Global manufacturer Whirlpool has seen a backlash of opinion from online publishers over its decision to close the Evansville refrigerator plant and move the jobs to Mexico to take advantage of the much lower labour cost as well as weaker labour and environmental laws.
According to reports this will mean the loss of 1,100 people .
But what appears to really have angered many is that Whirlpool recently received 19 million dollars from the federal government as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to stimulate the U.S. economy.
Meanwhile Whirlpool are being lauded as an innovator by the corporate media.
“We are pleased to be named one of the World’s Most Innovative Consumer Products companies,” said Jeff M. Fettig, chairman and CEO, Whirlpool Corporation. “Whirlpool believes innovation is a sustainable competitive advantage for our company and that this recognition reinforces the importance we place on innovation at Whirlpool.”
According to a report in the Evansville Courier & Press members of Local 808 of the International Union of Electrical Workers are preparing to rally February 26 outside the Whirlpool to protest the situation.
In 2009, Whirlpool was named one of FORTUNE’s “Most Admired Companies” in the electronics industry, one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine and one of the “Top 50 Most Respected U.S. Companies” by the Reputation Institute.
Whirlpool Corporation claims it is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world.