Seeing the equipment on the production line being packed up and then loaded onto the truck one by one and transported to the dock, several labor unions at the Bemher factory looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

The Auto Workers Union has been telling them all along that the management is just scaring the workers by saying they want to move the factory. As long as the workers unite and persevere, the management will definitely be able to achieve a compromise.

Everyone also believes what the union said. After all, even the giant General Motors compromised.

However, when the factory relocation became a reality, the workers were all confused.

Relocating the factory means that there is no room for maneuver at all, and the jobs of the two thousand auto workers are completely gone.

As a result, workers pointed their finger at the United Auto Workers.

As for the workers, I paid you my dues, accepted your leadership, went on strike according to your instructions, and struggled for several months. In the end, I didn't get any benefits, but I ruined my job.

It's just a matter of bringing your own dog food, but the beatings will be in vain, and even the good-tempered Bug can't bear it.

As a senior trade union cadre, Norwood Jewell instantly became a public figure. Some workers had already begun organizing rallies to demand Jewell to take responsibility.

Another person who feels a lot of pressure is Congressman Menendez who supports the strike.

Every decision made by a politician involves risks. If this strike finally forces the employer to compromise, then Congressman Menendez will undoubtedly gain a wave of popularity with voters as his political capital. If the situation is reversed, Menendez will

Zi's ​​political career will also be implicated.

Whether good intentions lead to bad things or intentional mischief, as long as the result is bad, then Menendez will have one more point that can be attacked. The opponent party will definitely use this to make a fuss, and his own party will also criticize Menendez.

Dez was quite critical.

Two thousand auto workers, backed by two thousand families, plus the upstream companies and service industries surrounding the Bemher plant, can involve tens of thousands of votes.

The United States is not like China, where there are tens of thousands of people in any community. In the United States, 10,000 votes can already affect the election of a key swing state. In the biennial general election in the United States, one state often wins by more than 10,000 votes.

situation.

Moreover, elections in the United States have primary elections within the party. If you want to run for a congressional position, you must first get nominated by the party. That is to say, you must first compete internally, and then the winner can compete with outsiders.

But if we knew that Menendez would lose 10,000 votes by running for office, would the party's primaries support your continued candidacy? Should we find a more reliable candidate and earn these 10,000 votes?

return?

Anyone who has watched the American TV series "House of Cards" knows that when it comes to elections, there is no emotion and everything becomes realistic.

So from this perspective, Menendez is more anxious than Norwood-Jewell.

…

In the office, in addition to several of Menendez's staff, Norwood Jewell was also present. Everyone was discussing how to calm the workers' anger.

"Mr. Jewell, I have been telling you that you should make appropriate concessions to the employer. But what about you? But you have been emphasizing that the employer will not move the factory. They are scaring people! In the end, the factory really moved!"

Menendez stared at Jewell with anger in his eyes. If Jewell had no union background, Menendez might not even bother to talk to Jewell.

Jewell had an innocent look on his face: "Who would have thought that it only took the Chinese half a year to build a car factory? This is a car factory! How could it be completed in half a year!"

"However, the fact is that they completed it." Menendez snorted coldly, and then said: "You don't need to question this anymore. I have sent people to see it on the spot. Six months ago, it was an empty land, but now, the factory

It’s already going to be built! What you think is impossible, the Chinese have done it!”

Feeling that Menendez's attitude was not good, Jewell did not dare to argue anymore. He had to change the subject and said, "Sir, we are not going to discuss the speed at which the Chinese are building factories. We have to solve the immediate problem now.

It’s about calming down the workers’ emotions as quickly as possible.”

Menendez also knew that Jewel had more experience in dealing with workers, so he could only ask patiently: "Do you have a way to calm the workers' emotions?"

"Of course!" Jewell put on a confident look and continued: "We only need to get enough compensation for the workers, and we will surely quell the workers' grievances!"

"Compensation? From whom? Who will give it? Your Auto Workers Union?" Menendez said sarcastically.

"Of course we have to ask the management." Jewell paused and then said: "If we can get 20,000 yuan in compensation for each worker, then the workers will definitely not complain about us anymore.

Maybe they will be grateful to us because they made a fortune!"

"Twenty thousand dollars per person, two thousand people will cost 40 million U.S. dollars! The management has even moved the factory, how can they pay this money." Congressman Menendez shook his head.

"Then we will find a way to get the employer to pay the money." Jewell said.

"It's impossible. I studied law and I know very well that even if a class action lawsuit is initiated, the judge will not support a compensation of up to 20,000 yuan. Don't forget, the workers were fired because of the strike.

, usually there is no compensation at all in this case.”

Menendez paused for a moment and then continued: "If he is fired for going on strike and can still receive high compensation, then the entire United States will be in chaos. Workers will go on strike everywhere and demand high compensation.

So in a situation like this, the best thing is for the employer to pay for an extra month or two of medical insurance for the workers!"

"Sir, I'm not talking about class action lawsuits, but other means!" Jewell smiled mysteriously, and then said: "As far as I know, Jaguar Land Rover still has 8,000 Range Rovers in stock across the United States.

, we can find an excuse to suspend the sale of this car.

The lowest price of the Range Rover is more than 100,000 US dollars, and the total price of 8,000 units is more than 800 million US dollars. If the sales of this car are suspended, it will be a serious loss to the employer. I believe that the employer is willing to pay for these 8,000 units.

100 million U.S. dollars, only 40 million U.S. dollars in compensation."

"What exactly do you mean by excuse?" Menendez asked immediately.

"We can do something about the anti-theft certification of vehicles. Although anti-theft certification is not a very important item, it is part of the vehicle safety certification, which can temporarily stop the sale of a certain car."

