For my enterprise story, I am writing about the Ikea plant that has opened in Danville, VA and the accusations surrounding the plant of mistreating and intimidating their workers.
Ikea is a Swedish furniture factory, where in its native country, factory workers are paid about $19 an hour, and given five weeks of paid vacation thanks to government mandates. Danville workers, however, are paid at $8 an hour with merely 12 vacation days, eight of which are dates determined by the company.
One could portray Ikea as an evil corporation that is exploiting American workers. However, the company is for the most part working within the laws and regulations of the United States. Ikea has been criticized for not providing the same benefits to American workers that it does for their European counterparts. Why should Ikea be held responsible to operate by Swedish law in the United States?
My stance on the issue is not to defend Ikea in this situation, but to criticize the policies and voters of Virginia. I find the disconnect between the needs of the blue-collar Virginian, and his anti-government, anti-union, anti-interference values fascinating. Countries such as Sweden have found a way to formulate a mutually beneficial social contract between the government and its people. Why not us? Do Americans not want a higher quality of life? Do we prefer lower wages and less vacation days?
Perhaps some of our conservative values harken to a sense of patriotism, and the perception that government stepping in to protect workers from being abused is anti-American. Maybe it is an idealistic belief in the American Dream. To these types of thinkers, I offer this clip from The Daily Show with John Stewart, which deals with the reality that, in this instance at least, America has become "Sweden's Mexico".
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-29-2011/swede-dreams---made-in-america
- Bryan Stuke
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