Are there any Tractors " Manufactured" in the US anymore.?

[Mousefield]

Incorrect.

The company that employs the union members provides the wage.

Perhaps the customer??

 

[Duffster]

Perhaps the customer??

Nope. The customer buys a product or a service.

 

[Mousefield]

Nope. The customer buys a product or a service.

You are correct, the company pays the wage. However if there are no customers to buy their product or service then no company, no employees, no wages.

 

[Pushing_Tin]

I know of several manufacturing companies that do not have a union workforce that provide health care and retirement benefits.

Of course there are always a few, but they are certainly a minorty, and getting rarer by the year.

Go here and see for yourself. ( Chysler $75.86 / Hr. wages and benefits ) Actually I was LOW at $750.00 a day doe 10 HOURS, I didn't figure the overtime hours after (8) Hours so it would be a a few hundred over $750.00.

Average Hourly Compensation 2006 (US Wages and Benefits) - Big Three Auto - ProCon.org

It's not only the USA but no Country on the planet can compete with China because they use prison labor for free or for like I said $2.00 a D-A-Y.

As An American who wouldn't buy American over any Country if the price was the same, but we know that is an impossibility given our rules, regulation, and wages up against no rules, no regulations and no wages. It's a no brainer.

As a proud American it disgusts me to see the amount of product from all other Countries for sale here and virtually none of our products being sold in China or other Countries. We allow anything to come here with little tariffs and China puts on three and four times the value of out products in tariffs so our products become insanely priced in their Country.

If it were up to me I would do the same thing I would make that TV so expensive that some college kid would say " Hey I think I can build that TV here in the USA and compete with that expensive China TV.

I would tax LEVIS so much on their imported Jeans that they come BACK to the USA and make them here like they did for 100 years.

I would charge Hershey Chocolate so much in taxes they would BEG to make their chocolate back in Pennsylvania.

Tons of American made companies leave American and keep selling their goods here and get the best of both worlds - that is what needs to stop.

Isn't it funny that Toyota comes here to build cars and Hershey and Levis leave here to make their products? WHY?

Uh, YOUR quote

2- Have your product made by American Union workers at $750.00 a day plus benefits, taxes, regulation up the wazoo, health and safety, workers comp, labor standards, harassment laws, labor law suits, forced health care, environmental laws and rules, air quality regulation, water regulations,insurance, power regulations, cap and trade, strikes, government inspections, fees, fees, fees, fees, and more fees..............what would you do?

There is a HUGE difference between an hourly pay rate, and an hourly pay rate PLUS benefits. I still challenge you to find me a source that shows a blue collar line worker making $93 an hour PLUS benefits. I know many people that get paid overtime that don't want it. Paying overtime means that you do not have to hire more employees and give them training and benefits, so it's a smart business move in reality. Further, data from 2006 isn't really relevant as the UAW gave a lot of concessions during the bailouts.

And while we sort of agree, I think most that feel like you do (not necessarily you) are hypocrites. Take the oil spill this summer as an example. Nobody down there wanted the feds interfering in their business in any way shape or form........Until all h*ll broke loose and they wanted to know why the feds didn't inspect more rigs, how could they allow this to happen to their livelihoods? What was the government going to do to help them, it was sad and comical at the same time. Everybody hates government interference, until they need something.

 

[Loren49]

A bit off topic but if we limited this discussion to only those who are using US assembled computer's with US manufactured parts, it would be pretty boring. (Let's add the US tvs and phones and we could all be Amish) :licking:

Loren

 

[soulasphil]

I have a high opinion of US trade unions as compared to what we have here. I think you are exagerating their influence in the decline of US industry. Manufacturing has been losing jobs in the US for decades. Not only because objects could be made cheaper elsewhere, but because manufacturing could no longer pay the type of wages people had come to expect. They had to turn to services, financial and commercial jobs to follow the general increase in the standard of living. Which on the whole was not a good thing for trade unions.

 

[brin]

I just want to find a good Grease Gun that is made in the USA..The one I had for about 25 yrs. gave up on me about 2 yrs. ago and I have been through two junk imports in that time and again today the third one just wasted two tubes of grease....I am not a happy camper, I mean how complicated is a grease gun..Why can't they make them right ?

 

[Thomas]

Grease gun..old homesteads also old garages auction/going out business good chance,they may not be be fancy but they can take a beating.