Jewell paused for a moment, then continued: "Anti-theft certification is not about vehicle safety. The standards for anti-theft certification are relatively unclear and relatively difficult to maneuver. And after all, the Land Rover Range Rover is a luxury car with a price of more than 100,000 US dollars, so it requires a higher level.

Anti-theft certification is also a reasonable thing."

Menendez nodded as if he suddenly understood, obviously agreeing with Jewell's idea.

Of course, there are relevant standards for market access of American automobile products, and new cars must meet the standards before they can be launched on the market. Among these standards, the most important is undoubtedly the safety standards, in addition to energy conservation, emissions, noise, etc.

Wait, there are hundreds of indicators.

Some of these so-called standards must be strictly implemented, such as safety standards, which must not be sloppy at all. However, some standards have greater flexibility in terms of implementation.

For example, in terms of the standards for protecting disabled people, installing an armrest can be regarded as protecting disabled people from riding in the car. Installing an automatic door can also be regarded as protecting disabled people from riding in the car. Installing automatic entry and exit seats can also be regarded as protecting disabled people.

Take a ride.

However, the cost difference between these three methods is hundreds of times. Which one is considered qualified, and the full-screen official will speak out. This is the so-called flexibility.

Car anti-theft is also a flexible standard. In the US certification system, car anti-theft is the most important clause in the doc certification. If there is a problem with the doc certification, the car cannot enter the market.

If it is a Japanese car that costs more than 10,000 US dollars, you are not required to install any GPS automatic alarm system. As long as the car door has a lock, it is considered to have an anti-theft system.

But if a Range Rover priced at more than $100,000 is just a door lock, then it can make a fuss about anti-theft standards. Range Rover is a luxury car, and without a decent anti-theft system, how can it be responsible to consumers!

If it is actually implemented, it does not need to be said that your anti-theft system is not qualified. It only needs to be said that your anti-theft system cannot fully protect the safety of the vehicle. You will be asked to submit some documents, and then the process of approving the documents will be delayed for a year and a half, and the car company will suffer.

No more.

After all, popular models are updated every year. As soon as the new model comes on the market, the old model will have to be reduced in price. If it really takes a year and a half, the brand new model will become an old model and will have to be sold at a discount.

A layman like Menendez would definitely not understand this method. But after all, Norwood-Jewell is a high-level cadre of the automobile union. He is constantly causing trouble for automobile companies. It is not easy to pull off a dirty trick!

Menendez decided to trust Jewell again. If he could win $20,000 in unemployment compensation for each worker, Menendez could really save a lot of his reputation.

In order to stabilize the workers' emotions, Menendez and Jewell announced to the workers that they would seek unemployment compensation of US$20,000 for them.

This trick worked really well. The workers stopped making trouble and went home to wait to receive their money.

…

Domestically, Li Weidong is inspecting Jaguar Land Rover's new factory.

"Chairman, the freighter transporting the production line has arrived at the sea and is queuing up to enter the port. If everything goes well, the equipment will be shipped over next week." His subordinates reported.

Li Weidong nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "BYD's engineers should be in place, right? Jaguar Land Rover's engineers have no experience in making cars in China, so they will ultimately rely on BYD."

"Don't worry, Chairman, I have already contacted you. The first batch of engineers sent by Director Wang will come on the flight tomorrow afternoon." The subordinate continued to report.

At this moment, the secretary came over and handed the phone to Li Weidong. Li Weidong answered the phone and his face gradually became serious.

"Sales of the Range Rover have been suspended in the U.S. market? Why? The U.S. Highway Safety Administration wants us to supplement the anti-theft certification documents? Why do we need to supplement the documents? Wasn't it good before? Because it is a luxury car, we need to strengthen the anti-theft certification.

Is it responsible for consumers? What kind of bullshit logic is this!

How many vehicles are involved? There are more than 8,000 vehicles in stock in the United States. Are they all Range Rovers? Why so many? Because the United States has always been the main consumer market for Range Rover? It is true that Americans like this kind of large-displacement SUVs.

.

Then submit the documents as soon as possible. After submitting the documents, how long will it take for the Highway Safety Bureau to complete the review? Not necessarily? There is no specific time? In other words, we don’t know when these 8,000 Range Rovers can resume sales!”

After finishing his obedience, Li Weidong had a sullen face and fell into thinking. He sensitively felt that things were not that simple. It was like someone else had dug a hole for him.

A few hours later, Li Weidong received a call from a lawyer in the United States.

"Mr. Li, the Auto Workers Union requires that we continue to negotiate!" the lawyer said.

"The factory has been moved and the production equipment is about to be shipped to the shore. What else do they want to talk about? What else is there to talk about?" Li Weidong said with some disdain.

"The Auto Workers Union requires that we provide layoff compensation to laid-off workers. The amount is calculated based on seniority and position. On average, each person will be compensated at least 20,000 US dollars, and the total compensation amount is more than 40 million!"

The lawyer spoke.

"You really dare to ask for 40 million, are they crazy? They have no leverage anymore, so what are they going to ask me for, and commit suicide in front of me, splattering me with blood?" Li Weidong sneered.

"I also told the people in the union that they have no leverage, but Jewell told me that if you are willing to compensate the US$40 million, then 8,000 Range Rovers can continue to be sold," the lawyer said.

"It turns out that the suspension of sales of Range Rover was their fault!" Li Weidong understood instantly.

"Buying a Range Rover in the United States costs at least 100,000 U.S. dollars, and the high-end version costs close to 200,000 U.S. dollars. This 8,000-meter Range Rover can sell for at least 800 million. If you add some accessories, it will sell for more than 1 billion. It is not a problem.
To be continued...