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No Jobs for U.S. workers declares Bill Johnson, CEO at Heinz, on Wall Street Journal Report last Saturday
Last Saturday, the CEO of Heinz, best known for ketchup production, told Maria Bartiromo that Heinz will not be hiring Americans this year (at 3:55). The reason he gave was the ‘uncertainty’ produced by the ‘inability’ of the government to decide on really important things such as the tax rate his business will pay. He announced at the same time on the same program that Heinz will be opening facilities and hiring in other countries, and concentrated on China where they make soy sauce.
When you go to any fast food restaurant, you are likely to see his product in little packets. When you visit the grocery store you will find that Heinz enjoys vast amount of that vital shelf space. You are quite likely to have some of Heinz products in your home as well.
Fortunately, I have no taste for ketchup, so I am not a supporter of the services that are not giving any jobs to U.S. workers until the government gets with their program. I just checked, and my sweet relish (wonderful with ham sandwiches) is store brand. There will be no Heinz products in my home again, ever. . . .
The price of doing business in this country is so great that almost every existing business competes for the U.S. consumer with the well known profligacy in buying stuff. This country, instead of competing for the lowest standards of worker pay and benefits, should be taking advantage of the terrific market that our store shelves present.
Government is falling into a distortion of reality by abandoning public protections to attract business. The natural attraction of our consumer economy should be promoted, instead. I would suggest charging for business licenses, and banning products that do not promote our own economic health.
Heinz has pointed up a huge fallacy in our government’s role in regulating business. We need to start refusing business complicity with competitors to blackmail this country into unfriendly policies for our public. Businesses have warped into abusive lobbies with the profits they make from our markets. It’s past time to turn that on them, and demand that access to the profitable U.S. market be gained by promoting the public good instead of trampling on it for their ‘bottom line’ practices.
52 Comments
Hmmm. I really like Heinz sour dill pickles.
I’m sure you can find a viable substitute. They found a nonviable one for you and your fellow workers.
In truth Heinz and others are offshoring jobs becuase they want to externamize the costs of what the US used to believe was the social contract.
The Social contract was mutually beneficial. We pay you enough for you to buy our stuff, and raise your families.
Now, the the system is predatory, pay us all you capital, our profitability is more important than than your survival as as society, because we can avoid all you labor, environmental, and military expenses by send your jobs overseas.
Way to go, business. What do your term prospects look like when you cannibalize your customers? How long before Wall St finds out you are in a death spiral?
Sadly true. The social contract that formed the original basis for government has been forgotten, to the loss of all our best interests. And indeed, without a viable consumer, ‘consumer economy’ is an anachronism.
I scrutinize product labels for various things, one of them being country (or preferably county/parish/town/village) of origin. I buy what says Made in USA. But the country of origin is often placed in the least conspicuous place possible, even if it’s USA. I don’t understand why US manufacturers don’t prominently display on their labels and advertise that their products are American-made.
Claussens.
Oh, and, heckuva corp, Thereza….
This American worker will buy no Heinz products no more.
mutual benefit…how quaint.
Vampire capitalism rules.
I’ll remember this–no more Heinz for me.
They’re eating their own tails and too dumb to know it.
I let the label make the choice for me, rather often. If it says Made in U.S.A., it’s a buy.
Thanks, me too. They aren’t great in any case.
I’m just back from checking to make sure the pickles I got aren’t Heinz, and no, so won’t return them.
Extremely interesting, especially in light of John Kerry’s statement about “Benedict Arnold CEOs”. I would love to ask Kerry if he thinks Johnson has earned this title. What do he and Teresa think about this?
Actually, since she married into the business family, I am sure she plays no role at all in running the company.
Kerry’s wife was the widow of an heir to the business, I do not think there is any role for him in the Heinz heirarchy.
That’s it exactly. They can’t even see that what they do is, in the long run, bad business.
These days, I wonder if “Made in the U.S.A” on the label just means that the label itself was printed in the USA.
Our wealthy Overlords have deemed that the social contract is now teh dreaded socialismNaziHitlerStalinisim, etc, and a large enough segment of our populace gleefully claps and cheers and encourages big business to off-shore all US jobs because… because… because we certainly don’t want to be dreaded MarxistCommies… or something.
It’s pretty pathetic, but the RushGlenn continuum has been quite successful at brainwashing not just Tea Partiers, but even Democratic voters, to enjoy being screwed over & over by the supremely wealthy.
No they have no management role, but the Heinz family trust owns 4% of Heinz stock, according to Snopes.
