Why Louis Vuitton chose this ranch south of Fort Worth for a factory

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#106
Yeah, there’s quite a range between “graduate degree compensation” and minimum wage. It doesn’t need to be black and white.

There’s a living wage in the middle. If I’m spending $3,000 on a handbag, and I’m told it’s better quality than another leather bag because it’s made by artisans... the people manufacturing my bag better be well trained in leather work and paid a living wage for full-time work.

The reason we have a shrinking middle class is because we no longer expect full-time employed people to be able to support a family with the basics. We excuse poor wages as “well, they should choose to do something different” as if there isn’t a need for the products we purchase.
 
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#111
PurpleRabbit said:
I live in Texas and FYI $13/hr in not a living wage. You can't get a 30 year mortgage on a $161,900 home based on a $27K. Especially since a 20% down payment exceeds the yearly income. $13/hr is a good starting salary for a young person but not for anyone who has grown up responsibility
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Thank you for the personal input as it's good to hear responses from people who actually live around the area. As mentioned, my calculations were just based off quick searches about the area as I'm not from Texas. I did calculations based on the cost/salary/interest similar to how I did calculations when buying my own home this year, so that is why I came to conclusion that it is an ok salary, but probably not enough for someone who is raising a family (but combined income may be enough).

For the record, I'm looking at this as someone who lives in an area where even making 6 figures is not always enough to buy a house alone, so obviously my perspective is quite skewed (20% down on my own home is more than my annual salary so I didn't think that was a requirement - this is not me being irresponsible with my money, it's just the fact of life where I am). But based on my prior post, if I were making $13/hr (or $11.50/hr), I would not be trying to buy a house. But on the flip side, if I didn't go to to college and didn't have other skills to fall back on, then I wouldn't turn my nose up at that salary either. Considering that they are offering basically full benefits (PTO/health and dental insurance/life insurance/401K!!). Those are all nice things to have! My parents certainly did NOT get all those benefits working similar jobs when I was growing up and I bet these people will be working in much nicer facilities then the factory/workshop my mom worked in. I think people are just upset because it shatters the illusion that LV is any different from any other brand.
 
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#114
In my opinion, part of the challenge with this is that LV has at least passively participated in the myth/idea that its bags are made by skilled craftspeople. They have not specified that this is only for a certain "level" of bags so I think it's only natural that some people think this applies to all bags, especially when you look at the prices of bags. This article kind of pulls back the curtain and reveals that The Great and Terrible Oz that is Arnault really is just a business man like every other business man. He's in this to maximize profits and one way to do that is to move to an area of relatively inexpensive labor. But I think this is contrary to what people assumed the brand to be about - picturing the craftspeople I mentioned above. And then on top of that you mention a starting wage of $13/hr (which is almost twice the minimum required wage in TX but still not what people assume a skilled craftsperson makes) and the lack of air conditioning in TX, it really makes people question what all that money they pay for a Speedy goes to.
 
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#118
I haven’t read the whole thread yet, just the last few pages, so I may have missed something, but is anyone taking into account cost of living? Cost of living in Texas is massively different from cost of living in NYC, Chicago, L. A. , etc.

Also these are starting wages, not permanent, dead-end wages. As skills are learned, the wage will go up and I am sure there are opportunities for advancement.

Lastly, you have to take into account the benefits. Benefits are a huge part of an employment package! There are many, many people working for those kind of wages with zero benefits. Typically small mom and pop employers cannot afford to offer good benefits or any benefits at all. LV is surely offering very good benefits. So the value of the benefits should be factored into the starting salary to determine the full value. It’s a package deal.

These are people who will be learning a trade, learning to be artisans. Right now, at the beginning they are unskilled labor, but with training and time their wage will increase, there will opportunities for those who work hard to advance and I am guessing people in that area of Texas are thankful for jobs that LV will be providing.

By boycotting, it would only hurt those people who can least afford to have a plant shut down. It is not going to hurt those at the very top. The people at lower end get hurt first. People get laud off, plants shut down. They lose their jobs.

I guess I am older and it used to be normal to start off with less, pay your dues as they used to say, then reap the rewards of working hard over time. My father-in-law, who has done very well for himself, started out making very, very little, even with a college degree and later an MBA. It took time. A lot of time. Are people not willing to do that anymore?
 
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