 

[ModMech]

Ask yourself this question and pretend you own a tractor building company, here are you choices.

1 - Have your product made my a foreign company and pay the employees $2.00 a DAY for 10 hours of work, or..............

2- Have your product made by American Union workers at $750.00 a day plus benefits, taxes, regulation up the wazoo, health and safety, workers comp, labor standards, harassment laws, labor law suits, forced health care, environmental laws and rules, air quality regulation, water regulations,insurance, power regulations, cap and trade, strikes, government inspections, fees, fees, fees, fees, and more fees..............what would you do?

See it's a simple decision isn't it. Now you know why nothing is made in the United States any more.

I know why people FEEL that way and in many cases it is true to some degree, but if it were representative of actual facts, there would be no Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar or VW products sold here because they ALL have higher input costs than we have in the USA (Labor, benefits, regulations, retirement, emissions and taxes).

I do not believe in the "offshore is cheaper (labor, taxes, regulations etc) and that's why we do it" arguement. I KNOW that is what the business people CLAIM, it's all over the media but I don't believe it at all.

The FACTS are that american WORKERS are more productive than EVER ad more productive than ANYWHERE ELSE on the planet. That means that you get more dollars of goods for a given dollar of labor input (wages, benefits, tax etc) with US based employees. I believe it is GREED that moves jobs out of the country and not economic necessity, I'll explain.

1) Moving jobs is easy and you can make the arguement for lower costs that most people will buy into because obtaining the FACTS is difficult.

2) Who's wages (all labor costs) have gone DOWN seriously in the past 50 years? Almost everyones! Look at the FACTS, the "average" employee in 1960 could provide for their family, buy a new car ever 3-5 years and pay off the "average" home in 30. How many of us can do that now? Sure as h#ll not me!

3) Who's wages have gone UP significantly in the past 50 years? Executives and middle management. They provide no intrinsic value to the firm but take up an ever larger portion of the labor costs. They are ALL classified as "non-revenue generating" staff.

4) If you want to reduce expenditures in a medium corporation by $1,000,000 what is easier:
a) Lay off 15 production staff and ask the remaining 45 to do extra work
b) Reduce executive compensation by 50%

Obviously option "b" preserves production capacity and employee satisfaction while option "a" does the exact opposite. Why then do they choose option "a" EVERY SINGLE TIME??????

GREED! What's mine is MINE and what's yours I can take!!!!!!

BTW, most MAJOR ag manufacturers manufacture or assemble at least some product lines in the USA. Deere, CNH, AGCO (Headquartered in the USA with 4 manufacturing plants) and Mahindra (ties to CaseIH, Navistar and three US locations).

 

[jeffgreef]

I agree with the last post, that it's more complicated than just the idea that wages overseas are cheaper. Here are a few points to consider:

1-Wages are a lot cheaper in China, where Toyota and others get a lot of their parts, but that may change. The Chinese 'one child' policy has reduced their workforce to where it's getting harder for employers to find the workers they need, something new in China. The workers there are getting sick of being treated like manure and will ask for change.

2-If a tractor for sale in the US was made in the US with our wages and regulations, benefits, etc. I could not afford it. But, in 1960, I probably could. So what has changed? Now, a far higher amount of wealth is owned by a very small number of people in the US, and around the world, which leaves the rest of us to divy up what's left. We are slowly being squeezed as the banksters and other elites take more and more for themselves. I'm no Marxist and I believe in capitalism, but the playing field has to be equal and wealth distribution not weighted to one side. As it is, you and I can only afford more expensive items if they are produced with slave labor. It's a sad cycle. I'd prefer to believe that everyone who worked on my car, tractor, computer, lettuce, apples etc. was getting a fair shake.

3-Now, the Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, has allowed corporations unlimited permission to donate to political campaign contributions- and they are taking full advantage of it. Do you think they are going to try to influence politics in a way that reduces their CEO payscales and corporate profits, and makes it easier for you and me to buy a tractor, foreign or domestic?

It's not foreign wages vs. domestic wages, democrat vs. republican, or China vs. the US. It's We the People vs. the greedy elites. I say we push the Constitution in their faces and make them eat some humble pie.

CWFAC- Cheap Words From an Armchair Critic

IMHO, my two cents, for what it's worth.

JG