This is a solid documentary and will provide food for thought when it comes to many issues, such as the trade war with China, unionization, automation, etc.
That being said, there is a political slant to this documentary and some pertinent info is left out. As well as some translation errors.
First, what the documentary leaves out is the average hourly wage of workers in GM was over $70 an hour because of the plush contracts the UAW, the union representing the workers, was able to get the workers. Of course such high wages created problems for the company, because this was way above the market rate. Companies both in and outside the US were able to produce goods at the same or higher quality level much cheaper.
And thus GM received a government bailout by the Obama administration to the tune of 23 billion dollars. This allowed GM to keep running while keeping these outlandishly high UAW wages. This film is actually produced by Higher Ground Productions, Michelle and Barrack Obama's film production company. Thus it's not a surprise that they would like to portray the situation as that unions are the only salvation to protect American workers from low wages and safety issues. Yet, the reality is that the unions raised wages to a level where companies couldn't compete, $70+ dollars an hour for the average worker at GM, and thus companies either moved or completely closed.
Second, you can't help but feel sympathy for many of these workers. Many of them are old, and older workers tend to be a little slower, especially when it comes to manufacturing jobs. In addition, it seems many of the workers Fuyao hired were those who couldn't find work in the 4+ years since their original factory was closed. We aren't dealing with the average American worker here. As you watch the documentary you can't help but find yourself rooting for those workers, and hope that they do turn things around. You realize that these workers on average are not very productive, and are bound to be replaced, and can't help but thinking why don't you make things a bit easier for Fuyao (if only for self preservation) and yes, offer to work on weekends, or offer to work some (paid) overtime.
If Fuyao America does unionize, and raise wages, don't you think the Chinese will just pack up and move to another location? I'm slightly entertained by the entitled nature of these workers such as the one saying he can't believe that he is paid less than his daughter who does peoples nails. Well, using that logic, perhaps manicurists should have unionized as well. Perhaps we should all unionize. Is it fair that a tax lawyer should make more than a criminal defense attorney? Is it fair that a cardiologist should make more than a general practitioner? Luckily. we have the market and supply and demand to answer those questions.
Also, as someone who has lived and worked in Asia, including China, it has to be mentioned that labor conflicts in China are not rare, they have been common since at least the 1980's. The Chinese workers Fuyao brought to the US tend to be above average for Chinese workers (most Chinese today still want to work in the US, or at least work for a foreign company in China) while the American workers tend to be a bit worse (on average) for American workers. Also, China is not immune to economics, and many Chinese factories have moved abroad to Southeast Asia because labor and other costs have made it hard to compete at that price point. This documentary ignores the basic economics angle and instead tries to force the discussion into one of a cultural clash (hard working Chinese who work 12 hour days with 1-2 days off a month versus American workers who want 8 hour days and higher safety conditions). The truth is much more mundane.
Nonetheless, this is an interesting and excellent documentary. Highly recommended. But keep in mind the political slant.
That being said, there is a political slant to this documentary and some pertinent info is left out. As well as some translation errors.
First, what the documentary leaves out is the average hourly wage of workers in GM was over $70 an hour because of the plush contracts the UAW, the union representing the workers, was able to get the workers. Of course such high wages created problems for the company, because this was way above the market rate. Companies both in and outside the US were able to produce goods at the same or higher quality level much cheaper.
And thus GM received a government bailout by the Obama administration to the tune of 23 billion dollars. This allowed GM to keep running while keeping these outlandishly high UAW wages. This film is actually produced by Higher Ground Productions, Michelle and Barrack Obama's film production company. Thus it's not a surprise that they would like to portray the situation as that unions are the only salvation to protect American workers from low wages and safety issues. Yet, the reality is that the unions raised wages to a level where companies couldn't compete, $70+ dollars an hour for the average worker at GM, and thus companies either moved or completely closed.
Second, you can't help but feel sympathy for many of these workers. Many of them are old, and older workers tend to be a little slower, especially when it comes to manufacturing jobs. In addition, it seems many of the workers Fuyao hired were those who couldn't find work in the 4+ years since their original factory was closed. We aren't dealing with the average American worker here. As you watch the documentary you can't help but find yourself rooting for those workers, and hope that they do turn things around. You realize that these workers on average are not very productive, and are bound to be replaced, and can't help but thinking why don't you make things a bit easier for Fuyao (if only for self preservation) and yes, offer to work on weekends, or offer to work some (paid) overtime.
If Fuyao America does unionize, and raise wages, don't you think the Chinese will just pack up and move to another location? I'm slightly entertained by the entitled nature of these workers such as the one saying he can't believe that he is paid less than his daughter who does peoples nails. Well, using that logic, perhaps manicurists should have unionized as well. Perhaps we should all unionize. Is it fair that a tax lawyer should make more than a criminal defense attorney? Is it fair that a cardiologist should make more than a general practitioner? Luckily. we have the market and supply and demand to answer those questions.
Also, as someone who has lived and worked in Asia, including China, it has to be mentioned that labor conflicts in China are not rare, they have been common since at least the 1980's. The Chinese workers Fuyao brought to the US tend to be above average for Chinese workers (most Chinese today still want to work in the US, or at least work for a foreign company in China) while the American workers tend to be a bit worse (on average) for American workers. Also, China is not immune to economics, and many Chinese factories have moved abroad to Southeast Asia because labor and other costs have made it hard to compete at that price point. This documentary ignores the basic economics angle and instead tries to force the discussion into one of a cultural clash (hard working Chinese who work 12 hour days with 1-2 days off a month versus American workers who want 8 hour days and higher safety conditions). The truth is much more mundane.
Nonetheless, this is an interesting and excellent documentary. Highly recommended. But keep in mind the political slant.