Korean Guitar Workers Take Struggle to USA

[MIJ-VI]

"On January 11, guitar manufacturers from Korea will travel to Anaheim to protest the illegal actions of their employer Cort Guitars. In 2007, Cort Guitars—which manufactures instruments for popular American companies like Fender, Ibanez, and Gibson—fired all of its Korean employees and closed all of its Korean plants in a blatantly illegal move to avoid paying proper wages, or to fix its deplorable working conditions..."

http://axisofjustice.net/korean-guit...ruggle-to-usa/

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?to...62&topic=15007

[Jimmy Bones]

Wonder if that means Schecter will be made elsewhere. I know their Diamond series is built in the Cort factory.

[Stanley Design]

Isn't like.......70% of mid-priced basses built in that factory? G&L Tribs as well, correct?

[Jimmy Bones]

Maybe.

I shudder at the thought of a Mexican Schecter.

THEY TOOK OUR JAAAABS! DEY DER DO DEEEEEEER!

[Demon_Hunter]

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

[karrot-x]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

Haha, that's what I'm thinking.

Aww poor Korea, you lost your jobs to a cheaper labor force? Welcome to the club!

[bassguppy]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

are you kidding???

The corporate masters of the universe who see workers as a commodity and expendable like a light bulb are out for the least regulated, cheapest place to do business.

The only reason they would come to the USA is for tax breaks, gov't aid, and the benefit of the "made in USA" moniker. There is no patriotism in Corporateland.

Cash is the cross they bear.

[baba]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

My money is on those jobs heading to Indonesia.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

And then what? Try and sell mid level instruments at double the price? Don't think it would happen. The corporations are too worried about profit margins for that!

[WalterBush]

Originally Posted by baba

My money is on those jobs heading to Indonesia.

There's already a Cort factory there, with none of the reports of employee abuse that plague the Korean factories.

I have footage of the Korean protesters singing '30s style union-workers-unite type songs in front of NAMM from a few days ago. I'll post it when I get a chance to edit my video from the show.

I asked someone who would know what good having Americans sign a petition would do in Korea. Apparently, if they get enough wrath stirred up NAMM might sanction Cort one way or another and seriously hurt their ability to sell instruments under any name in the US. If things are as bad as the protesters say, then I wish them well. The Korean factories probably wouldn't close, but they may be put under new management from what I hear.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by baba

My money is on those jobs heading to Indonesia.

That's exactly where they went: Cor-Tek's Indonesian operation.

BTW, the company is "Cor-Tek" -- "Cort" is their own line of instruments.

[cassanova]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

Bring those jobs to the USA!!!!!

Though I love the thought of that happening I don't foresee that happening. They'll find another country with cheap labor and exploit them then pass then exploit us with even more increased prices.

[Bongolation]

I also don't know why the "outrage" took this long; they knew it was coming a year ago when everything was being moved to the Indonesian plant in the first place.

[Jefenator]

Good times...

[Jimmy Bones]

The problem with NAMM sanctioning the Cor-Tek factories is that more than half of the big dogs lose their manufacturing. Gibby and Fendy (and all their properties), ESP/Schecter, et all... they lose their mid-level production ability for a while.


All this means, really, is price hikes across the board.

[nutso42]

So are there ANY good (and cheap-ish) guitar/bass brands that won't be affected by this?

[Angus]

Temporary price hikes for us are better than the Korean workers getting screwed and/or working in awful conditions.

It's been like this for a while, so I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner, but I'm glad it did.

[bongomania]

Subscribed, grimly, to hear more details.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Angus

Temporary price hikes for us are better than the Korean workers getting screwed and/or working in awful conditions.

It's been like this for a while, so I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner, but I'm glad it did.

Try telling the fat cats at the top of the company that

[Jefenator]

Originally Posted by nutso42

So are there ANY good (and cheap-ish) guitar/bass brands that won't be affected by this?

My greater concern is: are there any low-cost brands out there that treat the folks who make the stuff half-decently?