Sorry, but when Heinz is mentioned, I do automatically think immediately of John Kerry, can’t help it. I remember when he was running for President that Republicans made a big deal about not buying Heinz ketchup because they didn’t want to inadvertently enrich Kerry.
I admired Kerry for his willingness to put it right out there about the Benedict Arnold CEOs because it is the truth. These companies are run with absolutely no thought about the devastation to American cities and towns and American workers when they close factories in order to offshore production in order to pay workers less and extract more money for their own inflated salaries, bonuses and stock options. The only ones who could stop them are shareholders. 4% of a companies outstanding stock is a pretty large slice for one shareholder, so the Kerrys could make a stink at a shareholders meeting if they chose to.
“Heinz will not be hiring Americans this year …. Heinz will be opening facilities and hiring in other countries, and concentrated on China where they make soy sauce.”
The thing is, food products should have relatively local sourcing. If Heinz is selling food stuffs in China, then Heinz should be hiring and opening plants in China.
On the other hand, if Heinz is exporting products made in it’s Chinese plants back to the USA… that I’d have a huge problem with. But is that what Heinz is doing?
Did I just catch him telling Maria that he’s learned that he wasn’t alone (as far as CEOs) in feeling lonely and sad?
Give me a freaking break, you crybaby! This guy made $11 million last year ($41 million over the last five years) and he’s going to sit there, and say something like that to 20 million unemployed American viewers (whom he just announced he wouldn’t hire, because of the uncertainty of his taxes)?
If that guy wasn’t such a Republican stooge he’d tell the viewers that he’s hiring overseas in low cost labor countries where he can hire 20 employees for the price of Americans. But then he wouldn’t be able to give the Republicans a talking point they could repeat to try and get his personal taxes lowered.
True, 4% is a good-sized stake, and I expect Sen. Kerry will be hearing from constituents about this obnoxious statement, and the unAmerican policies of this lowlife CEO they hire. Please put in a word, yourself.
http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/
I just did.
That I don’t know, but from the tone of the lowlife CEO of Heinz, it sounds very like that’s what they’re doing.
It’s all about the bottom line for these thugs, and mugging the U.S. worker is just routine to them.
Alright, I just want to choose my targets wisely. Companies that export jobs and reimport goods are the worst of the worst.
I did just get back from the store, where I checked the ketchup aisle. There are several other brands that look better, one being “Organics” and another “Walden Farms” – of course, to me they look just like more of that stuff I don’t eat anyway. There are Hunt brand and the store’s brand too, so I really see no reason to stick with Heinz for any reason.
agreed. not just because he’s not hiring americans and will open a factory in China.
but will the chinese laborers get a fair wage? what are the quality standards? will I have to worry about getting sick from ketchup made in China?
no more heinz…
Good points. Also, since transport will be involved, expense of production and pollution of the environment will rise inevitably.
This is just horseshit. Heinz pays corporate income taxes, not personal income taxes. Even if the individual tax rates for the wealthy go up, it will only be to the level of the Clinton years. What are these allegedly horrible regulations that are creating such uncertainty?
True, and corporate ‘rates’ really do not reflect what any business pays, since there are any number of loopholes, like depreciation, that they use to avoid taxes, often altogether.
The argument that this is about uncertainty in tax rates is utter nonsense. The small potential increase in tax rates is no more of an uncertainty than how much labor in China is going to cost in a couple of years. I wonder if any reporters at this news conference called him on that one. My guess is that they did not.
Tragically, the mantra that whatever is insistently put forth as ‘good for business’ is also good for JOBS has been promoted by the right wing media. As you say, brainwashing has taken over the wingnuts as well as too many who try to accommodate the absurdities they hear constantly.
Absolutely; uncertainty is endemic, no one knows what conditions will occur next and the element cannot be eliminated. This was Barfarama’s scene, though, on WSJ Report, no one else was in on it.
Hunt’s/Wesson catsup is at least as good, and some reviews say it’s better. (It’s what I grew up with, so I’m already biased.)
Saw that at the grocery store. Of course, I am not able to comment on any ketchup as I don’t like it – not any variety.
It’s the uncertainty, sob!
It’s the bullshit. No one gives a crap about the American corporate tax rates because no one pays them anyway.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/01/ge-exxon-walmart-business-washington-corporate-taxes.html
As I said in my diary post today, corporations routinely engage in sociopathic behavior. And what’s worse, they are rewarded for it. This just another illustration of the fact that capitalists are sociopaths. They will keep on hurting us for their own fun and profit until we stop them.
