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gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

Barbie Used to Be Made in the Philippines. Why Did Mattel Leave the Country?

TL; DR - neoliberalism got Mattel to offshore their manufacturing from the US to the Philippines, and they killed the factories when the unions got too uppity

quote:

Barbie dolls are still popular here [in the Philippines] after all these years, especially during the holiday season. But our country has a special relationship with the doll brand because Barbie herself used to be made right here.

What led Mattel to open a manufacturing plant here? And why did it decide to leave?

It all began in the mid-1970s. The government of then-President Ferdinand Marcos was trying to woo foreign investments and multinational enterprises to the country and one of its projects was to develop export processing zones (EPZs). EPZs were essentially �to create jobs, facilitate the transfer of technology, increase foreign exchange earnings, and enhance competitiveness.�

In August 1967, Rep. Pablo Roman of Bataan filed a bill to establish a freeport zone in the municipality of Mariveles. President Marcos signed the bill into law two years later, on June 21, 1969. This was the country�s first freeport zone and eventually led to the creation of the Export Processing Zone Authority in Mariveles through a presidential decree in September 1972.

In order to attract companies to do business in the zone, they were promised a host of incentives, including no municipal tax, no duty on import of resources for construction or manufacturer, no duty on exports, carry-over of net operating losses incurred in the first five years as deduction on income tax for the next five years, and accelerated depreciation of fixed assets.

Over 100 multinational companies or locators soon set up shop in the Bataan EPZ. One of those companies was Mattel.

In the 1960s, Mattel was already known as one of the world�s leading toymakers, thanks to its core product of Barbie dolls, as well as other toys that proved to be hits, like Hot Wheels, Chatty Cathy, and Thingmaker activity toys. It also diversified its operations into a worldwide enterprise with multiple acquisitions: Dee and Cee Toy Co. (1962); Standard Plastics (1963); Hong Kong Industrial Co., Ltd. and Precision Moulds, Ltd. (1966); Rosebud Dolls Ltd. (1967); Monogram Models and A & A Die Casting Company (1968); Ratti Vallensasca, Mebetoys, Ebiex S.A., H & H Plastics Co., and Metaframe Corp. (1969).

But in the 1970s, Mattel was hit with a series of setbacks, including a fire that destroyed its plant in Mexico and a shipyard strike in the Far East. It also suffered from management shakeups that resulted in the firing of a top executive because of fraud, and the easing out of Elliott and Ruth Handler, who had founded the company in 1944.

Seeking to cut costs, particularly in its manufacturing, Mattel opened a wholly owned subsidiary in the Bataan EPZ called Mattel Philipines Inc. in 1976. The manufacturing plant produced Barbie dolls and some of the doll�s clothes and accessories, which were then exported to different countries worldwide.

In the beginning, Mattel�s operations in the plant ran smoothly and the company seemed to have a good relationship with its workforce. In an article in the Christian Science Monitor in 1980, James W. Archer, then-president of Mattel Philippines Inc. was quoted as saying, "I have found the Filipinos in general to be a very warm and friendly people. Mattel has been very impressed with our overall progress in the zone and especially the efficiency of the Filipino workers we employ. I feel that this is one of our most efficient plants worldwide."

The town of Mariveles also benefited economically from the industry of the EPZ. Recreational facilities such as bowling lanes, tennis, and basketball courts were built, as well as theaters and cinemas. Residents and tourists also looked forward every year to the BEZ Trade Fair, where they could buy export-quality products intended only for the export market. For a time, Mariveles was called the �Town of Adidas and Nike shoes,� or the �Town of Barbie and Ken,� because of the dolls produced by Mattel Philippines.

But the cracks soon started to show. Although multinational companies were promised they didn�t have to deal with strikes because of the EPZ�s designation as a �vital industry,� labor issues soon became rampant. Mattel wasn�t immune to this. Mary Rogers, in her book Barbie Culture cites Annette Fuentes and Barbara Eherenreich, who detailed a strike in 1981 by Mattel�s 3,000 workers at the EPZ in protest of the company�s �starting wage agreement.� At the time, it was the fifth�and biggest�strike in the last 18 months.

