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Bad News for B&H
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Oct 15, 2015 10:33:50   #
Wrangler Loc: North Texas
 
Is Al Jazzera a bit like Radio Hanoi.

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Oct 15, 2015 10:38:30   #
HelenOster Loc: New York
 
titco62 wrote:
well thats true how about Amazon they are doing too...I stop buying for Adarama long time ago...its getting hard to buy ... all are doing some way....


If you are referring to AdOrama, please email me directly with full details of your allegations: Helen@adorama.com

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Oct 15, 2015 10:40:15   #
sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey
 
That's not exactly how this country works. We have workplace standards and labor laws. And what we have came into being because of terrible and tragic working conditions that used to exist in this country.
Db7423 wrote:
My point is (was) if you do not feel you are being treated fairly, leave and find a job elsewhere. Much easier and more profitable than staying where you are unhappy or feel unappreciated. ;)

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Oct 15, 2015 10:47:02   #
teesquare Loc: USA
 
HelenOster wrote:
So, let's put this in context. A) this thread is about employee relationships. You are lobbing in a red herring B) Adorama ships around 40,000 orders a week.
Your comments are out of order!


Helen -

I hope that you will not judge the whole of the membership based on the intellectual ineptitude exhibited by many of the comments in this thread.
Free enterprise is an endangered, and no longer cherished institution in America, though it is a foundation of WHY we have this country.
Nor - is privacy respected. There seems to be a feeling among many that have never built a business - that they feel "entitled" to tell you how to do - or not do things. When no one asked for their imperious opinions.
I cannot - nor will I judge the issues that are the point of this unfortunate thread. Nor will I attempt to abridge your company into it.
But, I will offer an apology for the ignorance, lack of etiquette, pre-emptive judgement and slack-jawed gawkers who mere wish to vomit their no value pot stirring comments, in order to satisfy some need for self-importance, shallow as it is.....

I hope that you will not withdraw your support from this forum and try to overlook the lemming like behavior of those with too little to be concerned over in their own lives, so they must try to stick their finger in the eye of another to cause pain.

My genuine apologies.

T

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Oct 15, 2015 10:47:21   #
tropics68 Loc: Georgia
 
dannac wrote:
... and still nothing to do with photography ... enough said.


I have to agree. This looks like politics sticking it's ugly nose under the tent. My $.02 :roll:

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Oct 15, 2015 11:06:16   #
Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM
 
blackest wrote:
No because with shipping and import duties they are not cost effective for me I am in Ireland. However to be fair I recently bought from Amazon and there has been numerous cases with their treatment of employees. Although If adobe had been prepared to sell me a serial number they would have got my money directly.

I tend to buy battery farmed eggs as well, my computers originate in chinese factories and you can barely think of Apple without thinking of Foxcon and the conditions they work under it pretty much applies to all electronics manufacturers.

I'm drinking coffee i probably couldn't afford if the coffee workers were given a living wage with milk from cows who produce it for calves that may be already have been through the slaughter house. There isn't that much alternative is there?

Mean old cuss aint I, on the other hand I do a lot of work in the community I work for a community youth organisation and I help people out when I can. It's pretty much impossible to be morally perfect.

I have sympathy for the workers at B&H and B&H probably make enough to be able to treat employee's fairly, at least as fair as Adorama. B&H have around 2000 employees x Y amount wages adds up to a pretty massive turn over. It is hardly a Mom and Pop store.

Adorama seem able to compete without the same problems as B&H. To be fair Adorama Employees only seemed to be unhappy with some of the long shifts they were working and there wasn't enough toilets in one of their warehouses with no follow up since the initial story in February, it seems this has probably been sorted. So it seems Adorama is the better choice to buy from and work for.

I don't understand a lack of sympathy for other Americans by Americans
Adorama and B&H are similarly priced surely there must be some wriggle room for B&H to treat its employees fairly at least.

