Ford in the USA?

casuallynx8 said:There is really no need for alarm... even if Ford decided to break ground on a massive manufacturing plant right here in the States, someone would find a way to sabotage the whole endeavor before the foundation was even poured. You can practically see it now: local sheriffs would be looking for their "incentives" to look the other way, and within days, a swarm of radical environmental groups would be out there protesting anything that moves. So, rest easy—there is absolutely no threat of Ford moving in, which means there is zero risk of any American workers having to actually answer to some wealthy German capitalist. Instead, everyone can continue to lounge comfortably on unemployment benefits, living off the hard work of the rest of the taxpayers. Sleep soundly, ☕

Exactly. Some big-shot German capitalist isn't going to come over here to exploit and oppress an American worker.

But the part about the local sheriffs is the best bit. If we had even one decent local sheriff, he'd be bribing Ford to build that factory in his town, but noooo. 🤣

Ford might actually build a new plant in America, but probably won't.

😁

I'm putting my money on the green stuff. Those car plants absolutely wreck the environment.

Thomas Davis4 said:Where on earth is this idea coming from—that a worker's salary will be around $1000 a month? All Ford knows right now is that they’re building a new plant outside of Germany. They haven't even decided which models will roll off the line yet, but apparently, everyone here already has the exact pay scales and required qualifications figured out.

I never actually claimed the pay would be that high. I was simply comparing it to what workers make in similar factories over in Mexico or Slovakia. If you honestly believe these corporations move their plants abroad out of the goodness of their hearts, that's your own problem.

Jose Carter2 said:Honestly, just pure nonsense.

Alright, since you're such an expert, why don't you tell me what the actual wages look like at similar factories over here?

casuallynx8 said:There is really no need for alarm... even if Ford decided to break ground on a massive manufacturing plant right here in the States, someone would find a way to sabotage the whole endeavor before the foundation was even poured. You can practically see it now: local sheriffs would be looking for their "incentives" to look the other way, and within days, a swarm of radical environmental groups would be out there protesting anything that moves. So, rest easy—there is absolutely no threat of Ford moving in, which means there is zero risk of any American workers having to actually answer to some wealthy German capitalist. Instead, everyone can continue to lounge comfortably on unemployment benefits, living off the hard work of the rest of the taxpayers. Sleep soundly, ☕

If anyone's actually scared, let them be. I was just pointing out my skepticism regarding whether anyone would actually work for those wages. Maybe try reading more carefully next time...

Wages there are pretty much scaled to the cost of living, so they aren't massive, but they aren't tiny either. I guess Ford definitely knows where they're headed, they're just holding out for better concessions.

Amanda Diaz said:I never actually claimed the pay would be that high. I was simply comparing it to what workers make in similar factories over in Mexico or Slovakia. If you honestly believe these corporations move their plants abroad out of the goodness of their hearts, that's your own problem.

Do you actually have access to the payroll data from Kia's plant in Zilina? Are you looking at the facility average, or just cherry-picking individual wages? Did you factor in the cost of living and general standards in Slovakia to make a real comparison? Or are we just basing this entire argument on hearsay and gut feelings rather than actual statistics?

☕

Thomas Davis4 said:Do you actually have access to the payroll data from Kia's plant in Zilina? Are you looking at the facility average, or just cherry-picking individual wages? Did you factor in the cost of living and general standards in Slovakia to make a real comparison? Or are we just basing this entire argument on hearsay and gut feelings rather than actual statistics?

☕

Look, I used the average worker salary at those plants—you can find it online if you care, but I’m not digging up links for you again since you clearly don't trust me for God's sake. And what does the standard of living have to do with anything? You honestly think someone from Germany is going to say, "Hey, America is too expensive, let's hike up the wages if we want to build a factory there"? No. They’ll just move to a cheaper country. Period.

Richard Wilson4 said:Man, seriously? Instead of just handing them our land on a silver platter, giving them cheap power for years, and practically bowing down to them just because they want to move in, we’re kicking Ford out of America right in the middle of a crisis?!

And what the hell is the government even doing?!

The same thing every previous administration has done, really—just shuffling budget numbers and playing around with reallocations...

I didn't spend my childhood ducking sirens during wartime just to have some corporate capitalists swoop in now and strip the country bare.

We've already dealt with enough fallout from letting DM take over; we really don't need another thousand new people being exploited just to pad someone's profit margins.

Amanda Diaz said:Look, I used the average worker salary at those plants—you can find it online if you care, but I’m not digging up links for you again since you clearly don't trust me for God's sake. And what does the standard of living have to do with anything? You honestly think someone from Germany is going to say, "Hey, America is too expensive, let's hike up the wages if we want to build a factory there"? No. They’ll just move to a cheaper country. Period.

