[USA] SJEDINJENE AMERIČKE DRŽAVE - unutrašnja politika i uticaj na svetska kretanja

[Dragan]

Pogledajmo sta kazu woke fake news o genijalnim planovima stabilne budale (sto bi rekao njegov pajtas zli gnom - sve ide po planu) i kakav haos tamo vlada.

 

Zašto se Trump naprasno predomislio?

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 06:59 AM by Dragan

[Beonegro]

 

 

Trump to lift water curbs to 'make America's showers great again'

 

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, after complaining about it for years, signed an order to lift restrictions on water pressure in showers on Wednesday, saying he wanted to "take care of my beautiful hair."

Trump's executive order is aimed at reversing efficiency and water conservation steps taken by the last two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

According to a White House fact sheet, Trump will "end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and make America’s showers great again."

 

A posle mene - potop suša!

[Beonegro]

22 hours ago, Beonegro said:

 

U međuvremenu, prefesionalci masovno bježe sa broda ludaka:

 

 

Naravno, ima i nastavak:

 

April 8 (Reuters) - The acting head of the Internal Revenue Service and other top officials are quitting the tax-collecting agency after it struck a deal this week to share data with federal agents on migrants living illegally in the United States.

A U.S. Treasury spokesperson confirmed the resignation of commissioner Melanie Krause in a statement on Tuesday night. The agency's chief privacy, financial and risk officers are also resigning, according to two people familiar with the matter and posts made by the individuals on LinkedIn.

 

Veliko poštovanje za ove ljude.

[HAMMER]

Kako se samo osećaju privatnici/uvoznici koji su u ovih nekoliko dana carina morali da uvezu nešto po hitnom postupku a ludak danas suspendovao carine. 

[Beonegro]

10 minutes ago, HAMMER said:

Kako se samo osećaju privatnici/uvoznici koji su u ovih nekoliko dana carina morali da uvezu nešto po hitnom postupku a ludak danas suspendovao carine. 

 

Kako se osjećaju ljudi koji su u panici prodali akcije prekjuče, ili fond menadžeri koji su u prethodnih nekoliko dana ispucali stotine ili hiljade milijardi keša u margin calls...

[Smrtokapa]

1 hour ago, robespierre said:

https://www.danas.rs/svet/slavoj-zizek-autorski-tekst-tramp/
 

Odličan tekst Žižeka za Danas, sa sve kratkim uvodom u Heglovu dijalektiku gospodara i sluge u prvih nekoliko pasusa. 

 

Slažem se, odlično, a zanimljiv je i video intervju sa Majklom Vulfom na dnu strane.

 

Dobro je da malo pokušamo da se izdignemo iznad hrpe govana i besmislenog sadržaja kojima nas Tramp guši i zatrpava svakoga dana. Sa vrha te planine fekalija jasnije se vide obrisi distopije.

[robespierre]

14 minutes ago, Smrtokapa said:

Dobro je da malo pokušamo da se izdignemo iznad hrpe govana i besmislenog sadržaja kojima nas Tramp guši i zatrpava svakoga dana. Sa vrha te planine fekalija jasnije se vide obrisi distopije.

 

Kako to misliš, zar nije bolje besomučno spamovati Trampovim i/ili Maskovim prdežima, duhoviti one-liner na konto mijazme obavezan, i tako svakog dana naredne četiri godine, hehe. 

[Beonegro]

 

Zašto je pavijanovo obećanje o jeftinoj nafti od starta providna laž:

 

US producers face tough choices on growth, capital returns as oil falls below $60

 

 

April 9 (Reuters) - A plunge in oil prices below $60 per barrel due to an escalating trade war may trigger anxiety across the U.S. oil patch, likely forcing companies to double down on measures including cuts to share buybacks and capital expenditures, analysts have said.

Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures slid to their lowest since February 2021, as sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump sparked concerns of a recession amid signs of higher supply from top producers.

 

 

Raymond James analyst Pavel Molchanov said some producers might reduce 2025 capex if the downturn persists, though broader cuts will depend on the depth and duration of the slump.

