empty platitudes he vomited up throughout his gubernatorial campaign [refusing to fill in substantive details]. Is there anything more hackneyed than a banner hanging in a workplace telling workers to engage in the productivity philosophy du jour?

[Batch 37 Pain Is Good]

RollngGrnade wrote:

Michigan workers can be as flexible and team-oriented as they want - but the fact of the matter is that we have a higher standard of living here in the US so those 130 jobs at Windquest will always be under the threat of being outsourced somewhere else where the standard of living (and thusly the wages, not to mention the environmental and fair labor standards) are lower.
DeVos' claims are nothing more than the same empty platitudes he vomited up throughout his gubernatorial campaign [refusing to fill in substantive details]. Is there anything more hackneyed than a banner hanging in a workplace telling workers to engage in the productivity philosophy du jour?

Your kind of thinking is why union jobs are on the ropes. My clients have similar environments to Windquest and they are very productive and continue to grow. An adversarial working environment, like you want, is a dinosaur that is rapidly becoming extinct. Did I mention that I am not supporting UAW workers, I'm buying Toyota.

[Arctic49519]

How would D*ck DeVos know anything significant about manufacturing? The only thing I would trust that he knows how to do well is operate a barely legal pyramid scam (Alticor/Scamway/Quixtar.)

DeVos' wife Betsy, issued a statement that Michigan workers are paid too much.
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/001627...

I'd really like to know how much the workers at their Windquest operation make, but so far I haven't been able to find any info on the net.

DeVos philosophy is exactly what is wrong with corporate america--- cheat as many poor people as possible to fatten your own bank accounts.

[Taxpayer]

DeVos owns Manpower - which now makes up over 70% of their workforce at Access Business Group and Alticor (formerly known as Amway, and changing back to Amway in the summer of 2008.)

Reducing the workforce to a temp status is his plan and it won't help at all. You have to pay people a decent wage. Companies know that with the economy as it is, people will work for less than $10/hour, so that's all they offer.

[Arctic49519]

Taxpayer wrote:

DeVos owns Manpower - which now makes up over 70% of their workforce at Access Business Group and Alticor (formerly known as Amway, and changing back to Amway in the summer of 2008.)
Reducing the workforce to a temp status is his plan and it won't help at all. You have to pay people a decent wage. Companies know that with the economy as it is, people will work for less than $10/hour, so that's all they offer.

This is exactly right. Companies are exploiting the situation of the economy right now. Even profitable companies are reducing wages and benefits because there are not enough jobs, while reaping massive profits. Their attitude is "If you dont like working for less, then someone else will." This is what happened back in the 1930's when employers were grossly taking advantage of workers. This is exactly why union members need to stand strong to hold onto what they have.

[James]

Elizebeth Devos President Windquest
$5000.00 to John McCain

[James]

The Local Area Watch
Reporting the news the news won't report in Grand Rapids.

http://localareawatch.typepad.com/the_local_a...

I fond this an interesting web site for local as a matter of fact there's a real interesting story about public ed in GR on the front page.

[purplizzy]

And a person working for Amway through Manpower can work no longer than 12 months and they are done. Those are the rules. Pretty sad isn't it? He is worth billions and won't even hire people into his company.

Taxpayer wrote:

DeVos owns Manpower - which now makes up over 70% of their workforce at Access Business Group and Alticor (formerly known as Amway, and changing back to Amway in the summer of 2008.)
Reducing the workforce to a temp status is his plan and it won't help at all. You have to pay people a decent wage. Companies know that with the economy as it is, people will work for less than $10/hour, so that's all they offer.

[John M]

It has become a practice that not only has been accepted but almost admired in our society. I have no problem with DeVos making millions, even billions but to undercut the worker that helped make it happen also? To me it should be a criminal offense. I choose the lesser of two very evils in the last govenor election and felt sick in doing so. When is it time that we as citizens will band together and just tell our govt officials that enough is enough.

No do not get me wrong here because I also think the union worker has done his fair share at damaging the work force here in Michigan to. The greed that they show sometimes is no better than the company hirarchy in most cases just on a smaller pay scale

[Alfred]

DeVos, 52, a longtime Republican Party activist, said he hasn't decided yet whether to take another run at public office. But in the meantime, he'll try to prove that Michigan is in fact a place where business can grow and jobs can be created.

Good get'em Dick!

[Devon]

Grandhole is proving she can shut this state down. What a POS.

[GRRitated]

Arctic49519 wrote:

DeVos' wife Betsy, issued a statement that Michigan workers are paid too much.
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/001627...

She stated that in 2004, now in 2008 her words have been proven to be true- one of the big reasons why so many manufacturing jobs have left the state.

Even GM, Ford, and Chrysler have acknowledged this. A recent example GM offering more early retirement buy-outs to existing employees so they can replace them with employees at a much lower wage scale

Arctic49519 wrote:

DeVos philosophy is exactly what is wrong with corporate america--- cheat as many poor people as possible to fatten your own bank accounts.

