B&H Photo - largest seller of camera gear in USA exploits workers

[Damphousse]

Update from Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective - "Recent update from a friend of mine working with LWC:

"Updates coming soon from LWC but B&H warehouse workers showed incredible strength and solidarity today in the face of employer intimidation. Forced management to do a complete 180 and claim workers were never fired and are all welcome back to work tomorrow. POWER."

 

#BHExposed"

 

 

This doesn't do us any good.  Please list for us the reputable online retailers with a clean bill of health so we know where to buy from.

[Kubrickian]

I bought my C100 MII from Professional Video & Tape in Oregon. Same prices as B&H. Great experience. 

[enny]

1 article. Written by an Islamic site. Attacking a very Jewish company. Haven't heard from both sides. Probably won't know the ins and the outs unless we take the time to investigate fully..... equals unfair judgement on someone. 

what is that Islamic site? you mean al jazeera i will trust them over any news organization in USA cnn, fox msnbc ect ect except democracy now and vice news  What if it was Christians or atheists attacking. And next time write Islamic terrorist you will get more likes. Dont listen to fox or cnn you know not all Muslims are terrorist and against Jews. I did not know it was Jewish company until i read your comment but who gives the fuk what they are if they are abusing their workers fuck them be it Jews Muslims Christians or Methodist or Scientologist

 

And PS article was written by Laura Gottesdiener non Muslim white women.

PPS Why do you think many western journalist go to work for al jazeera and middle east news agencies because in USA there is no more news channel but entertainment channel. In al jazeera you can write what ever the fuck you like and nothing is edited and footage is raw unedited and reported what reporter journalist see at that time at that moment no cnn fox msnbc crap 

 

[squig]

Anyone who thinks workers aren't exploited is living in a hypnotic state. I've been exploited in every job I ever I had. Capitalism is by design a system of exploitation.

[Ed_David]

We do. The #fuckyou is not for the workers. But you won't understand that. Maybe you can ask your clever dog about it.

I just did.  Here is what Charlie Chicken thinks, "Thank you for asking me.  I think Germany as a country is setting a good example to the rest of Europe by welcoming in immigrants.  However it could also be to recover for their treatment of Greece, with an austerity plan that has been disasterous for that country.  I think maybe it's time for the EU to end.  It was an interesting experiment but ultimately the bond between countries is not where it should be and unlike the USA where each state ultimately tries to help the others, as there seems to be years of hostility built up, also perhaps echoing the paranoia of World War II, especially that of Germany's history in the way, teaming up with Italy and occupying France and bombing the UK.  I don't know if what happened less than one hundred years ago is not still part of the struggle between your countries, especially with Germany as the "banking" leaders of the EU.  Of course the US had the Civil War and this still affects us, in differences between the North and the South - but I think overall we worked through these differences especially since the North is just as racist as the South.

"The underlying tension between nations in Europe combined with the incredibly high unemployment of its people, especially young people, in many European countries may in fact be affecting the moods of its citizens younger people.  While I don't know much about you personally Patrick B. Rau, it is possible some of your "online" use of a "swear" word is a result of situational stress and emotion caused by economic unshakiness.  But maybe not - who knows - online, we are all just reflections and projections of whom we really are.  Woof."

[sanveer]

 

 

Has this treat become a B-Grade film with lousy language and a free for all? 

 

[kaylee]

this is a country song guys

 

[Xavier Plagaro Mussard]

The big problem is not that B&H treats their workers bad. A lot of people would stop buying from them and they would end up closing. The problem is that workers are treated badly nearly everywhere anyway. I would really love to know which food, clothes, computers, videocameras to buy and where to be promoting an etical treatment of all the workers involved. We really just vote with the wallet. The goal the big powers have is not to arrive at north european standards (arguably best ones), the goal is to make us all work with Chinese rules. 

[sanveer]

People who are sympathising with the AL-Jazeers stories have obviously not been reading about labour conditions all over the world, and at most other stores. Apple Stores all over China have pathetic working conditions, and a lot of meat stores, electronics, online retailers, and super-stores in the US have terrible working conditions. Unlike Bangladesh where entire building are crumbling, all over the world, working conditions of the labour class isn't excellent. I cannot say with precision, but, I guess except Japan and a few Scandinavian countries, everywhere else, workers are treated like rodents. Why just stores, wasn't it recently that workers complained about the working conditions on Alfonso Cuarón's next film (I hope it was his film, that was in question), where extreme working conditions, with lousy food and extremely long work hours were making many crew members go literally berserk.