"Share buyback is typically the 'flex variable' that can easily move up and down depending on how much free cash flow is being generated."

During the COVID-19 crash in 2020, when oil demand collapsed and prices briefly turned negative, Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) slashed capital spending by 30%, while Chevron (CVX.N) cut its budget by $4 billion and paused its buyback program.

ConocoPhillips (COP.N) had also trimmed spending and halted repurchases.

Although oil companies are now leaner and more disciplined, higher service costs and energy transition spending have narrowed financial buffers.

 

EXPECTING BREAKEVEN

While many operators benefit from low breakeven costs in the Permian Basin - which is expected to contribute nearly all of the U.S. Lower 48's production growth this year - paying high dividends can put financial pressure on companies working in costlier, less profitable oil fields.

Rystad Energy estimates many U.S. oil producers now face all-in breakeven prices above $62 a barrel, including dividends, debt service, and return targets.

"Some combination of near-term activity levels, investor payouts or inventory preservation will need to be sacrificed in order to defend margins," said Matthew Bernstein, vice president at Rystad.

The crude slump has cast fresh scrutiny on how U.S. oil and gas firms plan to maintain shareholder returns amid tighter margins.

RBC Capital Markets estimates Exxon's breakeven to cover both dividends and buybacks is $88 per barrel for 2025. Chevron's is even higher, at $95 per barrel.

 

 

"The corporate reality for public players means that already modest growth could be at risk if prices remain near $60 per barrel," Bernstein said.

Earnings reports later this month will offer insight into whether producers will stay the course or pivot toward cash preservation.

"We'll see where we are at the end of April and early May as to whether companies would cut capex or buybacks ... I'm sure we'll get cautionary language about the outlook if weakness were to persist," said Arjun Murti, a partner at energy consultancy Veriten.

 

[Smrtokapa]

8 minutes ago, robespierre said:

Kako to misliš, zar nije bolje besomučno spamovati Trampovim i/ili Maskovim prdežima, duhoviti one-liner na konto mijazme obavezan, i tako svakog dana naredne četiri godine, hehe.

 

Čovek bi rekao da je Trump Derangement Syndrome stvaran i da je proizvodnja istog upravo cilj svih Trampovih mera. 🙃

[Beonegro]

Just now, Smrtokapa said:

 

Čovek bi rekao da je Trump Derangement Syndrome stvaran i da je proizvodnja istog upravo cilj svih Trampovih mera. 🙃

 

Kao i da je to jedino što je dotični u životu zapravo proizveo.

[Beonegro]

 

Borba poštena čoeka Sjedinjenodržavljanina i reindustrijalizacije

 

ALVARADO, Texas / PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - Six years ago, LVMH's billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands.

But since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees told Reuters. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, according to three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff.

The plant’s problems – which haven’t previously been reported – highlight the challenges for LVMH as it attempts to build its production footprint in the U.S. to avoid Trump’s threatened tariffs on European-made goods.

“The ramp-up was harder than we thought it would be, that’s true,” Ludovic Pauchard, Louis Vuitton’s industrial director, said in an interview on Friday in response to detailed questions about Reuters findings.

The Texas site, situated on a 250-acre ranch, has struggled due to a lack of skilled leather workers able to produce at the brand’s quality standards, the three former workers told Reuters. “It took them years to start making the simple pockets of the Neverfull handbag,” one source familiar with operations at the plant said, referring to the classic Louis Vuitton shoulder tote bag.

Errors made during the cutting, preparation and assembly process led to the waste of as many as 40% of the leather hides, said one former employee with detailed knowledge of the factory’s performance. Industry-wide, typical waste rates for leather goods are generally 20%, a senior industry source said.

Several former employees who spoke to Reuters described a high pressure environment. To boost production numbers, supervisors routinely turned a blind eye toward methods to conceal defects, and in some cases encouraged them, four former employees told Reuters.

Pauchard acknowledged there had been such cases in the past, but said the issue had been resolved. “This dates back to 2018 and one particular manager who isn’t part of the company anymore,” he said.

Poorly-crafted handbags deemed unfit for sale are shredded on-site and carted away in trucks for incineration, two of the sources with knowledge of the firm’s supply chain said.