I think DeVos philosophy is exactly what is RIGHT about corporate America. Work hard, make money, create jobs, and give back to the community.

Instead so many lie around waiting for a hand-out and complain they never get their fair share....

[Batch 37 Pain Is Good]

GRRitated wrote:

<quoted text>
She stated that in 2004, now in 2008 her words have been proven to be true- one of the big reasons why so many manufacturing jobs have left the state.
Even GM, Ford, and Chrysler have acknowledged this. A recent example GM offering more early retirement buy-outs to existing employees so they can replace them with employees at a much lower wage scale
<quoted text>
I think DeVos philosophy is exactly what is RIGHT about corporate America. Work hard, make money, create jobs, and give back to the community.
Instead so many lie around waiting for a hand-out and complain they never get their fair share....

Way to hit is out of the park!

[whatever]

Alfred wrote:

DeVos, 52, a longtime Republican Party activist, said he hasn't decided yet whether to take another run at public office. But in the meantime, he'll try to prove that Michigan is in fact a place where business can grow and jobs can be created.
Good get'em Dick!

Let him spend his millions in another LOSING effort. He'll get crushed again.

Michigan, unlike the DeVos family is full of people who work for a living.

[Taxpayer]

John M wrote:

It has become a practice that not only has been accepted but almost admired in our society. I have no problem with DeVos making millions, even billions but to undercut the worker that helped make it happen also? To me it should be a criminal offense. I choose the lesser of two very evils in the last govenor election and felt sick in doing so. When is it time that we as citizens will band together and just tell our govt officials that enough is enough.
No do not get me wrong here because I also think the union worker has done his fair share at damaging the work force here in Michigan to. The greed that they show sometimes is no better than the company hirarchy in most cases just on a smaller pay scale

I don't admire anyone who cannot find a balance in running their company that actually follows their Mission Statement. If you say that you "value people," then show me, pay me fairly. I also have no problem with companies making money, if they are ethical. It's too much to hope for right now, if ever. DeVos is doing a huge overseas business and he thinks he's quite the success model for how to run a profitable enterprise, even with a lousy degree from a no-name college like Northwood.

Temp agencies are now the norm, not the exception as they used to be. That's the sad part. It used to be that temp agencies help to "weed out" workers that just wouldn't be a fit for a company. Now, it's all that is being hired out there. And for cheap.

I voted for DeVos, and yes, he was the "lesser of the evils" for me. Granholm just spends too much of my hard-earned tax dollar on welfare trash. At least DeVos won't do that.

[doublelec]

devos has all answers, does'nt he? yeah, right. he may be successful in the private sector, for whatever reason, but there nothing here that would make governement run better or get the unemployed back to work.

[Batch 37 Pain Is Good]

doublelec wrote:

devos has all answers, does'nt he? yeah, right. he may be successful in the private sector, for whatever reason, but there nothing here that would make governement run better or get the unemployed back to work.

How about getting the govt. out of the private sectors pockets. They are the drain on our economy.

[Arctic49519]

Batch 37 Pain Is Good wrote:

<quoted text>
How about getting the govt. out of the private sectors pockets. They are the drain on our economy.

If you want to get gov't out of private sector, why don't you vote "NO" against the current "right-to-work" legislation pending?

Republicans want gov't out of business, except when it's legislation to weaken the workers. The republicans only believe in contracts as long as it benefits the rich. That's why they are against unions, and union contracts.

[Batch 37 Pain Is Good]

Arctic49519 wrote:

<quoted text>
If you want to get gov't out of private sector, why don't you vote "NO" against the current "right-to-work" legislation pending?
Republicans want gov't out of business, except when it's legislation to weaken the workers. The republicans only believe in contracts as long as it benefits the rich. That's why they are against unions, and union contracts.

This may come as a surprise, the govt. does not produce revenue. It only spends money. Unions are another matter. It is a "Progressive" idea that is basically Socialism, an idea that fails every time it is tried no matter which country tries it.

[RollngGrnade]

Batch 37 Pain Is Good wrote:

<quoted text>
Your kind of thinking is why union jobs are on the ropes. My clients have similar environments to Windquest and they are very productive and continue to grow. An adversarial working environment, like you want, is a dinosaur that is rapidly becoming extinct. Did I mention that I am not supporting UAW workers, I'm buying Toyota.

What is "my kind of thinking?" Did you even read what I wrote? Who says I want an adversarial working environment? Who says I support unions?

I'm acknowledging a reality; the current global market is an unfair playing field - and until we do something to level it, it won't matter how well the people at Windquest work together - their jobs will always be in peril because it's cheaper to employ people who have lower quality-of-living costs, and to employ them in a location that has looser environmental restrictions. I'm not saying unions are the answer per se.

That's why Dick DeVos expanded his operations in China when he had the chance several years ago; regardless of the fact that Michigan could have used that sort of investment - the sound business decision to expand in China where the overhead costs are lower.