American Fuyao: What do American workers think of China?

Cao, 7 1 year-old, comes to the factory in Ohio by private jet every one or two months. What do Americans think of him?

On a sultry afternoon in late July, the car was driving on the highway from Dayton, Ohio to Maureen, USA. Outside the window is the endless grass and dense trees in Ohio, and jazz slowly flows in the car. Driver David held out three fingers and waved them in front of me. "Fuyao's hourly wage is $3 more than the local average wage 13, so all local people want to find a job there." He said.

The factory of China Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Fuyao) in the United States is about 15 minutes' drive from Dayton Airport. It is the world's largest single factory for manufacturing automobile glass, covering an area of 1800 square meters, and the whole factory covers an area of 675 mu. 20 14, 14 From June to now, although Fuyao invested 200 million dollars to renovate this abandoned general motors factory and entered the factory, it still feels the rusty and desolate atmosphere of this American automobile factory in the 1920s. Some unfinished factories still bear the name of the old factory: Moline Automobile Assembly Factory.

Fuyao is obviously a local star enterprise. Almost every local I meet has friends or relatives working in Fuyao.

Fuyao has employed 2,000 American employees in Qiaokou, exceeding the 1500 employees agreed with Qiaokou and the Ohio government at that time. Cao, chairman of Fuyao, told local media in the United States that Fuyao will continue to employ 3,000 local employees. This is obviously a huge source of employment for Moline, a city with a population of over 6,000.

"What is the concept of $3? If each worker works 40 hours a week, he can earn an extra $65,438 +020 a week. " David said. Each worker can earn an extra $480 a month. According to Maureen's local consumption level, you can rent a very comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the urban area for less than 800 dollars a month. "But now people are afraid to work in Fuyao." David said, "Fuyao asked them to work as hard as China workers and complete the task quickly." David stretched out his right hand as he spoke, flicking his fingers in the air like a piano.

The parking lot outside Fuyao American factory. Photo by Li Meiling

Fuyao's factory gate is a huge parking lot. In the glass smoking lounge at the factory gate facing the parking lot, shift workers usually smoke, communicate, rest and wait for the bus here before entering the factory and after work. American workers in and out of the factory kept smiling and greeting me, with a strong accent in Chinese: hello! How are you? Thank you. Bye!

On July 19, local time in the United States, Jack (pseudonym), a young American employee who just got off work, was sitting on a bench to rest. He wore denim jeans, transparent safety glasses on his head, a work permit around his neck and short blond hair. His cheeks and arms are covered with blue numbers and cross tattoos. At the factory gate, some American employees, including Jack, shared with me the strong sense of belonging they found in Fuyao.

Jack used to work in a paper mill in Maureen. "I don't want to go back there anymore. I like working in this China company very much. " He said that the salary here is high, but the working environment is safer and healthier than the previous paper mill. However, some employees still choose to leave. "Hey, man, I'm going back to work in a fast food restaurant, where at least the union guarantees it." When Jack left, one of his colleagues greeted him.

Li Meiling, the smoking room of Fuyao American factory.

This is beyond Jack's comprehension. "Why do you have to join the trade union?" He said. Inside the factory behind us, there is a heated debate: whether to join the trade union or not?

According to Rich Rankin, the local director of UAW, the starting salary of Fuyao Glass is only about $ 10 per hour, but in April this year, Fuyao increased the hourly salary of all employees in the United States by about $2.

Many American employees have heard that after working in Fuyao for three months, their hourly salary will increase by another $2. They were angry and disappointed when they found that their wages had not risen, so they hoped to form a trade union to negotiate. "Their salary expectations are too unrealistic." Jack said that his grandmother worked in a local factory in the United States for more than ten years, with an hourly salary of $65,438 +06. It is unreasonable for these young people to expect to take so much as soon as they enter the company.

Li Meiling, the new office building of Fuyao American factory.

Traditionally, many factories or employers in the United States have joined trade unions. When there is a conflict between employers and employees, they will communicate through trade unions. Many American employees will feel insecure, and their interests cannot be guaranteed without trade unions.

"No, no, no," a person in charge of the local government in Moline shook his head in his office on July 20th. "This is an outdated tradition, and the influence of UAW is far less than that of decades ago." Nowadays, there are far fewer enterprises joining trade unions than before. Even in Ohio, not every company has joined the union. Not all Japanese companies and other China companies with local factories have joined the trade unions.

Jack watched anxiously as a large number of new employees who participated in the training walked out of the factory behind him. With the addition of new employees, Jack heard that more and more people in the factory began to discuss joining the trade union.

Jack doesn't want Fuyao to join the union. The trade union protects those who are lazy or unable to complete the task, which is not good for Fuyao. Fuyao is a new factory, still in the early stage of investment, and has not made any money. Jack doesn't want the union to bring down the company.