�Fuentes and Ehrenreich indicated that Mattel �offer(ed) prizes to workers who undergo sterilization.� They also quote one Mattel employee as saying, �We call our company �motel� because we are often told to lay down or be laid off.��

Mattel employees also joined workers from other companies in the EPZ, including those from Ford and Interasia Container Industries, in a large-scale protest on June 5, 1982. The protest stemmed from a small group of striking InterAsia workers who were arrested by police after refusing to comply with return-to-work orders.

For whatever reason, Mattel decided to move its operations closer to the capital in 1985. The company opened two manufacturing plants�one in Cainta, Rizal that made costumes and accessories, and another in Barrio Ugong in Pasig that made the actual dolls and costumes.

But Mattel soon began to struggle financially. �Mattel stumbled badly for much of the 1980s,� according to the website Reference for Business. �Many of the company's business acquisitions turned out to be unprofitable and had to be sold. Further, a big slump in video game sales in the early 1980s drove Mattel out of the video game business with a $394 million loss, putting the company on the edge of bankruptcy.�

By 1985, Mattel had relinquished its spot as the world�s largest toymaker to Hasbro. And in 1987, the company reported losses of $113 million, primarily due to the failure of its Masters of the Universe toy line for boys.

It didn�t help that, in the Philippines, Mattel continued to be haunted by labor problems.

On December 11, 1987, Mattel Philippines announced it was closing down the plant in Cainta, effectively laying off 1,800 workers. Company officials said the reason was sluggish sales of Barbie dolls worldwide. The plan was to consolidate operations in the main plant in Pasig.

But employees said the Cainta shutdown was �drastic and arbitrary,� claiming that it had breached a collective bargaining agreement that was not due to expire until 1990. Workers picketed by late December 1987, forming a blockade that prevented company officials from pulling out equipment and materials, according to the LA Times report from 1988. The blockade was lifted temporarily after Mattel Philippines got the Department of Labor and Employment to instruct the workers to lift the blockade. But the workers instead set up barricades at the Pasig plant, preventing most of the 2,200 workers there from entering the premises. By the end of January 1988, with workers still picketing, Mattel announced that it would shut down its Philippine operations altogether.

�We are shutting down our operations because of the worldwide situation and our loss of confidence in our ability . . . to produce and manufacture toys in the Philippines,� Mattel Philippines President J. D. Harper told Reuters.

�The decision was a culmination of a series of union and labor force actions that hampered our ability to operate there,� a spokesman for Mattel Inc. said, adding it decided to withdraw from the Philippines due to �the union�s unwillingness to comply with reasonable, legal actions to reopen company facilities.�

At the time, Mattel�s total workforce in the Philippines numbered 4,000. According to the LA Times, Mattel�s exit was the first by a major American corporation since President Corazon Aquino came to power after the EDSA People Power revolution in 1986.

The news agency also said the impact of the Mattel pullout was significant; it estimated Mattel had contributed $75 million to the Philippine economy over the 10 years it had been operating in the country.

Some sources say it was Mattel�s new boss, John Amerman, who joined the company in 1980 as head of its international division, who had decided to trim as much as 40 percent of the company�s manufacturing capacity. Besides the plants in the Philippines, he had also closed down factories in California and Taiwan.

�Most important, Amerman focused the company on its core brands such as Barbie and Hot Wheels, and by making selective investments in the development of new toys,� according to this paper published by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth Glassmeyer/McNamee Center for Digital Strategies.

Today, most of the Barbies are produced in manufacturing facilities in China, where Mattel says it adheres to strict quality control processes and safety protocols for its workers. Barbie sales have also experienced an uptick, selling $1.159 billion in 2019, from $1.108 billion in 2018, according to Statista.

So the next time you see a Barbie, think about how she used to be made right here, and how much closer she had to travel to get to your child�s playpen.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:15

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 26, 2024 10:06

Deep Dish Fuckfest: Sep 6, 2006; Advanced
Computer Touching; Toilet Rascal

Frosted Flake posted:

Weren�t there ties to some bad boys trying to launder money etc?