A former production supervisor who often travelled to the site, said Louis Vuitton mostly used the Texas plant for less sophisticated handbag models, producing its most expensive products elsewhere.

Pauchard, Louis Vuitton's industrial director, said the company was being “patient” with “a young factory.”

“Any bag that goes out of it must be a Louis Vuitton bag, we make sure it meets exactly the same quality,” he said. “I am not aware of any kinds of issues suggesting the quality coming from Texas is any different from that coming from Europe.”

 

MADE IN USA

Perched behind a hill, the handbag maker's two production facilities were built on grounds near grazing cattle and a gas well. Louis Vuitton named the site Rochambeau in tribute to a French general who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Workers at the site make components and entire models of Louis Vuitton handbags like Felice pochettes and Metis bags – with "Made in USA" tags inside. The items sell for around $1,500 and $3,000 at high-end boutiques.

LVMH declined to comment when asked which handbag models are fully or partially made in Texas but former workers interviewed by Reuters mentioned the Carryall, Keepall, Metis, Felice and Neverfull handbag lines among the plant's products.

In its marketing material, Louis Vuitton says its handbags - typically made at French, Spanish or Italian leather ateliers by artisans known as "petites mains” - are assembled using a process that it has perfected since the mid 19th century. After cutting canvas and leather using hand tools and laser-cutting machines, they stitch pieces together using industrial sewing machines.

Workers at the Texas facility, which includes dedicated floors for cutting and for assembly as well as a warehouse, were initially paid $13 per hour. As of 2024, base pay for a leather worker position at the plant was $17 per hour, according to two people who recently applied for positions. The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour.

A former leather worker who arrived as a migrant in the U.S. some years before, said she felt proud when she was hired by the prestigious French brand, but said some workers struggled to meet the brand’s quality standards and production targets.

"We were under a lot of pressure to make the daily goals," said the former worker, who left the factory at the end of 2019.

Another person who worked at the facility until 2023 said she cut corners, like using a hot pin to “melt” canvas and leather to conceal imperfections in a particularly difficult piece called the Vendome Opera Bag.

Another former leather worker said they’d seen people melt material to hide holes or other imperfections in stitching.

Damien Verbrigghe, Louis Vuitton’s international manufacturing director, conceded some at the Texas plant had chosen to change jobs or leave because of its stringent quality requirements.

“There are artisans that we hire, who we train and who, after several weeks, or months, realize in light of the expectations, the level of detail that is required, they would rather work in other fields like logistics,” he said. “Some people chose to leave us, because it’s true that it’s a job that requires a lot of savoir faire.”

Three former workers at the plant said they received between two and five weeks of training. A current Louis Vuitton employee in France said receiving just a few weeks of training wasn't unusual as most learning happens on the production line supervised by more experienced craftspeople.

"Knowledge of sewing on leather/canvas is a plus, but not required. We offer comprehensive training,” the company said in a job posting for artisan positions in Alvarado published on its website in January.

Verbrigghe said training in Texas is “exactly the same program that we have in all our workshops,” that is, six weeks on the training line, where new artisans do nothing but learn basic operations and skills before going on to train on the assembly line. There, he said, they are “accompanied and continuously mentored by trainers.”

 

TAX BREAKS

LVMH got a host of tax breaks and incentives from Johnson County, including a 10-year, 75% property tax cut, promising the company an estimated $29 million in savings. ”We look forward to serving this exceptional company,” wrote the county’s top executive, Roger Harmon, in 2017 correspondence seen by Reuters.

In its 2017 application letter for the tax abatement, obtained by Reuters through records request, LVMH said it was aiming to hire 500 people within the first five years of the plan. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2019, Arnault said, “We will create approximately 1,000 high-skilled jobs here at Rochambeau over the next five years.”

Three former staffers, however, said headcount stood at just under 300 workers in February 2025, a figure Verbrigghe confirmed.

The White House did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Pauchard said initial recruitment difficulties were largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that followed, adding that a decline in local demand also played a role.