"I don't want to talk about higher wages at all. My salary now is higher than the local average salary. On the contrary, I hope this company can continue to develop, so that I can keep this good and stable job in the next few years. " Jack said.

During his two years working in Fuyao, Jack became familiar with two China employees, Ming and Lao Wang. Ming doesn't speak English very well, but he is the technical director. He also teaches several American employees, and communication mainly depends on gestures. "Oh my God! This man is an asshole! Isn't it? " Jack heard other American employees complain to him about Ming's rude attitude. "But I can understand that the same job content has to be taught many times and Americans still can't learn it. Everyone's attitude is inevitably a bit impatient. " Jack said.

Many former employees complained about Fuyao's corporate culture online: "Their policies are changing every day, which makes people feel at a loss ... They say they are big families, but in fact they treat their employees as garbage. Stay away from Fuyao. "

"There are many political struggles within the company. I just went to the human resources department and asked for a shift change, which caused a lot of trouble ... ""This is the worst workplace. Many employees in China can't speak a word of English. They have no reason to fire employees. "

"Fuyao's corporate culture is poor, and the technicians from China are rude. I have never seen such a domineering person ... "

"They fired the American management just to make way for the China management, and the China management didn't give American employees any chance at all. If you are not from China, there is no possibility of promotion in the company. I hope this terrible place will join the union as soon as possible. "

"When my husband used to work here, he had a lot of trouble in salary and insurance. He called to ask about human resources, but no one answered the phone half the time ... and there were communication problems. The benefits promised to you have never been fulfilled, and so on. This company still has a lot of room for improvement. "

But in Jack's eyes, China employees are smart and diligent, learning quickly and doing quickly, while some American employees are slow to learn, unable to meet the job requirements and complete their own work. To this end, the company has set up a five-point assessment and scoring system, and the supervisor will score according to the quality and efficiency of the work. But for American employees who can't complete the task, Fuyao's managers will turn a blind eye and don't want to cause labor conflicts or dismiss employees.

Li Meiling photo of Fuyao American factory building

This made Jack feel a little uncomfortable. For the same salary, some people drag their feet, but they can always finish the work on time.

Several employees in China confirmed this situation. A few years ago, when China technicians first arrived at the factory to instruct American employees, they could feel uncomfortable eyes. "You, a China native, go to other countries to point fingers at others, and they are definitely uncomfortable," said Zhang Qing, a technician transferred from Fuqing factory in China Fuyao headquarters. But when American workers saw that China employees actually finished a day's work in an hour, they couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"It's too difficult to teach." Zhang Qing said that some American employees are willing to study, while others are unwilling to study. After teaching several times, I still shook my head and said I couldn't learn. "In this case, we will avoid direct conflict with them and just politely let the supervisor take it away and arrange other jobs for them." Zhang Qing said.

The salary system of Chinese and foreign employees is also different. American employees are paid by the hour, while China employees still earn thousands of RMB per month in China, plus $50 per day for meals, which is lower than that of American employees as a whole.

But employees in China work much and fast.

Li Meiling photo Fuyao American factory office building hall

Zhang Qing will come to Maureen's factory for a few months on business every few months. "Usually, foreign workers can't finish their work, and China employees will work overtime on weekends to make up for it," he said. "We are here to clean up the mess."

"The pace of work is completely different." Another China employee transferred from Tianjin said that workers in China like to go all out to finish their work, while Americans have a loose pace of work, such as chatting, having afternoon tea, brushing Facebook and making phone calls. However, companies generally don't fire people immediately. The employee who was fired before did not come to work at all because of serious absenteeism.

But Fuyao will continue to hire more American employees.

According to a staff member of Moline Municipal Government who participated in the acquisition negotiation of Fuyao factory at that time, according to the agreement between the two parties, Cao promised to employ at least 1.500 American employees, while Moline Municipal Government promised to pay Fuyao $200,000 in compensation every year from the third year, that is, from1.00 this year. By 20 10, at least 65438-65430 will be paid. The Ohio government promises to hire more than 65438+0,500 local employees in the United States, and at least compensate Fuyao for 65438+0.3 million-65438+0.5 million dollars within five years. Similarly, the more employees, the higher the compensation amount.

"If the number of employees remains at the current level or higher, the subsidies of Moran City and Ohio Government can add up to $25 million." The person in charge said.

