How bizarre is it that Mattel reportedly apologized to the Chinese government for the safety recalls of nearly 20 million toys made in China? The company has challenged news reports of the apology by executive vice president Thomas Debrowski, saying he was apologizing to Chinese consumers of Mattel toys, not to Mattel’s Chinese vendors. But as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “It’s like a bank robber apologizing to his accomplice instead of to the person who was robbed.” Whatever the nature of the mea culpa, it just shows how much Mattel relies on the low wages paid in China, where 65 percent of Mattel’s toys are manufactured.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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18 Comments
What’s to wonder about?
China has them by the short hairs, like it does the rest of the country.
Showing that you’re an abject slave by kowtowing and scraping before your feudal lord has a long tradition there.
Get used to it.
CAP – perhaps Clinton can help out here. She has a lot of ties to China.
Oh, I forgot that was money for her. Sorry! ROFLOL
God…. and just when you thought that corporate America could not sink any lower…
There are 50 million people across the border who would be glad to apply lead paint to toys.
It is Mattel’s product and if they didn’t test their own product for resale into the U.S. for compliance with consumer protection laws, then I would agree, Mattel screwed up.
Having a product assembled overseas doesn’t relieve someone for being liable or responsible.
I think Mattel needs to take the blame for sending their toys to be assembled elsewhere to begin with.
Change, Hillary had nothing to do with this. Give it a rest.
I think Mattel needs to take the blame for sending their toys to be assembled elsewhere to begin with.
Change, Hillary had nothing to do with this. Give it a rest.
Posted by: political_mom
Unions force higher wages and this leads to companies outsourcing jobs overseas to stay competitive. I don’t like it, but globalization is another factor. If we want to stay competitive as a nation, we are going to have to lower our wages or risk losing more jobs to overseas unless we can convince other countries to raise their salaries to our levels.
“Unions force higher wages and this leads to companies outsourcing jobs overseas to stay competitive”
So… we all just need to work for chinese wages and all would be right with american manufacturing?
heheheheheheheehe……
“I got mine now screw you!”
Let’s live down to slave labor standards?
Thanks, no.
T-A-R-R-I-F-F-S!
The founders understood their importance. It is about time we stopped worrying about the bottomless bottom line of the few and started working on savind our ability to make things.
“Unions force higher wages and this leads to companies outsourcing jobs overseas to stay competitive”
So… we all just need to work for chinese wages and all would be right with american manufacturing?
heheheheheheheehe……
“I got mine now screw you!”
Posted by: ksfarmgrrl
Let’s live down to slave labor standards?
Thanks, no.
T-A-R-R-I-F-F-S!
The founders understood their importance. It is about time we stopped worrying about the bottomless bottom line of the few and started working on savind our ability to make things.
Posted by: J R
I did not say I agreed with it, only pointing out the reality of the situation. I would like to see this situation change for the better, but I doubt it will until Americans realize we are as much to blame as the big dog companies. Too many Americans want it cheap and do not care if it is made in the US or some third world country where the salary is $1 a day. Those same Americans gripe when they lose their jobs to those same overseas companies. Until Americans wake up and smell the coffee, the trend will continue to worsen.
UAW saw the handwriting on the wall and stiffed the newer employees with lower wages while protecting the current employees. Other industrialized countries are facing the same dilemma with job losses.
Tariffs are good, but face challenges with GATT and the WTO.
Try buying an electronic device, like a computer, and see if you can find one that is made only in this country or mostly in this country.
I hear people defending the outsourcing with explanations bordering on laughable at best.
Without a union in America, companies would still have incentive to send work to third world countries, where they’ll work for pennies on the dollar.
Without a union in America, companies would still have incentive to send work to third world countries, where they’ll work for pennies on the dollar.
Posted by: The Phantom
With unions, they are doing the same thing. Unions need to go back to where they cared about their members and not about protecting employees for not doing their jobs. My union supported NAFTA and look what it got them, more jobs to Mexico and Canada and less here. Thankfully, they did not support CAFTA.
Unions used to be a good thing, now all their leadership cares about is money for them and screw us regular employees. I would rather take a pay and benefits cost than have my company move my job to India, China Mexico or somewhere else. Boeing employees listened to their union and where did it get them?
The price of labor isn’t the only problem. The cost and hassle of regulation is in there, too (like prohibition of lead in toys).
Mattel is finding out there’s a hidden cost for offshoring.
The nonsense of talking about reducing wages here to compete with overseas is a dangerous smokescreen. Would these same people then want to lower the working age? How about we bring back sexism, or dump 401Ks and go back to firing people just prior to their retiring and save the corporations that retirement money.
That’s what would happen without unions. Hell, it’s what was happening before unions.
But the main story, Mattel kowtowing to their chinese bosses, only tells half the story. The chinese stated they would refrain from using leaded paints ON TOYS MADE FOR THE UNITED STATES ONLY!
Doesn’t take a genius to figure out the chinese have no respect for life, and worship at the alter of the almighty dollar.Communists? Typical corporate capitalists is more like it.
Clinton and ChinaTwo peas in a pod:
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/8/8/152130.shtml
Seriously, though, Tarriffs are a thing of the past.We aren’t going back there again.
There isn’t an electable candidate, in either party, that favors Tarriffs or the elimination of free-trade.
Kansas sells airplanes, wheat, beef and camping goods, to name a few products, to people all over the world.
Why would they buy from us if we refused to buy from them?
By the way, a TARRIFF is a TAX.
If you think Tarriffs would change domestic behavior, on imports and purchases, are you not admitting that taxes affect behavior, when it comes to productivity, hiring and business growth?
It is Mattel’s product and if they didn’t test their own product for resale into the U.S. for compliance with consumer protection laws, then I would agree, Mattel screwed up.
Having a product assembled overseas doesn’t relieve someone for being liable or responsible.
Posted by: Kansas
Mattel AND the China vendors are both to blame. But Kansas seems to think only Mattel is to blame in this situation.
Typical Republican, watching out for your china stocks are you Kansas?
“”"”Without a union in America, companies would still have incentive to send work to third world countries, where they’ll work for pennies on the dollar.”"”
Actually MOST of the jobs going there are NON union jobs.