Despite the problems, LVMH is planning to move even more jobs to Texas. LVMH said in its 2017 filing that its first Texas production facility would cost around $30 million. A second filing from 2022 to local authorities put the cost of its second workshop, completed last year, at $23.5 million.

At a town hall last fall, workers at one of two California production sites were told that it would close 2028 and they could move to Texas or quit, according to a former employee who was present.

Pauchard confirmed the town hall and said Louis Vuitton intended to streamline its California operations and transfer more skilled artisans to Texas - with so far limited success. Its executives, he said, “underestimated the fact that Texas is far away from California.”

[MeanMachine]

10 hours ago, Angelia said:

Pricam da ako zemlje na toj listi spuste vise tarife nego sto su bile, uzajamno sa USA, to je valjda dobro? Manje carine, manje restrikcija, bolji uvoz I izvoz.

 

Bilo bi dobro ali EU nudi i nudila je nula tarife Trump nece.

 

Ne razumem zasto je teško da prihvatite da Trump neće fer uslove vec da Amerika bude privilegovana (ona to već jeste ali malo mu je)

[NMX]

 

 

 

Jbt, Suzana Vasiljević ne vodi mreže ovom našem psihopati na ovaj način

 

 

[Dzoni_m]

11 hours ago, Nek grmi jako said:

Postoje očigledne razlike u pristupu problematici, jer bi Tramp odmah, recimo, prihvatio nuliranje carina sa EU u slučaju da se skinu one barijere u odnosu na američke poljoprivredne proizvode i autoindustriju,

 

Kakvo nepoznavanje osnovnih stvari a ovamo pise carsafe i filozofira. Ne postoje nikakve barijere za americke, indijske, turske, italijanske, nemacke ili bilo koje poljoprvredne proizvode i autoindustriju. Postoje propisi i standardi koje SVI moraju da ispune bez obzira na poreklo proizvoda. Jel to konacno jasno? Ako nije Trampu dokazanom neznalici, valjda si naucio na na ovom forumu mozes nesto pametno da procitas. 

 

Prema tome ne postoje nikakve necarinske barijere tog tipa. Sta mora jedan americki auto da ispuni mora i evropski. Standarde kvaliteta hrane takodje. To sto US populacija jede smece od hrane koja je puna stetnih stvari zarad brze zarade, je njihov problem. Mogu to da jedu. Evropa nece. Isto kao sto Evropski proizvodjaci moraju da ispune US standarde (to sto jedna savezna drzava ima strozije zakone, npr Kalifornija, u odnosu na druge je opet problem US), tako mora i obrnuto. 

 

Isto ce da vazi o zastiti podataka, obradi podataka i sl. U domenu usluga. 

[Smrtokapa]

Lako će se to protumačiti kao "namešten tender" situacija a.k.a. "namerno ste napravili takve standarde hrane da naši proizvođači koji prave đubre od hrane budu eliminisani a zaradu dobiju baš vaši proizvođači koji ispunjavaju standarde". Uostalom krajnje je nebitno kada je siledžijski pristup u pitanju, on što je bitno je da li će druga strana da se bori ili pogne glavu.

[djura.net]

cnn

 

Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a wholesale rejection of President Donald Trump’s escalating trade wars and combative approach to foreign policy Wednesday night, urging Americans to remember their common humanity.

“We don’t have to hate China. We don’t have to hate other people. Let’s figure out a way to work together,” the Vermont independent said in a CNN town hall.

 

Sanders warned that Trump poses a threat to democracy, describing several of the president’s actions targeting those who have opposed him or served as obstacles to his political goals as steps toward authoritarianism.

 

He highlighted what he described as attempts at intimidation: Targeting media outlets with lawsuits, law firms with executive orders, universities with threats of funding cuts and judges who rule against him with impeachment.

Asked whether he thinks Trump is serious about seeking a third term — which is barred by the Constitution, though Trump recently claimed that “there are methods” through which he could do so — Sanders said: “Yeah, I do.”

“What he wants is power and wealth for his oligarch friends. So nothing would surprise me about Trump,” Sanders said.

The president’s actions add up, Sanders said, to Trump seeking to set aside America’s constitutional separation of powers in favor of a system in which “one guy assumes all of the power.”

