[Jewelry making - Article 00704] - Re: [Orchid] Employment in the Metal arts/Jewelery Field

[Melissa Veres]

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>     It seems that the public demands that these people be highly
>     qualified, dedicated to their trade and willing to work long hours
>     to maintain their skills and perform their duties, yet they would
>     like not to have to pay dearly for those services. I know I will
>     draw some heavy fire for some of these comments, but I sincerely
>     believe that we have to turn around our thinking as consumers
>     before the situation will change. 

    Well said, Jim! The problem seems to be that as consumers, the public
    has come to expect to pay the lowest price possible for every
    purchase they make. This applies to everything from groceries to
    clothing to electronics. The bigger manufacturers are flocking to
    overseas production, and the smaller manufacturer is left trying to
    compete, often by cutting costs of production, such as salaries and
    benefits. There are plenty of new immigrants who are very skilled,
    and willing to work for wages that are in reality, barely minimal. As
    middle class Americans find their disposable income being squeezed
    from all directions, and their desires to sustain the appearance of
    affluence remain to be fulfilled, the lowest price point has become
    the most important consideration. 

    This is really short sighted, because the long term sustainability
    isn't there. If I can't earn a reasonable wage, how can I afford to
    pay my bills, drive my car, and put food on the table? Health
    insurance becomes a luxury, the cost of any crisis becomes an
    overwhelming burden of debt, the standard of living decreases
    further, the possibility of saving for retirement becomes an
    unfulfilled hope. In the meantime, the upper few are reaping in
    obscene amounts of salary and benefits, given what they actually
    produce. Yet, in the name of globalization, we've all jumped onto the
    bandwagon, because that is the future. (and they are the only ones
    left who can afford to be our customers.) 

    The times are changing now in ways that are a social upheaval
    similar to the early days of the industrial revolution. The workers
    are exploited, and are drones for the corporation. I had some
    experience working in a trade shop that did work for one of the
    Sterling outfits. Their product was cheaply produced, and hard to
    repair. The shop couldn't even tighten a diamond (if you can call it
    that!) without returning the piece for their inspection and okay,
    prior to the tightening. They would often just return the item to the
    customer (who assumed the tightening was just another charge they
    were unwilling to pay), and when the stone fell out, it was returned
    to the shop with complaints about the shoddy workmanship, and the
    shop was expected to replace the stone and do all of the necessary
    repairs at no charge to the store. On top of that, they would
    manipulate payments to the shop, withholding payment for work
    already done for one reason or another, in order to make their bottom
    line look better to corporate. The shop was left trying to pay their
    bench workers, buy supplies and keep the lights on while spending
    much management time attempting to get payment and appease creditors.
    The workers put in many long hours, paid by the shop, but often
    without sizing stock or findings, and having to make due with what
    was on hand to complete the work. That meant trying to find enough
    clean scrap to melt down and roll out a bit of wire or sizing stock,
    taking time away from that number of repairs needing attention that
    day. On a day to day basis, it becomes too overwhelming to be
    sustainable. There were no benefits, a paycheck that would
    occasionally bounce, and a tremendous amount of stress. I did learn
    alot about making do at the bench, but after one year and one
    Christmas season, I knew I couldn't sustain the pace or take the
    pressure. No wonder younger workers have such disdain towards repair
    work, when the reality is that repairs are an invaluable resource
    for learning and experience. The cycle begins again with inexperience
    workers being exploited in sweatshop conditions, until they've
    gained enough knowledge to move up or they move on to another field.
    There will be more inexperienced workers to take their place, and the
    quality of workmanship and the knowledge base begins to deteriorate.
    It's justified by corporate, claiming lack of quality to justify
    paying less. 

    I didn't mean to turn this into a rant, but I don't see any changes
    coming soon, either. I have 25 years at the bench, and a nice little
    niche freelancing hand engraving and custom work. The best job offer
    I can get locally is $14/ hr. (and only part-time). This adds some
    cash flow to my free lance work, and the environment is no pressure,
    but it certainly isn't taking advantage of my skills or creativity.
    You aren't alone in your predicament. We need to have some sort of
    consciousness raising on the part of the American consumer, or
    outright revolution against the promoters of global, corporate
    greed. The effect of globalization is to reduce our standard of
    living towards the third-world level of our competition, and line the
    pockets of those who export the jobs. 

Melissa Veres, Engraver
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