Ultimately its customers who bring the money to both of these companies if people choose Adorama over B&H and B&H feel the pinch then perhaps they may choose to address the issues raised by their workers. It could be cheaper in the long run. Better for America too to raise quality of life for its citizens isn't it?
No because with shipping and import duties they ar... (show quote)



You assume there is validity to the claims. For now, the data only shows that this is an attempt by unions to either organize or ruin yet another business., not that anyone is being treated "unfairly" (a subjective word, by the way). Once ejudicated, we will have more data to see what merits there are to these claims.

As for the quality of life here in the U.S.........I'm pretty sure it's pretty damn good all the way around.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:15:14   #
HelenOster Loc: New York
 
teesquare wrote:
Helen -

I hope that you will not judge the whole of the membership based on the intellectual ineptitude exhibited by many tof the comments in this thread.

I hope that you will not withdraw your support from this forum and try to overlook the lemming like behavior of those with too little to be concerned over in their own lives, so they must try to stick their finger in the eye of another to cause pain.

My genuine apologies.

T


Thank you - I'm not going anywhere!! I value 99.99999% of the comments on UHH - even the negative ones, as it tells us where we need to improve to provide you with the best possible service in every respect

EDIT: i have just reported a post to the mods. I now no longer feel welcome on UHH - and slightly nauseated ...
.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:21:14   #
Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.
 
Wrangler wrote:
Is Al Jazzera a bit like Radio Hanoi.


No. RT - The Russian English language television station is like Radio Hanoi.

Al Jazeera may represent an Arabic, maybe a Muslim oriented perspective, and thus not be necessarily friendly towards Israel or Jewish interests, but in general I have found it to be a respectable news channel, and no worse or better than Fox News for example, which also has a bias and an agenda.

From a personal perspective I like to see reporting from a number of different sources and perspectives, and I don't necessarily accept any of them as the accurate or only source of truth. The differing perspectives allow a way to measure the consistency or otherwise of the stories, and possibly prompt a need or desire for further research.

For example in a case such as this, I might want to see reporting from a Jewish-oriented publication as a balance to Al Jazeera, from a more employer-oriented publication such as the Wall Street Journal, and maybe one that takes a more Union-oriented slant.

B&H seems to be a good company, but all companies can experience problems and receive periodic bad publicity. Adorama also seems to be excellent. How these organizations deal with issues seems to be the important issue, and that is probably what we will be able to observe over time. Their representatives on UHH appear to be responding in an extremely professional manner.

I mentioned VW earlier in this thread as an example of a company with a previously good reputation that has recently received very bad publicity. There is absolutely no comparison between the alleged issues at B&H and the confirmed and acknowledged systemic illegal and willingly deceitful practices undertaken by VW. VW has damaged itself in ways that it may never fully recover from, in addition to any harm caused to its customers, the environment or the public at large.

Let's give B&H an opportunity to deal with this. As others have said, at this stage these are just allegations, and the company deserves an opportunity to clear its name, address any issues that may possibly exist, and to continue serving the community as they have done for many years.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:24:49   #
Violameister Loc: michigan
 
I am very satisfied with both Adorama and B&H. I will buy from whichever one offers me the item I want at the best price and delivery time.

Their relations with their employees are, frankly, of no relevance to me.

Likewise, when I was an employee, I worked for my boss. If he treated his customers well or badly, it was of no consequence to me as long as he stayed in business.

So, no matter how this ends, B&H gets a union, or not, pays their entry level warehouse employees better, or not, I will continue to buy from them depending on how they treat me as a customer. period.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:27:47   #
Wrangler Loc: North Texas
 
Peterff wrote:
No


It sure seems like it.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:34:22   #
wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona
 
Michael Christy wrote:
Some of Aljazeera's journalists were jailed in the Arab World. However, they are not that kind to the United States. If you have travelled thru Qatar, you may know their outlook. Once I tried photograph a shop in the airport I was thwarted away. Why not Aljazeera report about the Asian slave labor who does not have any sort or rights in Qatar? I think they want to get into the PC bandwagon media. Hate to see a good business destroyed by the PC media.


