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

[tinybutterfly]

I think telling people to work harder and earn more money oversimplifies a lot of issues here.

I am not simply telling people to work harder and earn more money. I am just saying that a starting wage is a STARTING wage. It is the beginning pay. In five years, ten years, twenty years that wage will go up.

By taking a job at this LV plant in Texas, the employees will gain skills over time. That is pretty normal. The longer you work at a job, the better you become at that job. The better you are at a skill or job, the higher the wage you can expect to make.

In general, most manufacturing plants give their employees yearly raises. That, too, is very normal as long as the product being manufactured is selling well, the economy is doing well and the employee is doing a decent job. Some manufacturing plants give bonuses if they are having a good year.

These are starting wages, not permanent.

No one expects people to support a family, buy a house or buy a LV bag with starting wages. Starting wages are what a person gets at the very beginning of their employment, but the expectation is that there will be an upward trajectory. Even engineers, lawyers and doctors have a starting wage that is much less than what they will be making in their 50’s and 60’s.

Also, not everyone is supporting themselves and their children alone on their salary. Often there is a second income from another adult in the household.

We all had to start somewhere at the beginning. Usually, most of us had a modest beginning. Artisans have to learn their skill. Someday they will be very good at what they do, make more money than they did at the beginning and they will in turn train others in this skill. Those beginners will not make the same wage as the more experienced artisans, but later their wages will increase as their experience and skill increases. Hopefully there will be good quality control to catch any beginner mistakes that may be made while they are learning.

If a person prefers to purchase made in France only, that is fine. Others will be happy to purchase made in USA products. It is fine to have different preferences.

LV has the right to open manufacturing plants wherever they please. I would guess that the people in this area will be glad to take the 100 starting jobs and later the other up to 500 job positions will also be filled. That is a good thing.

I don’t mean to sound argumentative. It is late and I am trying to wrap this up quickly, so I can go to bed. I understand there are several issues involved and I am no expert.

 

[mrceral]

Nicholas Ghesquiere was NOT impressed...

Good for him to speak up.

 

[makendu]

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?

LOL. I think you little in fantasy land i live in texas and I don’t where u think $13 a hour is even good its trash

 

[lorihmatthews]

This is interesting, it's a job posting for an Artisan in TX.

At Louis Vuitton US Manufacturing, the Artisan position reports to the Production Supervisor and is responsible for effectively manufacturing quality handbags and other small leather goods in a safe manner, while achieving the performance standards required by the company.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Prepare and assemble materials together by using industrial sewing machines and other types of equipment and tools
• Perform manual processes such as assembling, sorting, picking, thread pulling, thread burning, edge dying, peeling, pressing, and twisting
• Complete performance sheets in order to track individual performance
• Complete replacement forms to track issues with quality
• Self-inspect incoming material and finished pieces to verify quality compliance before passing on to next station
• Produce products according to standard times
• Ensure quality requirements are met on a daily basis
• Perform preventive maintenance on equipment according to safety guidelines
• Verify work area and equipment is in compliance according to safety guidelines
• Wear necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) depending on operation
• Identify improvement opportunities in the work processes
• Rotate amongst operations as required by business needs
• Perform other duties as assigned or deemed necessary by business needs

Profile
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• High School Diploma, GED or equivalent work experience
• Experience in a similar capacity or manufacturing environment preferred, but not required
• Must pass the manual dexterity pre-employment testing
• Basic math skills required for counting and measuring
• Basic computer skills are a plus
• Must be able to adapt to a constantly changing work environment
• Must be detail, quality and safety oriented
• Must be well organized, self-motivated and be a good communicator
• Proven ability to work in a team environment with minimal supervision
• Must be able to work overtime as required by business needs

 

[makendu]

This is interested, it's a job posting for an Artisan in TX.

At Louis Vuitton US Manufacturing, the Artisan position reports to the Production Supervisor and is responsible for effectively manufacturing quality handbags and other small leather goods in a safe manner, while achieving the performance standards required by the company.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Prepare and assemble materials together by using industrial sewing machines and other types of equipment and tools
• Perform manual processes such as assembling, sorting, picking, thread pulling, thread burning, edge dying, peeling, pressing, and twisting
• Complete performance sheets in order to track individual performance
• Complete replacement forms to track issues with quality
• Self-inspect incoming material and finished pieces to verify quality compliance before passing on to next station
• Produce products according to standard times
• Ensure quality requirements are met on a daily basis
• Perform preventive maintenance on equipment according to safety guidelines
• Verify work area and equipment is in compliance according to safety guidelines
• Wear necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) depending on operation
• Identify improvement opportunities in the work processes
• Rotate amongst operations as required by business needs
• Perform other duties as assigned or deemed necessary by business needs

Profile
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• High School Diploma, GED or equivalent work experience
• Experience in a similar capacity or manufacturing environment preferred, but not required
• Must pass the manual dexterity pre-employment testing
• Basic math skills required for counting and measuring
• Basic computer skills are a plus
• Must be able to adapt to a constantly changing work environment
• Must be detail, quality and safety oriented
• Must be well organized, self-motivated and be a good communicator
• Proven ability to work in a team environment with minimal supervision
• Must be able to work overtime as required by business needs

This is literally a job requirement for someone in a sweatshop with 0 skill

 

[lorihmatthews]

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.