In addition, Maureen city government exempted Fuyao from property tax on new office buildings and other facilities in 15, which has benefited Fuyao at least 8 million dollars so far. These two preferential policies add up to more than $30 million. Cao also confirmed this figure in an interview with foreign media: "I spent 654.38+50 million dollars on buying this factory and 654.38+50 million dollars on decoration. The local government subsidized me more than 30 million US dollars through various channels, so I basically didn't spend money to buy a factory. " Cao said:

In 20 13, Fuyao sought investment projects of more than 80 mu in several states in the United States, and Cao also contacted five states: Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Michigan. Finally, the Ohio government said, "Hey, we have a huge GM abandoned factory covering hundreds of acres. Would you like to have a look? "

"Cao is a master negotiator," the person in charge recalled. Although Cao Wangde can't speak English, he is the first person to realize that hiring local employees can bring great potential benefits. He has done a lot of research before, and he is decisive and quick when making decisions. "Very visionary and adventurous." The person in charge said that Cao Wangde foresaw that building a factory in the United States could meet the North American market. The best way is to build a factory in the United States, where production costs, including transportation costs, are lower and there are more people in Ohio who need to work.

In addition to the above-mentioned preferential policies such as economic compensation and tax relief, Sinclair Community College in Dayton also helped Fuyao's human resources department to establish a salary system for American employees and train new employees. This kind of free assistance is also valuable. In addition, Fuyao's neighbor Dmax Japan Company also helped Fuyao get familiar with and establish the welfare compensation system for American employees.

Fuyao is not only Maureen's largest investment project, but also one of the largest investment projects obtained by the United States in recent years, and the preferential strength it can obtain is naturally different.

At present, Fuyao has invested at least $700 million to introduce machinery, equipment and raw materials for glass production, and established at least 24 production lines, but not all of them have been put into production.

For the Maureen city government, 2,000 American workers employed by Fuyao contributed 2.5% of the local government's income, which is of great significance for maintaining and investing in the local public facilities that are in disrepair. In addition, these 2,000 workers have made remarkable contributions to the economy of Maureen and Dayton, such as catering and other industries.

"When GM left in 2009, the local government lost 50% of its tax revenue. In recent years, our situation has been very difficult. General Motors employed 4,200 employees at that time. " The person in charge said.

For Fuyao, Moline's factory is obviously closer to its American suppliers and customers, and the transportation cost is lower. Fuyao Glass entered the American market as early as 1995.

Fuyao's annual sales in the US market is nearly 400 million US dollars, and it is a supplier of well-known American car companies such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and Caterpillar. 2065438+In July, 2004, Fuyao established Fuyao American Illinois Co., Ltd. to acquire the Zion Mountain factory, including land, workshop and two float glass production lines. In addition, Fuyao Group has an assembly plant and a product design center in Michigan, USA, and set up sales departments in several states.

Cao Wangde, who is 7 1 year-old this year, comes to the factory in Ohio by his private jet every one or two months, which is more frequent this year than last year. In the 20 16 Forbes list of billionaires in the world, Cao ranked 1 198 with a net worth of 174 billion US dollars.

A China employee pointed to a black car parked in front of Fuyao glass red office building and told the interface journalist that it was the chairman's car. The day before, the first China-US Entrepreneur Summit convened by Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba's Board of Directors, ended in Washington. Cao attended the summit.

Earlier, a number of American media reported that Fuyao was sued by former employees because of security problems in the production environment and loopholes in management. In a recent interview with the media, Cao Wangde said that these media reports were "untrue" and accused the other party of not coming to the factory to interview their executives.

"This is a huge investment project with hundreds of millions of dollars, involving thousands of foreign employees. Fuyao needs time to learn and overcome cultural differences. " The relevant person in charge of the Maureen municipal government said that there are complete national standards and procedures in the United States, such as safety signs in factories, including how to leave the factory in case of emergency, and what procedures to use to repair damaged equipment, instead of jumping in for repair. Unlike China, all these require a learning process. "Fuyao is very good at learning. When told how this safety standard needs to be implemented, they quickly made adjustments. " He said.

According to the plan, Fuyao will continue to invest and build factories in recent years. After full production, every four cars in the United States will be equipped with Fuyao glass. Fuyao plans to hand over the factory to Americans within five years, but American employees in the factory are still worried that there will be more and more China executives in the factory. "What do you think? How long do you think this China factory can last? " Jack asked me anxiously.

"Fuyao is a very successful project. Welcome more China companies to invest in Morien! " Maureen city government has extended an olive branch to investors in China. "We have a lot of idle space here, which can be used to invest in manufacturing. At the same time, the cost of living in Ohio is very low, and your money can do a lot of things here. " The person in charge said.

Earlier, Cao told the media that the wages and benefits of American workers will account for 40% of the total turnover, but the tax burden of manufacturing industry is about half lower than that of China. Energy in the United States is also cheaper than that in China. For example, the price of natural gas is only one fifth of that of China. The research report of American consulting company shows that in 20 15 years, production in low-cost areas in the United States has become as economical as production in China, and the future production cost will be lower than that in China.