Wage gaps can be bridged in plenty of other ways, provided local authorities actually cooperate by cutting corporate taxes, reducing payroll levies, lowering utility costs, handing out land, or loosening regulations.

The problem is, we don't have any of that, so we're basically out of the running. Still, companies don't look at labor costs in a vacuum.

It isn't impossible that we might eventually see some controlled inflation where workers technically earn the same amount in dollars, but that money won't go nearly as far against the dollar as it used to...

Taylor Vaughn8 said:Why is nobody saying anything about this thread?

Honestly, we should be jumping at this chance and bringing that massive global campaign right here to America. Where is the government when they’re actually needed? Instead of doing their jobs, they’re just caught up in endless political games. They really ought to be putting together a rock-solid offer and practically begging them to set up shop here.

Funny how the politics mods moved this from "general politics" to "near-politics," even though it's clearly a political topic.
And a damn political one at that!

The reason nobody's talking is because as soon as things get real, 99% of the people on this forum—just like the government—have no clue what to do. That’s the core issue in America. Out of 100 posters, you’ve maybe got two engineers and three guys with any actual technical background...

God willing, Ford makes its way into America, even if we don't have much of a history when it comes to manufacturing cars.

There are parts of America where people would honestly jump at any decent paycheck $1000. Not in NYC, obviously, but I’m telling you, out in the rural areas there’s plenty of folks struggling. Like when Secretary Vrdoljak was asked what the main competitive edge of the Midwest is—he basically said it's just cheap labor. But Bavarac says we shouldn't even bother getting our hopes up, so yeah... that's the situation.

Amanda Diaz said:I never actually claimed the pay would be that high. I was simply comparing it to what workers make in similar factories over in Mexico or Slovakia. If you honestly believe these corporations move their plants abroad out of the goodness of their hearts, that's your own problem.

$600 or $700 isn't even a real wage $1000. I mean, who makes more in America—machinists, cashiers, or school teachers?

And this number is spot on because, unlike you, I’ve actually been on the floor. Engineers and other pros make way more than that...

These companies haven't even arrived yet, but you "experts" act like you've already solved the puzzle.

Since you're such a genius, why don't you tell me what "commissioning" means in machine building? Go ahead.

The rates for machine building and plant work are global standards. We won't even touch low-end service jobs since that's a different league entirely. It’s definitely easier to pull an 8-hour shift at a Ford plant than it is to turn metal on a manual lathe without CNC control...

It would be pretty classy if you didn't comment on things you clearly don't understand.

The job here is about scaling up and filling the factory. There’s enough work to keep 500 to 1,000 people busy for years. But of course, regular folks like you don't know a thing about machine building—not that the owners of these firms know much either...

casuallynx8 said:There is really no need for alarm... even if Ford decided to break ground on a massive manufacturing plant right here in the States, someone would find a way to sabotage the whole endeavor before the foundation was even poured. You can practically see it now: local sheriffs would be looking for their "incentives" to look the other way, and within days, a swarm of radical environmental groups would be out there protesting anything that moves. So, rest easy—there is absolutely no threat of Ford moving in, which means there is zero risk of any American workers having to actually answer to some wealthy German capitalist. Instead, everyone can continue to lounge comfortably on unemployment benefits, living off the hard work of the rest of the taxpayers. Sleep soundly, ☕

👍

Amanda Diaz said:I never actually claimed the pay would be that high. I was simply comparing it to what workers make in similar factories over in Mexico or Slovakia. If you honestly believe these corporations move their plants abroad out of the goodness of their hearts, that's your own problem.

Since you started this thread, stick to the topic. We're talking about how to lure Ford here. You're just spamming the board with stuff you heard from your great-aunt.

If you actually know about better wages in America, name the companies and the specific roles. Give me some actual numbers. That salary example you gave is for Ford Getrag in Slovakia—we're talking maybe $650 to $750 for a basic operator in Košice. Steel mills might pay more, and higher-level positions definitely pull more than that...
We can keep talking if you can actually tell me what "commissioning" is. Otherwise, you're just talking nonsense without knowing the trade.

They don't even need to be making cars—honestly, they could just pivot to some low-end motorcycle and call it a day!

Amanda Diaz said:Look, I used the average worker salary at those plants—you can find it online if you care, but I’m not digging up links for you again since you clearly don't trust me for God's sake. And what does the standard of living have to do with anything? You honestly think someone from Germany is going to say, "Hey, America is too expensive, let's hike up the wages if we want to build a factory there"? No. They’ll just move to a cheaper country. Period.

Which factory are we even talking about here? How many people work there? What’s the pay scale, from the bottom to the top? And how exactly did you settle on $300 a month?

If you’re going to throw around numbers and data, at least try to back them up. Otherwise, you just look ridiculous. Based on your comments, the only industrial operation you’ve ever stepped foot in is the local bakery down the street.☕