Thankfully labor laws have improved working conditions for those working in factories. I am, however, a bit skeptical about the benefits. Sure, they can say they offer health and dental, but at what cost to the worker? I work for a large corporation and I'm still on the hook for everything until I meet my $2K deductible. As for a 401K, do they offer a match or just a place to put the money? My company gives up to a 6% match. A lot of these benefits could just be spin.

 

[karman]

x rude post removed by mod

Why do you care how people spend their money?
I guess you'll only buy Hermes from now on, based on your logic.

Edit: Thanks mods for removing this post!

 

[Compass Rose]

I am all for a great USA economy.

 

[Ludmilla]

x rude post removed by mod

I do not think that the people in Europe working at LV factories earn so much more than in the US.

 

[Postyco]

Nicholas Ghesquiere was NOT impressed...

Don’t care for Nicolas as a designer but have gained much respect for him as a person.

 

[tinybutterfly]

LOL. I think you little in fantasy land i live in texas and I don’t where u think $13 a hour is even good its trash

So what amount do you think would be a fair starting wage for someone who is unskilled labor? What yearly salary would be acceptable?

 

[mrceral]

So what amount do you think would be a fair starting wage for someone who is unskilled labor? What yearly salary would be acceptable?

It's based on COL obviously but I'm not opposed to paying living wages for... anything honestly. Walmart pays their people very little and those people in turn need government assistance to survive which means the government ends up subsidizing low wages so that Walmart can continue to turn an obscene profit.

There's an interesting video on YouTube where the JPMorgan Chase CEO can't explain how a single mom can survive off the wages they pay at their banks.

Anyway as someone who tries to be a responsible consumer, I do wish more of the exorbitant amount of money I pay for an LV bag went into the hands of the people making it. I'm not surprised that it doesn't, I just wish it did. Their CEO is one of the richest people on the planet - the rich get richer while income inequality grows wider and wider.

 

[ChampagneandChakras]

I am not jumping on or suggesting any boycott. This is just personal for me and I am working through it here on the board. I have been very active on this board for almost 5 years now. I was already tired of the stalking and I don't believe I am LVs intended market anymore. The ribbon cutting image was the final straw that made me loose the . I am no longer seeing Rose and steamer ships. The mystique is gone for me. Maybe we all discover that at different times. But NOW knowing that workers are being paid 11.50 an hour which after tax probably equates to $375 a week bothers me. They might start off unskilled in leather work but I bet the majority of them are not teenagers with their first jobs. They are probably older adults with many skills who will make amazing employees. I think LV could do better.

Agreed, and more eloquently said than what I was thinking of writing.

 

[ChampagneandChakras]

It's based on COL obviously but I'm not opposed to paying living wages for... anything honestly. Walmart pays their people very little and those people in turn need government assistance to survive which means the government ends up subsidizing low wages so that Walmart can continue to turn an obscene profit.

There's an interesting video on YouTube where the JPMorgan Chase CEO can't explain how a single mom can survive off the wages they pay at their banks.

Anyway as someone who tries to be a responsible consumer, I do wish more of the exorbitant amount of money I pay for an LV bag went into the hands of the people making it. I'm not surprised that it doesn't, I just wish it did. Their CEO is one of the richest people on the planet - the rich get richer while income inequality grows wider and wider.

YES!

 

[idlehen]

Thankfully labor laws have improved working conditions for those working in factories. I am, however, a bit skeptical about the benefits. Sure, they can say they offer health and dental, but at what cost to the worker? I work for a large corporation and I'm still on the hook for everything until I meet my $2K deductible. As for a 401K, do they offer a match or just a place to put the money? My company gives up to a 6% match. A lot of these benefits could just be spin.

They could also just hire them all as contractors instead and not give them any benefits. I have friends who make decent salaries but as contractors they're stuck paying for crappy insurance plans on their own or just being uninsured. Maybe the benefits they are offering are just to make the position attractive but that's for the people who are applying to decide right? I started out of college at a tech company in a very high cost living area that did NOT offer dental insurance or any 401K match. This is a job that requires a college degree, a high GPA, and is highly competitive because every other college grad is also searching in the same area. I'm not saying the compensation they are offering is right or wrong, but I think people should be realistic and sadly realistic doesn't always mean fair. As someone else mentioned, these positions are starting salaries and entry level jobs that require no skills. They are not hiring trained tradesmen who have perfected their craft or anyone even close to that. They are just looking for people who are willing to learn how to use a sewing machine and do pretty much assembly line work.