This is in no way stating that, if it exists thus at B&H, it is justified, and fine because everyone else is doing it. 

I believe Al Jazeera should first outline working conditions in atleast 30 super stores, and atleast 20 other online electronics retailers, to be able to lend some level of credibility to their story. Otherwise it looks like some low quality political propaganda. 

[Ed_David]

I think the The Revenant - Innaurtu not Cuaron.  Also Mad Max labor conditions were poor.

The answer is that regulation of worker safety conditions are challenging but there is some progress as seen here in Bangladesh - https://www.thenation.com/article/how-you-make-garment-factories-safer/

Obviously it is a challenge to have corporations have decent workers standards and still turn a profit.

How do companies compete again H&M when their shirts cost $5 USD?

But in the case of gear equipment - several people have already pointed out stores in the US that have better working conditions than B&H.  Barn door outfitters.

Newegg which is featured here in an article - http://www.extremetech.com/electronics/105827-cracking-the-shell-inside-neweggs-east-coast-distribution-center

Basically type in a company name and "class action lawsuit" and you'll see that only really B&H comes up.  Adorama didn't.

About the anti-Islam comments on Al-Jeezera - wouldn't you be suprised if you knew that twitter is partially owned by a Saudi comglamerate, as are a lot of other companies globally.

Also BP, the gas company is owned by Saudi money

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/revealed-saudi-royals-secret-1bn-us-empire-7817936.html

And the Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon. So how is the Washington Post biased in its coverage of Amazon?  And why was the NYTimes the paper to show horrible working conditions at Amazon, and not the Washington Post?

[Ed_David]

Yes Wash Post didn't cover Amazon.com's worker conditions or feud with book publishers - http://www.mhpbooks.com/20-things-the-washington-post-has-covered-instead-of-the-amazonhachette-dispute/

But how do you explain the NYTimes covering B&H photo's workers story when we know they are owned by a Jewish family for over 100 years and have repeatedly be accused of Jewish bias?

 

Or hyperallegeric which is known to have a "hipster bias?"

Here's the latest updates on the worker conditions, including being threatened by B&H management to be fired for protesting.

http://hyperallergic.com/245925/workers-fighting-to-unionize-claim-bh-photo-threatened-termination-en-masse/

 

[Ed_David]

And I don't read German newspapers but I read British ones like the Guardian and International Herald Tribune and the Figaro - French and watch the BBC.  Does Germany have any good news reporting besides the Spiegal?

Yes it is a big deal B&H is abusing its workers, because a lot of people buy from them.

[Ed_David]

Ich kann verstehen, Deutsch mit Google Translate . Gutes Papier . Danke!

[Ed_David]

The coal mines were part of the reason in the US we have worker's rights.  One evil doesn't justify the other - all I'm saying is to ask people not to support companies that abuse their workers.

[sanveer]

I speak reasonably fluent German, apart from a host of other languages I stayed in Europe for a few years). 

But let's not speak in local languages. Let's stick to English. I saw some local chit-chatting in another thread. 

English Only. 

[Ed_David]

Everyone is welcome here.  That's why I like this place (after I got banned from two sites recently)

[sanveer]

Yeah. Most online sites have either serious trolling, or serious bullying, or are overly moderated by some old school idiots. 

[squig]

Everyone is welcome here.  That's why I like this place (after I got banned from two sites recently)

WTF!? I was a mod at cinema5D, you'd be one of the last guys I'd ever think I'd have to ban. Some mods can be real fascists, totally devoid of any sense of humor or proportion. We had a good crew at cinema5D, banning was taken really seriously and the mods conferred before we made a decision to ban.

[sanveer]

WTF!? I was a mod at cinema5D, you'd be one of the last guys I'd ever think I'd have to ban. Some mods can be real fascists, totally devoid of any sense of humor or proportion. We had a good crew at cinema5D, banning was taken really seriously and the mods conferred before we made a decision to ban.

 

I like Cinema5D. You guys are pretty good and the debate is mostly healthy.

There are some some craky old DoPs who keep dismissing your tests (like the Canon C300 Mark ii one), but you guys are way too kind to them. I, personally, would have slapped them with an old Super16 or something. 

Keep up the good work.

 

[Ed_David]

Thank you Patrick for sharing.