And don’t look to the Democrats. After all, isn’t Heinz the company the great John Kerry married into?
vile pig shit
no more HEINZ for me never
If you’re giving Heinz the heave-ho LET THEM KNOW!
Just boycotting their products isn’t half as effective unless you tell them you’re doing it, why you’re doing it, and then they see their profits sink. Otherwise Heinz won’t know that actions have consequences.
Call them up, email them, let them know. That it’s because you caught Bill Johnson on CNBC being a d!ck.
Yeah, but then you have to go look up what the Hunt family (about as republican as the Waltons) has done for workers in their time gouging the American People (can you say silver markets, anyone?)
Twenty percent of Heinz’s sales revenues come from the Asia/Pacific region which includes China, India, Indonesia, etc. (Source: 10-k, p. 83)
There are many reasons why Heinz might expect to hire soon in China and many reasons why they might not plan to hire soon in the USA.
The implication that not hiring in the USA is due solely to the uncertainty of next year’s corporate tax rates is deceptive – and probably intentionally so. As we know from experience, a lie repeated often enough is soon accepted as truth.
You can make your own wonderful kosher dill pickles using brine, a bit of vinegar, spices, and fresh cucumbers. There are tons of recipes online, and all it takes is about 15 minutes and a week or so in the refrigerator.
“To give the monopoly of the home-market to the produce of domestic industry, in any particular art or manufacture, is in some measure to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, and must, in almost all cases, be either a useless or a hurtful regulation. If the produce of domestic can be brought there as cheap as that of foreign industry, the regulation is evidently useless. If it cannot, it must generally be hurtful. It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never gto attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy. The taylor does not attempt to make his own shoes, but buys them of the shoemaker. The shoemaker does not attempt to make his own clothes, but employs a taylor. The farmer attempts to make neither the one nor the other, but employs those different artificers. All of them find it of their interest to employ their whole industry in a way in which they have some advantage over their neighbours, and to purchase with a part of its produce, or what is the same thing, with the price of a part of it, whatever else they have occasion for.
What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce by folly in that of a great kingdom. If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage.”
Adam Smith, “The Wealth of Nations”, pg.513
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Some store brands are manufactured by Heinz with the store label.
The citizens of the usa have decided that there should be certain standards or laws governing things like fair labour, environmental protections, workplace safety, consumer safety. Many corporations figured out that they can circumvent these laws by moving their manufacturing base offshore.. at times even using child labour, polluting paying cents on the dollar, even to the extent of unsafe products. These corporations then come back to sell their garbage in this country after circumventing this nations laws. There should be a tarriff imposed on any product imported into this country.. where the source countrys did not meet ore exceed this nations laws in every aspect of manufacture of that product. Then there wont be as much sense/incentive in shipping jobs overseas. The other alternative is to get rid of labour safety and environmental laws. That wouldnt be very american tho would it.. seems kind of banana republicish to me…
adam smiths document did not reflect the current standards this country has now for labour, environment and safety. IMPROVEMENTS and ADVANCMENTS we have made since Mr Smiths time. your just joking arent you.. wanting to unravel 200 years of progress?
Very well expressed.
Thank you.
WELL LOOOK IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THIS SCUMS PRODUCTS..TAKE OUT AND GET AN RALLEY GOING AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BIG AND A FEW DUMPTERS ORDERED FOR THE RALLEY AND POST A SIGN ON THEM AS “HERE IS YOU TRASH HEINES… ALL PRODUCTS! IN ALL STATES !wHAT DO YOU ALL THINK ? SAY “YOU’RE TRASH HEINS AND SO ARE YOUR PRODUCTS
Shhh! No need for shouting (all caps is considered shouting in Internet land – and make it more difficult to read)
This particular citizen didn’t make those particular decisions. If the word “freedom” is to have any meaning at all, it must mean that the individual is free to make any voluntary exchange. It would be wrong for me to compel you to purchase my products, why do you assume the right to force me to buy yours?
Avoiding any corporations processed food products will require a lot more research then looking for a store label. The difference between Heinz (or Hunts) and the store (or “off”) brand is a very short break in production to change the labels in the magazine and the cases on the case packer.
This applies to restaurants also. Production lines go from McDonald’s to Burger King to Private Label to Food Service (ie SYSCO) type products without missing a beat.
If you plan on boycotting any of these multinational corporations, Heinz, ConAgra, McCain’s, etc, plan on doing a lot of research first. Besides the “Made in” label look for the fine print on who the producer/packer was or familiarize yourself with production codes.
Good Luck.