Tying up loose ends?

if you mean it's something cashapp related, i don't think so. their "know your customer" policy is basically "yeah we know this guy's one of our customers" and i don't think that's changed, so they're basically the number one way to move money of dubious origin around and everyone knows it. regulatory agencies probably had a bigger beef with this guy than any criminal would, and stabbing execs in the streets is atypical of SEC or foreign sanctions enforcement as far as i know

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:23

Martout: Aug 8, 2007; None so deprived

Frosted Flake posted:

Weren�t there ties to some bad boys trying to launder money etc?

Tying up loose ends?

Invest in my brand new app called Laundr which facilitates transactions if you know what I mean

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:24

Mirthless: Mar 27, 2011; by the sex ghost

Danann posted:

unsurprising that reddit has is populated by petty bourgeois and bourgeosis proletarians who think all this hate is being driven by greed, resentment, and gullibility

Or they're just paid messaging accounts like a lot of the posters in every internet community

The big post in the middle there was generated by a clippy

Mirthless has issued a correction as of 14:36 on Apr 5, 2023

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:27

Mirthless: Mar 27, 2011; by the sex ghost

Mustached Demon posted:

their first 9/11 did exactly what it was supposed to

Yep

OBL destroyed america with two planes full of jihadis and the tacit support of the CIA

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:41

Orbis Tertius: Feb 13, 2007

gradenko_2000 posted:

Barbie Used to Be Made in the Philippines. Why Did Mattel Leave the Country?

TL; DR - neoliberalism got Mattel to offshore their manufacturing from the US to the Philippines, and they killed the factories when the unions got too uppity

quote:

�Fuentes and Ehrenreich indicated that Mattel �offer(ed) prizes to workers who undergo sterilization.�

uhh the gently caress?

good article

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:43

sullat: Jan 9, 2012

BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:

how about this one

https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-super-mario-bros-review-chris-pratt-anya-taylor-joy-jack-black-1235572328/

this person needs to be in a home, not writing movie reviews

To some extent journalism is a home, keeps them out of harm and provides them with a little income to get by.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:50

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

DancingShade posted:

I'm going to go around assessing everyone's property at a value of 3+ million (what it actually sells for is irrelevant) then tax them 30k a year.

We have 2 houses in our neighborhood that sold for $75k and 76k last summer. Those house are in better land positions than our house and are bigger so according to the city assessment rose in value another $20k or $25k.

And we thought housing inflation stopped!

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:52

RealityWarCriminal: Aug 10, 2016

one easy trick cities have to raise funds

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:55

Archduke Frantz Fanon: Sep 7, 2004

Orbis Tertius posted:

uhh the gently caress?

good article

80's american executives are always some of the evilest people.

like you run the barbie factory why are you getting into sterilization?

# ? Apr 5, 2023 14:56

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

Orbis Tertius posted:

uhh the gently caress?

good article

the next sentence over heavily implies that they wanted women to be sterilized so there wouldn't be offspring from sleeping with them

no idea about the men

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:02

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

Ism services numbers. Big drops across the board, but still in expansion.
https://twitter.com/LiveSquawk/status/1643614746074021888?t=tsmAwkDs-x6Q9Pr_QmFKoA&s=19

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:04

SKULL.GIF: Jan 20, 2017

All the permacattle bleated to each other about how there wouldn't be a Recession!

Too bad motherfuckers.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:04

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

SKULL.GIF posted:

All the permacattle bleated to each other about how there wouldn't be a Recession!

Too bad motherfuckers.

A recession is good for stocks (the real economy)

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:05

Pf. Hikikomoriarty: Feb 15, 2003; RO YNSHO; Slippery Tilde

are bad numbers still good

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:06

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

Always

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:08

Orbis Tertius: Feb 13, 2007

Archduke Frantz Fanon posted:

80's american executives are always some of the evilest people.

you just know �incentivizing� sterilization was plan B after they looked real long and hard at whether making it a condition of employment was viable.

very curious what the �prizes� they offered were. grotesquely paltry, I would guess.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:08

Orbis Tertius: Feb 13, 2007

gradenko_2000 posted:

the next sentence over heavily implies that they wanted women to be sterilized so there wouldn't be offspring from sleeping with them

no idea about the men

that�s even worse!

