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Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

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  • Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

    Del Monte had already announced that it would cease operations in 2008, but today's PBN reports that due to some unfavorable circumstances, it will shut down its business immediately, with some workers being laid off as of this coming Saturday, and with all employees being laid off by no later than Jan. 22, 2007. The total number of employees affected by the shutdown is 551.

    Although the State has been trying to get displaced workers training, etc. the sudden immediate shutdown of operations will definitely create problems. And it is another nail in the coffin of Hawai'i agricultural heritage.

    Miulang
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

  • #2
    Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

    Well, that's going to make for a Happy Thanksgiving (and a Merry Christmas) for a few families.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

      Some of the faces and voices of those impacted by the DelMonte closure. Sad, sad, sad. But at least some of them were proactive and shouldn't have such a hard landing.

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

        Very sad. Count this as one less thing I can show my keiki from my childhood. My 'ohana on my Hawaiian Chinese side worked for Del Monte for many, many, many years. I grew up at my tutu's house in Kunia Camp for some of my formative years as a keiki. Great memories. *Sigh*

        I miss those years. That house. Those times.



        I feel for all of the families affected by the shutdown. May they be blessed in finding work quickly and not suffer too many financial problems.
        I'm disgusted and repulsed, and I can't look away.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

          Tough to cut the margins in Agriculture with a minimum wage law and no source of migrant labor.

          Dems win Washington and start talking about a min wage increase. Then they turn around and complain about jobs going overseas.

          Del Monte can grow pineapples a lot easier in places where "concern" for workers has not reached a point where the workers lose their jobs.

          Just more cog diss that defines the politics of the left.
          FutureNewsNetwork.com
          Energy answers are already here.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

            Unfortunately, I don't think there is a viable future for pineapple or sugar. It's not just competing with other countries regarding the cost of labor but the price of land. Since land on Oahu is worth a hefty chunk of change, it's hard to justify using it for crops that don't have a high profit margin.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

              do you think there shouldn't be a minimum wage, or that it should be lower?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                A "living" minimum wage has got to be at least $10/hour in order for people to survive without government assistance. The minimum wages that are set by each state presuppose that you're going to get some kind of tip to supplement that minimum wage; many jobs in the service industry pay minimum wage and they expect you to make up the difference via tips.

                I'm sad for the people who aren't working in jobs where they can rely on tips to supplement their minimum wages. These are the hardworking people who invariably have to turn to food stamps and food banks. Most of them earn more than the maximum to qualify for welfare assistance and yet they don't make enough to keep a roof over their heads, pay for health insurance and eat. These are the "working poor".

                I also think the Federal government should get out of the business of trying to determine a federal minimum wage. The minimum you should make in order to survive in any city or town should be determined by the individual State and not the Feds.


                Miulang

                P.S. I would not buy any condo or house that was built on the land that was formerly used for pineapple or cane cultivation unless an EIS can prove that all the poisonous fumigants (like DDT) and fertilizer have been properly mitigated from both the ground and groundwater. Just because it's "open" land doesn't mean it should be built on. Here is an interesting public health extract on the poisons used in the DelMonte tract of land in Kunia. This is also the reason why I wouldn't want to build a house on land that had once been an opala dump.
                Last edited by Miulang; November 18, 2006, 02:08 PM.
                "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                  Some potentially good news for the laid off DelMonte workers. Today's PBN reports that Maui Land & Pineapple is interested in taking over the 2007 harvest of pineapples that DelMonte was going to abandon because of its sudden closing. At least some workers currently employed by DelMonte would probably have to be retained in order for the harvesting to be done, and it looks like ML&P might want to continue agricultral operations in the Kunia area into the future.

                  Miulang
                  "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                    The minimum wages that are set by each state presuppose that you're going to get some kind of tip to supplement that minimum wage
                    Or that you are going to work more than one job.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                      Minimum wage laws are a problem for the least skilled workers. The reason for this is that the only edge they have in a competitive world is to undercut the wage of the more skilled worker. When employers are faced with rising wage costs, oftentimes the solution can be found in raising productivity and reducing the number of workers needed.

                      Additionally, inflation is most prevalent when wages at the LOWEST end of the spectrum are rising. Inflation has a tendency to reduce buying power, and of course, you guessed it, the people at the low end of the wage spectrum are most hurt by this.

                      Minimum wage laws are created with the best of intentions. But the reality of their effects in an economy are wildly misunderstood by those who honestly believe they are helping. The cumulative effect on GDP is like a dragster with it's parachute deployed the entire run. Economics is a fun science. Honest, it's a science. Similar to Urban Planning in that there is very little room for opinion or belief by those who would ignore facts. Funny how mathematics leaves very little room for "opinion".

                      Just more cog diss from the left. When party line dogma conflicts with logic, sense, and reality, it takes a strong mind to march like a lemming.

                      Del Monte is just a small sign of a much larger problem in the USA economy.
                      FutureNewsNetwork.com
                      Energy answers are already here.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                        Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                        Unfortunately, I don't think there is a viable future for pineapple or sugar. It's not just competing with other countries regarding the cost of labor but the price of land. Since land on Oahu is worth a hefty chunk of change, it's hard to justify using it for crops that don't have a high profit margin.
                        So what do you think of the idea of raising crops for ethanol or some other form of energy production? Personally I think it's wishful thinking that it will be economical to do it here.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                          Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                          So what do you think of the idea of raising crops for ethanol or some other form of energy production? Personally I think it's wishful thinking that it will be economical to do it here.
                          Potentially, Hawaii's sugar industry can stand a chance if switched over for energy production instead of human consumption. One reason why Brazil has managed to effectively run most of their energy needs for their automobiles is because they chose sugar cane as the raw material to produce ethanol. Sugar cane yields more ethanol per acre than corn ever will. But the US is focused on corn for ethanol because geographically speaking, the US isn't suited to growing sugar with the exceptions of Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Florida.

                          But there's still the hurdles of cost. Will producing ethanol from sugar in Hawaii be cost competitive to corn? What if the US just imports more sugar from places like Brazil? And it's still too early to tell if the US will embrace ethanol like the Brazilians did.

                          Maybe we should go back to cultivating sandal wood? I've never heard of any country mass producing sandal wood cheaply. But the downside is, turns out sandal wood needs like at least 40 years to mature to a point where it's of good market quality.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                            Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                            What if the US just imports more sugar from places like Brazil?
                            That's my point. If we can't compete in growing the stuff, wouldn't it end up being cheaper to import the end product then trying to grow it ourselves? Maybe the other countries are behind in growing energy, but once they come on-line, I think we'd see a second local sugar crash as the import would be cheaper.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Del Monte shuts down Hawaii operations

                              Originally posted by GeckoGeek View Post
                              That's my point. If we can't compete in growing the stuff, wouldn't it end up being cheaper to import the end product then trying to grow it ourselves? Maybe the other countries are behind in growing energy, but once they come on-line, I think we'd see a second local sugar crash as the import would be cheaper.
                              So do you think agriculture is a dying industry in Hawaii? Seems like the state can't diversify beyond tourism and military spending. We've tried encouraging high tech but the truth is, we haven't nurtured UH to become a top notch research institution. Most high tech areas have a top notch university nearby to help drive the industry. We've tried encouraging the field of medicine but again, we haven't nurtured UH in this arena as well. Not to mention since we are part of the US, we're also bound to restrictions like stem cell research limitations.

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