“That is not what people fought and died to create in this country,” he said.

Sanders said he hopes “the American people wake up,” and said the president is jeopardizing democracy in ways that go beyond political ideology.

 

“This is whether or not we remain a free society,” he said. “Or do we all bow down to our new king, President Trump? That is not the kind of nation I think we want to become.”

[Rex]

2 hours ago, Smrtokapa said:

 

Čovek bi rekao da je Trump Derangement Syndrome stvaran

 

Jeste stvaran i vrlo realan i gledamo ga na ovom forumu. Šta god da uradi: Orange man great!

 

[𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂]

6 hours ago, Beonegro said:

 

 

Nemojte da polazite od sebe, sektaši neće da svima bude dobro, hoće da ima ljudi kojima nije dobro i koje oni mogu da gaze. To je poenta kod glasača tih anticivilizacijskih sekti, oni hoće da nekažnjeno mogu da vrše nasilje nad ljudima. Makar ponavljajući kakav je - takav je, on je izabran, u prevodu ima bre da vam radimo šta god nam padne na pamet, i ima da se pravite da to volite, inače ćemo sve državne resurse upregnuti u to da vam se useremo u živote. 

Radikalski-silovateljski mindset. 

 

Kako se na američkom kaže ćaci?

 

Apsolutno si u pravu, ali sam odgovorila tako jer mi ovde dobijamo optuzbe. 

 

6 hours ago, DameTime said:

 

Isto tako ti ne pada na pamet da to vaše "dobro" može da bude (i jeste) loše za mnogo više miliona ljudi.

 

Niko vama ne želi propast, ali vas zato nije briga da li će neko propasti na vašem putu ka obećanoj zemlji Trampilendu. To je ne baš minorna razlika, a samo potvrđuje da ovakvi sistemi praktično legalizuju surovo gaženje preko drugih da bi se došlo do lične dobrobiti. Drugim rečima, gubi se ta socijalna inhibicija u društvu koja vas obavezuje na neki minimum empatije, npr. da se ne radujete deportaciji miliona ljudi.

 

I još biste da to predstavite kao demokratiju. E pa, ne mere.

 

Cak i da zaobidjemo empatiju je vec milion puta demonstrirala da nema bazicno razumevanje kako funkcionise drustvo i ljudski odnosi. To moze da se vidi u svakom postu gde je napisano 'taktika' 

[𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂]

6 hours ago, NMX said:

Za ovo sto se desilo na berzi od momenta najave maloumnih carina, pa panicne prodaje malih investitora, pauze od 90 dana pa berzin bounce back na kome je neko zaradio milijarde, bukvalno bi neko trebalo da robija. Sto se, naravno, nece desiti. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Beonegro said:

 

Kako se osjećaju ljudi koji su u panici prodali akcije prekjuče, ili fond menadžeri koji su u prethodnih nekoliko dana ispucali stotine ili hiljade milijardi keša u margin calls...

 

 

On 3/11/2025 at 11:41 AM, 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂 said:

 

Mozda oni to namerno i rade. Sad sortuju, posle ce da upumpavaju, pa kad napumpaju ce da odbacuju... Ovo ide samo u korist onima koji imaju akcija da mogu da diktiraju trziste, nikako ekonomiji i smrtnicima, ali njih svakako briga za oba. 

 

[DameTime]

12 minutes ago, 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂 said:

Cak i da zaobidjemo empatiju je vec milion puta demonstrirala da nema bazicno razumevanje kako funkcionise drustvo i ljudski odnosi. To moze da se vidi u svakom postu gde je napisano 'taktika' 

 

Pa to ti je ovaj moderan (da ne kažem kapitalistički ) pristup, gde je sve trade, kupovina, biznis, važi pravo jačeg i tako te priče, pa se to nekako prenelo i međuljudske odnose. Jasno je da ljudska bića uglavnom funkcionišu iz koristi, što bi se reklo, nećeš raditi nešto ako nemaš vajdu od toga, ali i tu bi trebalo da se poštuju neki bazični ljudski principi. Ovo zavlačenje ruke u tuđe džepove je samo lopovluk, nije to nikakva taktika, a način na koji Trump to pokušava samo pokazuje koliko je neinteligentan.

