The story of Nabisco’s efforts to send American jobs to Mexico is gaining attention across the globe. France 2 T.V. spent time interviewing and filming Local 300 members for this special segment that aired on April 5. With a potential 30 million viewers throughout Europe, the French television report helps spotlight the corporate behavior of a company committed to destroying its dedicated workforce and the community surrounding the historic bakery. (See the English translation below the video.)
États-Unis : quand les usines partent au Mexique
Full English translation of the broadcast video:
USA: When plants move to Mexico
This is American families’ favorite biscuit, the famous Oreo, the emblem of the “made in USA”. Workers used to make them at the Chicago plant but these biscuits have moved.
Worker: “They are leaving me with a sour taste in my mouth because my job is going to Mexico, I have received a termination letter on March 23rd so I don’t have a job any longer”.
This plant has been making Oreo cookies for more than a century and the production lines are going to move to Mexico. Six hundred jobs will disappear and management asserts that it will save 44 million euros per year. Chicago workers have quickly understood why, the wage gap is huge.
Worker: “We earn 22 euros per hour and with the cost of living in the United States this is the minimum to survive while in Mexico, workers earn on average 1.20 euro per hour without any social protection.”
Not only cookies are going to Mexico. Ford will move an assembly jobs factory of small city cars, 700 jobs are threatened. Giant heating and air conditioning Carrier, has announced 14 000 layoffs. Workers filmed the announcement and find it scandalous.
Management: “We are going to move this plant here in Indianapolis to Monterrey in Mexico”.
It is no longer China but Mexico that attracts businesses. Its geographic proximity with companies allows saving transport costs. The Mexican worker is 20 times cheaper than the American worker. Additionally, the peso lost 30% of its value against the dollar, the products “made in Mexico” are therefore extremely competitive. In 10 years, the United States lost 50 000 plants.