Perhaps there are legitimate reasons to be "not that kind to the United States".

I have some close friends who are academic political scientists at a major US university, and they rely pretty heavily on AlJazeera for quality reporting, particularly on Mideast issues.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:40:42   #
mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey
 
MikeMcK wrote:
Please tell us, how did you arrive at that conclusion. B & H is the largest supplier of our tools for photography.


Why do you think it's not? In every discussion on every forum I've ever been on when the question of where to purchase gear is raised B&H is first followed by Adorama, and often KEH third. Places like Amazon and Best Buy are way down the list.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:47:56   #
wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona
 
blackest wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/nyregion/workers-at-bh-photo-video-citing-hazards-move-to-unionize.html

"While many buyers praise the company, it has sometimes had a rocky relationship with employees. In 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that B&H had agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a discrimination case stemming from claims that the company paid Hispanic employees in its warehouses less than other workers and failed to promote them or provide health benefits. "

Thats what's being reported by the New York Times.

http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/3-24-09.cfm

"The EEOC’s lawsuit, filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleged that B & H paid Hispanics in its warehouses in Manhattan and Brooklyn less than non-Hispanic workers and failed to promote them or provide health benefits because of their national origin (EEOC v. B & H Foto and Electronics Corp. No. 07 CV-9241 ). Under the court-approved consent decree, B & H agreed to cooperate with the EEOC in a claims process to distribute $4.3 million in monetary relief to 149 employees who were paid less, not promoted, or denied benefits because they are Hispanic."

Is the case number good enough for you?

http://www.law360.com/articles/37768/b-h-photo-pays-4-3m-to-settle-discrimination-suit

"The case is Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. B&H Foto & Electronics Corp., case number 07-cv-9241 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York."

http://hr.cch.com/news/employment/033009a.asp
"Judge Harold Baer of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York gave final approval to a $4.3 million consent decree between the EEOC and B & H Foto and Electronics Corp (B & H), the federal agency announced March 24, 2009. The decree resolves a Title VII national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC on behalf of 149 Hispanic warehouse workers at one of the largest retail sellers of photographic, computer and electronic equipment in the New York metropolitan area (EEOC v B & H Foto & Electronics Corp, SDNY, No 07 CV-9241)."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/nyregion/workers... (show quote)


That's almost $30,000 per employee. Certainly suggests that there is some merit to the claims.

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Oct 15, 2015 11:48:36   #
teesquare Loc: USA
 
carl hervol wrote:
Lets face it these companies are all run by jews and there noted for this kind of thing just look a Hollywood if your not a jew you have a hard time getting places this is part of the reason the germans during ww 2 try to got rid of them .In a lot of case you just trust them. And they do not like blacks to work form them.


<sigh...>
Please tell me that you are beyond the age of reproduction sir...? Because I weep for the future should you contribute such obviously flawed genetics to the gene pool.....
As for having a thought worth sharing - you have been found lacking.....

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Oct 15, 2015 11:50:56   #
jaycoffman Loc: San Diego
 
Here's my take on news and google and Al Jazeera and food for thought about alleged labor issues at B&H and Adorama.

Al Jazeera is probably better than any number of mainstream U.S. news services and much less biased than U.S. entertainment/propaganda organizations that thing adding "News" to their title makes them a news organization. There is precious little in the way or real or balanced news in the U.S. Even NPR simply reports whatever they are told with almost no real journalistic investigation or real presentation of opposite views.

To learn anything you need to take what you heard or read and then look for as many other divergent sources on the subject as you can find before you can have any confidence that you have a vague handle on the issue. In this day and age it is critical to remember that almost all government, political parties, business and special interests lie shamelessly about everything so that makes it much harder to determine what is really going on.

As far as the labor disputes, google reports give us an idea that there are possibly labor issues going on. We'll have to see what turns up and watch for different views as both the unions and management will be spinning (lying) about almost everything and the so called news organizations will simply be propagating what their profit minded bosses tell them to.

Yes, I know I'm a bit of a "Polly Anna."

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