[ters]

3 hours ago, Beonegro said:

 

Borba poštena čoeka Sjedinjenodržavljanina i reindustrijalizacije

 

ALVARADO, Texas / PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - Six years ago, LVMH's billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands.

But since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees told Reuters. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, according to three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff.

The plant’s problems – which haven’t previously been reported – highlight the challenges for LVMH as it attempts to build its production footprint in the U.S. to avoid Trump’s threatened tariffs on European-made goods.

“The ramp-up was harder than we thought it would be, that’s true,” Ludovic Pauchard, Louis Vuitton’s industrial director, said in an interview on Friday in response to detailed questions about Reuters findings.

The Texas site, situated on a 250-acre ranch, has struggled due to a lack of skilled leather workers able to produce at the brand’s quality standards, the three former workers told Reuters. “It took them years to start making the simple pockets of the Neverfull handbag,” one source familiar with operations at the plant said, referring to the classic Louis Vuitton shoulder tote bag.

Errors made during the cutting, preparation and assembly process led to the waste of as many as 40% of the leather hides, said one former employee with detailed knowledge of the factory’s performance. Industry-wide, typical waste rates for leather goods are generally 20%, a senior industry source said.

Several former employees who spoke to Reuters described a high pressure environment. To boost production numbers, supervisors routinely turned a blind eye toward methods to conceal defects, and in some cases encouraged them, four former employees told Reuters.

Pauchard acknowledged there had been such cases in the past, but said the issue had been resolved. “This dates back to 2018 and one particular manager who isn’t part of the company anymore,” he said.

Poorly-crafted handbags deemed unfit for sale are shredded on-site and carted away in trucks for incineration, two of the sources with knowledge of the firm’s supply chain said.

A former production supervisor who often travelled to the site, said Louis Vuitton mostly used the Texas plant for less sophisticated handbag models, producing its most expensive products elsewhere.

Pauchard, Louis Vuitton's industrial director, said the company was being “patient” with “a young factory.”

“Any bag that goes out of it must be a Louis Vuitton bag, we make sure it meets exactly the same quality,” he said. “I am not aware of any kinds of issues suggesting the quality coming from Texas is any different from that coming from Europe.”

 

MADE IN USA

Perched behind a hill, the handbag maker's two production facilities were built on grounds near grazing cattle and a gas well. Louis Vuitton named the site Rochambeau in tribute to a French general who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Workers at the site make components and entire models of Louis Vuitton handbags like Felice pochettes and Metis bags – with "Made in USA" tags inside. The items sell for around $1,500 and $3,000 at high-end boutiques.

LVMH declined to comment when asked which handbag models are fully or partially made in Texas but former workers interviewed by Reuters mentioned the Carryall, Keepall, Metis, Felice and Neverfull handbag lines among the plant's products.

In its marketing material, Louis Vuitton says its handbags - typically made at French, Spanish or Italian leather ateliers by artisans known as "petites mains” - are assembled using a process that it has perfected since the mid 19th century. After cutting canvas and leather using hand tools and laser-cutting machines, they stitch pieces together using industrial sewing machines.

Workers at the Texas facility, which includes dedicated floors for cutting and for assembly as well as a warehouse, were initially paid $13 per hour. As of 2024, base pay for a leather worker position at the plant was $17 per hour, according to two people who recently applied for positions. The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour.

A former leather worker who arrived as a migrant in the U.S. some years before, said she felt proud when she was hired by the prestigious French brand, but said some workers struggled to meet the brand’s quality standards and production targets.

"We were under a lot of pressure to make the daily goals," said the former worker, who left the factory at the end of 2019.

Another person who worked at the facility until 2023 said she cut corners, like using a hot pin to “melt” canvas and leather to conceal imperfections in a particularly difficult piece called the Vendome Opera Bag.

Another former leather worker said they’d seen people melt material to hide holes or other imperfections in stitching.

