Management Versus Labor

Believe it or not but in the US of A there is a huge war going on between management and labor.  Granted there are a few companies where this does not happen but for a majority of our companies it does.

Management does not trust labor to do the job correctly and uses lower management supervisors to point out everything that the worker is doing wrong in their work.  These supervisors make sure that the workers do not take more than a 10-minute break twice a day and no more than a 30-minute lunch break every day.

Some of these supervisors make sure that these workers do not go to the bathroom unless it is on their break; however, this unwritten rule is broken if the employee can convince the supervisor that he really has to go...  however, production quotes still have to be met.

Labor, on the other hand, tries its best to break all those rules when the supervisor is not watching...  just for spite in many cases because of the behavior the supervisor exhibits.

Over the years this resentment has built up, especially when the supervisor claims responsibility for an adopted suggestion that was offered by the worker to the supervisor.  The supervisor taking credit for the idea and in some cases is given a promotion or a bonus.

In one automotive factory, workers slashed the leather seats of over 150 vehicles just to get back at management.  In other cases, the workers have formed unions and now there are worker strikes when management berates too many workers.  Or, if there has not been a wage increase in a long time, even though management has recorded record profits.

Most of our American companies are publicly traded companies that sell stock.  Management then has to do things it may not like in order to increase the dividends paid to the stockholders.  In other words, the stockholders are more valued than labor who builds or assembles their quality products.

This is one of the reasons why I no longer buy American vehicles.  Japanese vehicles are better made and there is not animosity between management and labor.  Japanese companies see this as a partnership.

Additionally, in addition to the quality issue, American products usually cost more than foreign products because of the wages and benefits those American workers have demanded.  After checking around and making comparisons, one can easily make the determination that these other cheaper products are just as good and, in some cases, better.

It is sad to see this division in the US of A but it is real and it exists and is really no different than our division we are currently experiencing in politics.