Utility Union Workers Sound the Alarm About Unsafe Gas Valves Used in Illinois
By Susie Madrak Thursday Aug 27, 2009 2:00pmFrom Campaign for America's Future, this stunning news. Notice how union workers are the only ones paying attention to safety issues?
In recent years, multinational corporations have become accustomed to saving money by exporting production to China without concern for labor issues, environmental standards, or product safety. In fact, China typically violates world trade laws through dumping, subsidies, and illegal currency manipulation in order to gain a cost benefit over U.S manufacturers. Unfortunately, this mercantilistic approach too often proves harmful to U.S. workers and consumers in the long-run.
One potentially alarming example of cost savings by following the “China price” is being reported by utility workers in Illinois.
Pat Dillon, an employee at People’s Energy of Illinois and a member of the Gas workers Local 18007/Utility Workers of America, says he has concerns about the gas meter bars he regularly installs as part of his job as a Senior Service specialist #1. People’s Energy recently switched from using American-made Model 6722 high-pressure gas inlet valves (which are manufactured in Iowa) to McDonald 6762 inlet valves made in China.
Click here for photos of both valves-- the American-made model #6722 and the Chinese-made model #6762.
Dillon says that the Chinese models, though similar in price to American models, lack critical O-ring washers. Based on his 30 years of experience with gas meter bars in People’s Energy’s service department, he also believes that the Chinese versions are inferior because the connection cones are not made of brass. He said, “The previous American made bars had brass cones. Anything less is not going to be as safe.”
Dillon reports that he became concerned when People’s Energy was bought by Wisconsin Power Services, which later evolved into a company called Integrys Energy Group. Shortly thereafter, People’s Energy switched to the Chinese-made valve bars, which caused concern among his co-workers.
Dillon said, “We all started to wonder why they’d switch to something that seemed less sturdy, less safe. Then I looked on the box and noticed that they were made in China. I realized that the company was probably trying to save a few pennies.”
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must pass rigorous testing and inspection and must be approved for service by the Underwiters Laboratory, ASME and other regulating bodies. It is unclear to me, as an engineer, that the valves in question are in fact inferior. In any event the proposed solution is what exactly?
Yeah right...and the securities and exchange commission was supposed to keep an eye on wall st.
and the FDA was supposed to keep lead out of our childrens toys...
and the border patrol was supposed to monitor the borders...
and congress is supposed to "uphold and defend the constitution"
and Obama wasnt going to appoint any lobbyists...onandonandonandon
However most businesses rely on such testing as a defense against a much more fearsome opponent than government regulators and that is civil lawyers. The substitution of an inferior valve which did result in loss of life or property would also result in a class action suit that would doubtless cause huge losses and require them to replace every blessed valve. You can see why our Republican friends are so eager to embrace tort reform.
What, you think businesses are afraid of a slap on the wrist? If the company is actually thinking ahead, they'll hope the valve fails in 10-20 years when the people coughSCAPEGOATScough responsible are long gone. This year's profits are far more important than an lawsuit 20 years from now. The lawsuit will be tied up in courts for a minimum of 5-10 years.
think businesses take these concerns very seriously. More importantly their insurers do as well.Having been involved in testing and selection of components I can assure you that the legal consequences (and that can include jail time) of failing to do due diligence properly scares the shit out of anyone who understands the consequences.
don't want to share with anyone, especially lawyers. When someone hurts you or screws you, try to get a politician to help you. Reform this tort, congressman. I am holding up my middle finger.
And on and on...
...
Peter g just got there first.
:)
I just wanted to clarify for anyone who gives a rat's ass. Hey, miss_kitty. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Peace...
is to quit buying shit from China that we can make here, and to stop putting people out of work so some lard ass investor can make an extra buck because of some dickhead in a suit who doesn't know anything about the product but has "managerial skills" and hopes to get a pat on the head from his boss and maybe a bonus bone for putting money in lard ass's pocket and doesn't give a shit if he blows up somebody's house and kills the occupants to do it.
and although it's difficult, I do my best to not purchase things made in China... I may reconsider when they free Tibet and when manufacturing with rules and regulations is again adhered to in North America. I think countries who offshore their manufacturing and building of what their consumers are purchasing are efftards!
into this country overall. Not just those from China.
Proves our elected officials has sold our a.. to the Global China and other Company Store..
Look around Americans ,,,, There is nothing made in this country anymore and our resources , infrastructures are now sold to Foreign countries.
