IKEA's Virginia Furniture Manufacturing Plant Getting Union Pressure from Community Agitator

Community Agitator Taylor Leake

IKEA is facing pressure from labor unions who target the company's Danville, Virginia, factory. Now liberal political activist Taylor Leake who has launched unsuccessful campaigns against Walmart to force unionization--which in turn would drive up costs at Walmart--is targeting IKEA.

Without providing any proof, Leake plays the race card combined with a number that seems inflated about worker safety. I will let you take a look at Leake's rhetoric and then ask the obvious question that Leake fails to answer, especially when you consider his big government liberal mindset.

IKEA's Swedwood plant in Danville, Virginia is the most dangerous plant in the wood furniture industry -- workers there have suffered more than 1,536 days of lost work due to accidents on the job in a 30-month period. According to the LA Times, IKEA's Danville workers are paid as little as $8 an hour and face racial discrimination from their managers. Workers often find out on Friday night that they'll be forced to work for the entire weekend -- and if they can't make it, they face disciplinary action.

First off, don't you always suspect foul play in the rhetoric when you hear things like "most dangerous plant." Based on what? While I don't advocate for big government, big government is in place to solve these problems. Why is it, if this plant is so dangerous, OSHA hasn't done anything to make this place safer? Why is it only a union can fix this problem?

You see, this has nothing to do with safety. This is about pushing Leake's union agenda, which is what he spends most of his time doing as a community agitator. This was his mission against Walmart and this is his mission against IKEA.

These are entry level jobs at this IKEA plant. It's not uncommon, and I know this from when I worked in a warehouse, that if you aren't meeting production goals, it is understood when you take the job, there could be some required weekends. Wanna bet the employees knew this before going to work for IKEA? I know I was asked if that would be a problem during the interview. Of course you say no because you want the job; therefore agreeing to the terms of the job.

I still want to go back and deman Leake answer the question. Why is this plant so dangerous with all the big government regulations in place at OSHA? Why isn't his latest campaign directed at OSHA and not labor unions?

Honestly, I am not sure what Leake is really protesting since it sounds like he obviously shops at IKEA. I mean wouldn't a better form of protest be to stay away from IKEA. He writes, "We love our POÄNG chairs and sensible shelving options, but not when they’re produced in dangerous, anti-union factories that exploit workers."

Do you think this moron can really tell the difference between a union POÄNG and a non-union POÄNG?



Hey Taylor, care to take a shot at which products are union and which are not from this famous scene from Fight Club?

At this point, with unemployment hovering around 10% in Obama's America and a trillion dollars spent on a failed stimulus, I think we should just consider ourselves damn lucky IKEA hasnt' shipped this factory out of Virginia for cheaper labor in Asia. It will be very tempting for IKEA of Mr. Leake gets his way.

I wouldn't want to know what the blood of lost jobs would feel like on my hands Mr. Leake.