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:09

is pepsi ok: Oct 23, 2002

Pf. Hikikomoriarty posted:

are bad numbers still good

The bad numbers are good, the good numbers are really good, and the neutral numbers? Oh baby you better believe those are good.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:14

Zodium: Jun 19, 2004

gradenko_2000 posted:

Barbie Used to Be Made in the Philippines. Why Did Mattel Leave the Country?

TL; DR - neoliberalism got Mattel to offshore their manufacturing from the US to the Philippines, and they killed the factories when the unions got too uppity

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:14

FizFashizzle: Mar 30, 2005

Archduke Frantz Fanon posted:

80's american executives are always some of the evilest people.

like you run the barbie factory why are you getting into sterilization?

/80s executively-ish

�Because we can�

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:14

is pepsi ok: Oct 23, 2002

I mean what the gently caress was the point of stomping out communism around the world if not to do exactly what the US did in the 80s. That was the big victory lap, nothing can stop us now, octopus enveloping the world, etc etc.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:16

Deep Dish Fuckfest: Sep 6, 2006; Advanced
Computer Touching; Toilet Rascal

gradenko_2000 posted:

Barbie Used to Be Made in the Philippines. Why Did Mattel Leave the Country?

TL; DR - neoliberalism got Mattel to offshore their manufacturing from the US to the Philippines, and they killed the factories when the unions got too uppity

you idiots, you're supposed to kill the unions, not the factories!

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:16

Marenghi: Oct 16, 2008; Don't trust the liberals,
they will betray you

Orbis Tertius posted:

uhh the gently caress?

good article

The quote was lifted from the multinational monitor article The New Factory Girls, which provides more context than the edited article.
https://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1983/08/fuentes.html

quote:

Multinationals prefer single women with no children and no plans to have any. Pregnancy tests are routinely given to potential employees to avoid the issue of maternity benefits. In the Philippines' Bataan Export Processing Zone, the Mattel toy company offers prizes to workers who undergo sterilization.

It also clarifies the motel quote was explicitly about sexual harassment by management.

quote:

Sexual harassment is another hazard of factory work, especially for women who are out late at night working the graveyard shift. In the Bataan Export Processing Zone in the Philippines, sexual harassment is a common practice among male supervisors. "We call our company 'motel', says a worker at Mattel, "because we are often told to lay down or be laid off. It is hard to know what to do when that happens because we can't afford to lose our jobs."

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:38

Ardennes: May 12, 2002

Mr Hootington posted:

A recession is good for stocks (the real economy)

It is a good thing if the Fed drops rates, but the US is also in a weird situation because of OPEC where oil prices are still pretty elevated despite the fact the US is still crawling into a recession.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:44

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

quote:

potential employees to avoid the issue of maternity benefits

it was recently proposed in Congress that a law be passed granting two days of leave per month for menstruating persons, to account for the hardship caused by menstruation

of course, the kneejerk dumbshit reaction was that "companies will just stop hiring women since they end up working so much less than men do, when you combine this with their maternity leave!!!"

I should have realized that the much darker alternative was sterilizing women so they couldn't get pregnant and therefore never have a reason to use their maternity leave in the first place

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:45

JesustheDarkLord: May 22, 2006; #VolsDeep; Lipstick Apathy

Based on my experience as a child in the '80s, the master of the universe toys were not a failure.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:51

i am harry: Oct 14, 2003

that red dude whose eyes popped out

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:57

sullat: Jan 9, 2012

gradenko_2000 posted:

it was recently proposed in Congress that a law be passed granting two days of leave per month for menstruating persons, to account for the hardship caused by menstruation

of course, the kneejerk dumbshit reaction was that "companies will just stop hiring women since they end up working so much less than men do, when you combine this with their maternity leave!!!"

I should have realized that the much darker alternative was sterilizing women so they couldn't get pregnant and therefore never have a reason to use their maternity leave in the first place

That's funny because it turns out the ancient Egyptians were more woman-friendly that the modern Congress.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 15:57

Archduke Frantz Fanon: Sep 7, 2004

JesustheDarkLord posted:

Based on my experience as a child in the '80s, the master of the universe toys were not a failure.