Our military has contracted our intelligent , spying agencies (Israel) , persons in charge of our government offices and military,,,,, to mercenaries armies and they even recruited foreign citizens into their military force.
Do you really believe this country can survive with having no jobs , no manufacturing plants , no economy , no laws and an army make up of mercenary foreign citizens.
Americans have become idiots and fools..
These Global Empires have used us and our military to get their feet into foreign countries and now these Global Giants have moved their companies and Wealth overseas... and are telling us to go to h.ll
those multinationals (most of them American) who decided a long time ago how this game was going to be played... and how the people of the once-great country of America were going to be swindled. Seriously... China basically owns the U.S., don't they? It's my understanding they own alot of the debt the U.S. has...
I bought a box of wood screws for my deck, and screw after screw just disintegrated as I tried to use them. I too, looked on the box: Made in China. I don't think they were really stainless steel or hardened. We are giving up on all (and any hope) of quality of construction if the very fasteners we use are worthless. Now, I am not naive, The Home Depot gets to make an extra nickel selling crap made 10,000 miles away, it just irks me that they don't even give us a choice to pick an American competitor off their shelves. I'll pay the extra nickel.
That's un-American!
...try a larger gauge screw...if you wanna go with stainless. so you can't twist their little heads off!
If you are flexible and want something that works very good, go with "deckmate" (brand) screws. (expensive)
(I build em (decks)for a living)
I get my screws at the farmers market.
of economizing on expensive alloys (chrome and nickel are very expensive) so your probably right about the quality of the steel. It is rust resistant at best. When it comes to fasteners for critical applications I would specify only something that came with certs and that means the US,Canada, Europe and the places that take quality control seriously
appear to have more protein than it actually contained. They added melamine. A ground up plastic. Over 85% of the vitamin C sold in this country comes from China, and they make it in dirty lead-ridden "labs." Apparently, life is very cheap there. They do not care if they kill people. They just pick a scapegoat, and then that person "kills" themselves.
suckers over there also.
Globalism basically turned out to be a Corporate farce.
Broke the tip off a Chinese philips screwdriver the other day hand turning it.
Brass with gas means things don't go "Boom!", right? I bet there are rich people who use gas too and their big houses must blow up extra special bright.
then why pay the price of not buying american?
corporation for profit. The consumer also has to pay the transportation costs of importing them from China.
Break down the costs of a simple box fan (19.95) for example made in China and think about all the costs involved in producing it and shipping it to the USA then to the retail shelves.
It's insanity.
Check out the cost of $200 sneakers in China. I believe they cost less than $2.00 to manufacture. Nice mark-up, huh? There are some excellent documentaries about this topic. They really open your eyes. Boycotting Chinese goods is the only way, but China threatened the Bush administration if it expanded inspections. Of course, Bush did nothing. After all, China is financing our little excursions into Iraq and Afghanistan. Wouldn't want them to call in the loans. I do not think this issue is even on the current administration's radar.
When price of gas/diesel stuff goes through the roof ($10 in ten years?), China won't be able to export the cheap stuff anymore.
Go out sometime and observe linemen doing repairs on electrical lines.
You'll get the message.
The other can of worms is all the faulty and cheap crap we've imported from U.S. owned China Factories.
Those valves look nothing alike... The Made in China model looks much lighter-read: not up to the task!
Power to the unions!
get burned. I HATE that shit. I have a friend who does that all the time. He has a truck, I say "get a truck plate," because he's needing to park in truck zones. He whinges "too expensive," and in the year between tags, he gets WAY more in parking fines, and bitches about it. I have no problem saying "I told you so" any more because I'm sick and tired of his whining.
When I was really young, about 10 maybe, I read a piece in the Parade mag about Edwards Deming. He was this guy who helped Japan in the 60s ditch its shoddy manufacturing practices and that reputation which included looking far into the future (not to the next earnings report) and buying quality materials so the end product of the manufacture process has quality.
He worked with Ford, too.
And thank you Union Workers, for pointing it out. If you'd worked in a non union shop, they would have found a way to fire your ass for your concerns.
all those houses that used sheetrock made in china , that will have to be gutted , rewired , replumbed , new HVAC , rerocked and painted , new trim etc.
Whats next importing labor from China to do the work ? .