Damien Verbrigghe, Louis Vuitton’s international manufacturing director, conceded some at the Texas plant had chosen to change jobs or leave because of its stringent quality requirements.

“There are artisans that we hire, who we train and who, after several weeks, or months, realize in light of the expectations, the level of detail that is required, they would rather work in other fields like logistics,” he said. “Some people chose to leave us, because it’s true that it’s a job that requires a lot of savoir faire.”

Three former workers at the plant said they received between two and five weeks of training. A current Louis Vuitton employee in France said receiving just a few weeks of training wasn't unusual as most learning happens on the production line supervised by more experienced craftspeople.

"Knowledge of sewing on leather/canvas is a plus, but not required. We offer comprehensive training,” the company said in a job posting for artisan positions in Alvarado published on its website in January.

Verbrigghe said training in Texas is “exactly the same program that we have in all our workshops,” that is, six weeks on the training line, where new artisans do nothing but learn basic operations and skills before going on to train on the assembly line. There, he said, they are “accompanied and continuously mentored by trainers.”

 

TAX BREAKS

LVMH got a host of tax breaks and incentives from Johnson County, including a 10-year, 75% property tax cut, promising the company an estimated $29 million in savings. ”We look forward to serving this exceptional company,” wrote the county’s top executive, Roger Harmon, in 2017 correspondence seen by Reuters.

In its 2017 application letter for the tax abatement, obtained by Reuters through records request, LVMH said it was aiming to hire 500 people within the first five years of the plan. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2019, Arnault said, “We will create approximately 1,000 high-skilled jobs here at Rochambeau over the next five years.”

Three former staffers, however, said headcount stood at just under 300 workers in February 2025, a figure Verbrigghe confirmed.

The White House did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Pauchard said initial recruitment difficulties were largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that followed, adding that a decline in local demand also played a role.

Despite the problems, LVMH is planning to move even more jobs to Texas. LVMH said in its 2017 filing that its first Texas production facility would cost around $30 million. A second filing from 2022 to local authorities put the cost of its second workshop, completed last year, at $23.5 million.

At a town hall last fall, workers at one of two California production sites were told that it would close 2028 and they could move to Texas or quit, according to a former employee who was present.

Pauchard confirmed the town hall and said Louis Vuitton intended to streamline its California operations and transfer more skilled artisans to Texas - with so far limited success. Its executives, he said, “underestimated the fact that Texas is far away from California.”

 

Ovo su stare vijesti, dok nisu imali beautiful clean ugalj za parne masine koje su neophodne za precizno krojenje i sjecenje koza...

[Mina D. Harker]

7 hours ago, ters said:

Stoogents

 

[ters]

Ovo je bila vjezba privlacenja investitora, jer nista ne uliva vise povjerenja u sistem od suludog flip-floppinga u odlukama, regulative koja se mijenja prema predsjednikovom raspolozenju i drzavnih nameta koja niko zivi ne zna objasniti. To su pravi signali stabilnosti – pokazujes trzistu da si nepredvidiv, ali suveren i svoj. Nema dosadne dosljednosti ni transparentnosti, samo sirova inspiracija i cista genijalnost – i milijarde se  slivaju. Investitori koji ulazu u privredu (dakle ne spekulanti) vole da ih politicari drndaju i da im vrijednost investicije skace i opada nasumicno... 

[DJORDJE]

Gledam ga juce kako objasnjava Rückzug kao jos jednu od legendarnih pobeda, pozivajuci saveznike da se udruze protiv Kine, saveznici koje je samo pre tri dana optuzio da decenijama pljackaju Ameriku. To je verovatno deo nekog grandioznog plana, a da bi ga razumeo,  moras da vozis Ford F150.

Pajser ne shvata da od saveznika sada ima samo jos Putina i Kim Jonga, a nesto sumnjam da ce se oni okrenuti protiv Kine.

[nonick]

I danas ujutru stoogentsi na TV pricaju kako je Tramp bas ovo hteo i sve ide po planu. Ni da trepnu 🙂 ... dok istovremeno na splitscreen ide kako Tramp prica da su bili bonds.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 03:23 PM by nonick