They made like a billion different characters and once everyone had he-man and beastmaster and whatever it turned out no one wanted the no names and werent buying multiple hemens

the toys who made us episode on it is fascinating, both for how much they bombed with it and the guy responsible for creating heman

# ? Apr 5, 2023 16:17

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

Ardennes posted:

It is a good thing if the Fed drops rates, but the US is also in a weird situation because of OPEC where oil prices are still pretty elevated despite the fact the US is still crawling into a recession.

It isn't just the opec+ messing with the oil market. Removing Russia and the usa constantly flooding the market have had roles.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 16:26

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud: Apr 7, 2003

Insurers claim they'll be covering preventative care regardless of that court decision, for now

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/despite-court-ruling-insurers-will-continue-offer-aca-mandated-free-preventive-services

quote:

While a federal judge has struck down some of the preventive care mandates in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurers said they plan to stay the course on coverage.

Judge Reed O�Connor blocked the enforcement of recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The ACA requires no-cost coverage for breast and cervical cancer screenings, diabetes screening, and vision tests for preschool-aged children, and it includes free coverage for pre-exposure prophylactic (PrEP) drugs, which prevent HIV.

"The Braidwood decision, if implemented, would erode access to an entire range of preventive health services�from cancer screening to HIV prevention to preeclampsia screening for expecting mothers," Meg Murray, the CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), told Fierce Healthcare in an email. "Families deserve better than having bedrock protections of the health reform law invalidated with a two-page ruling.�

ACAP represents 78 not-for-profit health plans.

�We call on the Justice Department to appeal this ruling such that this decision can be stayed to give the necessary acts of jurisprudential hygiene time to occur,� said Murray. �In the interim, our Safety Net Health Plans will continue to work to equitably improve the health of all their members�regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.�

O�Connor issued a summary judgment in the case in September. At the time, the decision applied only to the employers that brought the case. Yesterday�s ruling expands that to all employers and insurers nationwide.

O�Connor�of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas�stated that the Task Force, a body of volunteer primary care experts, isn�t subject to Senate confirmation, which invalidates its coverage recommendations.

The ruling is almost certain to be challenged in the courts, experts said.

David Merritt, the senior vice president of policy and advocacy for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), said in a statement that �the value of preventive services cannot be overstated: Access to no-cost screenings, counseling services and preventive medications is critical to improving overall health, early detection, and breaking down barriers to care.�

Merritt said he wants beneficiaries to know that BCBSA coverage of preventive services will not change because of O�Connor�s ruling.

�Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies strongly encourage the Americans they serve to continue to access these important services to promote their well-being,� Merritt said. �We will continue to monitor further developments in the courts.�

Matt Eyles, president and CEO of AHIP, the health insurance industry�s leading lobbying group, said in a statement that �as we review the decision and its potential impact with regard to preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, we want to be clear: Americans should have peace of mind there will be no immediate disruption in care or coverage.�

Eyles added that AHIP fully expects �that this matter will continue on appeal, and we await the federal government�s next steps in the litigation, as well as any guidance from relevant federal agencies.�

# ? Apr 5, 2023 16:36

JamesKPolk: Apr 9, 2009

https://twitter.com/DeItaone/status/1643637947680317449

# ? Apr 5, 2023 16:36

is pepsi ok: Oct 23, 2002

JamesKPolk posted:

https://twitter.com/DeItaone/status/1643637947680317449

Let er rip

# ? Apr 5, 2023 16:44

Bar Ran Dun: Jan 22, 2006

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

Insurers claim they'll be covering preventative care regardless of that court decision, for now

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/despite-court-ruling-insurers-will-continue-offer-aca-mandated-free-preventive-services

it�s the same dipshit judge that ruled against the whole law previously. it�ll play out the same way and it�s pretty obvious the insurers know that.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 17:02

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

JamesKPolk posted:

https://twitter.com/DeItaone/status/1643637947680317449

This is the opposite of what the fed wanted.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 17:13

SKULL.GIF: Jan 20, 2017

Mr Hootington posted:

This is the opposite of what the fed wanted.

Maybe the Federal Reserve should do what's necessary instead of oh-so-carefully slow-walking everything to keep ~~everyone~~ rich investors as happy as possible.

# ? Apr 5, 2023 17:15