Follow up to B&H - Workers Unionize

[Ed_David]

We are filmmakers. Our job...with 4k or not 4k is to tell stories. Deliver stories. Transmit cultural ideas. Its all relevant. All filmmaking is political. I mean there is politial undertone behind batman the dark knight and the dark knight rises.

Neither time nor place for b&h? I think its never the right time or place. Activism and civil disobedience doesnt happen where you expect it to.

Why in eoshd forum?  Cause we are the ones who use b and h. Good to know about worker abuse issues from a company we buy from.

What about products made by slaves in china?  Can someone confirm this? I know about apple worker issues that they addressed but havent heard from other companies.

[Nikkor]

Remember that everything you buy is being produced by slaves in a distopian-communist country.

[Mattias Burling]

Capitalism creates slaves, its the core of the ideology.

[Nikkor]

3 minutes ago, Mattias Burling said:

Capitalism creates slaves, its the core of the ideology.

The Chinese have been slaves since the beginning of history -according to marx-

[Mattias Burling]

1 minute ago, araucaria said:

The Chinese have been slaves since the beginning of history -according to marx-

Either way. Slaves exist because of an unregulated market is trying to maximize profit.
Thats no secret. Im not saying its good or bad.
Im just clarifying since I often see people online use the word communism to describe the downside of successful capitalism.

[Nikkor]

1 minute ago, Mattias Burling said:

Either way. Slaves exist because of an unregulated market is trying to maximize profit.
Thats no secret. Im not saying its good or bad.
Im just clarifying since I often see people online use the word communism to describe the downside of successful capitalism.

The same way unregulated markets can produce slaves, regulated markets can do it too.

[henryp]

On 3/6/2016 at 11:21 PM, Ed David said:

Unions, although flawed, cause they are run by humans, which are, like all of us, flawed, are perhaps one of the few innovations of the past two hundred years to prevent exploitation of workers.

Flawed indeed: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/nyregion/minority-sheet-metal-workers-in-new-york-start-getting-back-pay-after-decades-of-bias.html

On 3/11/2016 at 10:05 AM, Ed David said:

No bathrooms for female workers.  Seperate bathrooms for whites and nonwhites..  Firing workers for collective bargaining. Nice bathrooms for white employees, unsanitary bathrooms for Hispanic workers.

SNIP

A talking figurehead who's job is to protect a company's reputation.

The allegations cited in your first paragraph are untrue. We have said so unequivocally since these as-yet unproven allegations were first made public. There were and are no separate bathrooms for whites and non-whites. No one was fired for collective bargaining. All the bathrooms are as clean and sanitary as those in my own home.

Regarding the second paragraph IMO referring to me as "A talking figurehead" speaks volumes. And, yes I am here in part to protect the company's reputation. The company's reputation deserves protection and the company, like any accused i this country is innocent until proven guilty, isn't it?

[Ed_David]

You're not under trial, Henry. You are being asked questions.

Also let's talk bias.

You are paid to defend a company. They are paying you thousands of dollars to defend them. I should have stated that.  You arent a talking figurehead. I apologize.  But being paid thousands of dollars usually puts you in their shared views. Its your job. I want to talk to the labor department too to get their take.

I think the Young Turks said that the conditions of the bathrooms for the predominantly Hispanic workers was unhygienic, and there were no female bathrooms?  Yet the bathrooms upstairs, used I think either exclusively or predominantly by white people are much more hygienic.

But more importantly in their article, they said that B&H fired the cleaning staff of 25 years because they wanted to negotiate wages.

This is one of many things the report found.

And again, you guys wanted to settle with them.  And they said no, and are taking your company to court.

 

But since you are here, if you want to answer a few questions.

1. have you spoken to workers about worker conditions at the factory? And would they come forward to talk to me about it?

2. have you spoken to female workers about female worker conditions?

3.  What is this about the firing of the cleaning staff?  

5.  What does it mean that B&H photo attempted to settle with the department of labor and they refused and are going to litigation with you?  Does this pose more of a risk to them , since they can lose the civil case?

6.  Historically how often does this happen, that the labor department refuses to settle?

7.  How has worker conditions at B&H changed since this incident and since the unionization of employees?

8.  What are ways that B&H can continue to improve it's condition of workers?

[DayRaven]

16 hours ago, Ed David said:

4.  Can you give names to who the cleaning staff were and their contact information privately to me so I can speak to them?

This would surely be illegal if they did so! It wouldn't matter how any previous employers had treated me, or how much on my side anyone they handed my details too, I would be furious at the breach of privacy if any company I had previously worked for did this, and, quite rightly, in the UK there are laws preventing this.

[Snowfun]

15 minutes ago, DayRaven said:

And, quite rightly, in the UK there are laws preventing this.

I suspect that those of us in the UK don't always appreciate how fortunate we are...

(different debate about the extent to which we should be grateful to the EU!!!)

[henryp]

21 hours ago, DayRaven said:

This would surely be illegal if they did so! It wouldn't matter how any previous employers had treated me, or how much on my side anyone they handed my details too, I would be furious at the breach of privacy if any company I had previously worked for did this, and, quite rightly, in the UK there are laws preventing this.

Thank you. I appreciate this.

22 hours ago, Ed David said:

I think the Young Turks said that the conditions of the bathrooms for the predominantly Hispanic workers was unhygienic, and there were no female bathrooms?  Yet the bathrooms upstairs, used I think either exclusively or predominantly by white people are much more hygienic.

This is simply not true. There are no separate bathrooms and all the bathrooms are, as I've said, are as clean as those in my own home.

[Ed_David]

Fine Henry.

The depatment of labor's reports are false. And everyone else is lying too. 

[Don Kotlos]

Just an update on this issue:

"Under the terms of the decree, the Manhattan photo, video, audio, and digital imaging retailer has agreed to pay $3,220,000 in back wages and other monetary relief to more than 1,300 affected class members. B&H also agreed to hire a workplace consultant to help correct its employment practices and workplace conduct at its Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse, as well as its future warehouse in Florence, New Jersey. The company also agreed to provide its managers with annual training on equal opportunity principles and prevention of workplace harassment."

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814

And here is a commentary from a former B&H employee:

http://www.thephoblographer.com/2017/08/16/bh-photo-pay-3-2-million-discrimination-lawsuit/