And with 45yrs in the metal trades the steel , aluminum and stainless we are getting from china is crap , so are the tools and machinery utter BS . Oh and valves i also work with boilers and industrial plants and ship building too boot tested by the UL , thats like a contractor saying its built " up to " code .
without mentioning Apple Computer.
It's one thing to say that all Chinese goods are defective but what of the success stories.
DVD players, cell phones, every major brand of computer all use components made in China. Even if integrated circuits say Singapore on them, China had a role.
We don't even make our own engine control modules (for US cars/trucks), flat screens or DVD/Blue Ray mechanisms here and you guys are saying that Unions are the answer? I don't believe that. If unions had any power left, they would make a difference but they're only "bargaining units" of differing sizes. They bargain with the dam company as always.
Apple Computer products are so enmeshed with Chinese labor that they now label their product containers with where they were designed (USA). The office building on Infinite Loop does the design and the Chinese family that works at the plant in China promises not to disclose wages and other sticky details.
I'm all for Apple to make a buck but those ranches up in Saratoga ain't cheap and we pay for it when we want the family jewels humming along on our desks.
I bet you guys and every union in the US can't pry your cold dead hands from Apple bling long enough to make the point. That is, we can make everything here and employ everyone here.
Scary, huh?
and if you ain't careful and hold yourself just so
you could lose your power as well as your heart
Victorian mansions and estates, though. Mary Lou Whitney is the queen of August up here. Polo, masquerade balls, looking down one's nose at the locals. Good fun, good fun.
Saratoga Springs, NY vrs. Saratoga, CA
Please pardon my parochialism. Interesting that both are "horse country."
no, that's californicatia along with los gatos, morgan hill etc.
i saw a horse barn and a sit down mower when i rode through there from skyline on a nighthawk 750.
"looking down one's nose"
if the product you are selling is not made in the Unied States, you cannot have the compny based in the United States?
...import tariffs.
I'm old enough so that I remember the days when if it was imported it was expensive!!!
counter-measure proposals with assigned political weights of magnitude.
Hadn't the good 'ol days of import tariffs been balanced by the fact that we made many of the same goods here?
I can think back to the time spent as a kid in summer on the beach in Waukegan, Illinois watching the swimmers to the east splashing waves then watching the coking plant to the west sending steam into the sky.
to get passed. then we'd be fined, ignore the fines and look like even BIGGER arseholes to the rest of the world, if that's even possible.
look at cap&trade, they specifically put in the bill that they can't place tariffs on imported steel, even if the manufacture doesn't follow environmental standards. Which is going to kill the US steel industry even faster, it is estimated to increase the price to produce a ton of steel by $13 which doesn't seem like much, until you figure how much steel is used.
The label on the product will say it's "manufactured" in the US, but what they don't say is that the raw materials were made in China. They also use "Distributed by....Company" with a US address. They know many people will think they are buying American.
any taxes on their profits, stowing them offshore. At least the BHO administration is acknowledging this travesty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs
frijoles aren't free !
isn't goods produced in China or elsewhere offshore. They are perfectly capable of manufacturing goods to exacting standards. It all depends on who is doing the quality control. The bigger problem is counterfeit goods. Those can be extremely dangerous and there is ample proof of that. China is also one of the largest market for US goods. Regulation and standards enforcement is what is required. A trade war with a country that has more US currency than the US might not be the way to go. The Chinese are currently trying to stimulate domestic demand to replace export demand but until they do that is a fairly big negotiating chip the west in general has to fix some of the trade problems.
If we continue to import most of everything that is sold in this country from China, and China buys very little from us because we do not actually make anything to export, except toxic assets, then where does that leave us?
savannah ,
quit with the negtive vibes , the bankers / mic / insure-ass co's are doing great and so are pol what more do you want . Not to mention ( yes i do ) those that stole our jobs to other countrys .
shessh some people
What an impatient and ungrateful bitch I am. The trickle down theory of Ronald Reagan will work if I just keep repeating, "I think it will. I think it will." Thanks for setting me straight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs
...
look up Minnegasco. 3 people died a couple of years ago. Red Lake, I believe.
I know the industry from the inside out.
This guy's story is not unusual.
Safety is fought tooth and nail.
If you want something with a bit of substance - Pipeline Safety Trust.
Check it out.
i've noticed over the years that products from china are not necessarily less expensive than those that used to be made here (someone is making a HUGE profit).
until manufacturing is brought back to the u.s. (and there may come a time when import costs are ridiculously prohibitive)...we're going to be majorly padding someone's pockets.
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