Hershey Kiss of Death to the American Worker
James Dugan
Vedanta BarooahThere is no Hershey Kiss with your morning coffee. In fact, as most of us struggle with the impacts of a recession double dipped in losses to our pensions and 401K plans, American businesses continue to erode any good faith between themselves and US workers. The latest story, Foreign Students Walk Off Hershey Factory Job Protest, shows the shameless lengths the famous Pennsylvania chocolatier is going to avoid hiring American workers and paying taxes for a solvent Social Security.
As 45,000 Verizon workers unite to make their voices heard for the benefit of the middle class and workers, this news is shocking enough to have you rethinking your Halloween candy choices. Hershey is a ubiquitous choice for American chocolate, but they do not feel that hiring American workers is necessary, especially since it is cheaper to hire foreigners. The article tells how the company pays workers living here on foreign visas, given by the State department, $8.55 an hour, while deducting their food and housing, because “Businesses save about 8 percent by using a foreign worker because of Social Security and other taxes they do not have to pay.” This billion-dollar conglomeration is again another example of an American business like GE not paying their responsible share to the American society.
Of course, Hershey is not to blame since they contract another company to make the chocolate and that company is not to blame because they contract out hiring workers. What we find is deception that is so deep that we are not sure who to blame. With unemployment of American workers close to 10% just for active seekers of jobs, why are we using Visas, which are sponsored by our own government, to hire foreign workers? Secondly, why do we allow a company the size of Hershey to exploit foreigners for gain? One thing is for sure, the American government and workers are being crunched and Hershey has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar.
Mike_flemingAmericans not only have to worry about American businesses hiring illegal aliens at a much lower rate per hour, but now they have to worry about legal aliens taking jobs away. It is not about losing jobs overseas any longer, but losing jobs here, especially when it comes to food production. I laud the teenage workers who stood up and complained about their conditions. Maybe it will take a group of kids to help wake Americans to the unfair labor practices that American businesses are using to find profit while costing us our economic security and middle class lifestyle.
With the latest news of Social Security Disability on the Verge of Insolvency, we need to support American businesses that support the American worker. We have to curtail these visa programs so that American companies cannot pay unfair wages and abuse foreign teenagers for pure profit. We have to stop buying Hershey’s chocolate until they admit their wrong doing and stop passing their American tax obligation off to the American public. The Federal government seems hell bent on saving American businesses with loopholes, cheap foreign labor and buyouts. If you are not an American worker, America is sure the sweetest place on earth.
Reader Comments (1)
I agree with you that these jobs would be better off going to American workers. However, I don't really buy that the working conditions were all that abusive. Standing and packing boxes for 8 hours is tough work, I've done it, but unfortunately it doesn't take much skill so wages are low. I think $8 or $9 an hour is fair, but I don't think they should've had their housing deducted. These jobs should go to American teens and college kids who have lower living expenses and are working through college or looking for other career paths. Pay aside, it is exploitative to tell foreign students that they could come here to "learn English" and then put them in an isolated position on a manufacturing line.