Why move magazine printing from the U.S. to Canada? (page 2)

Satanus

Maybe, they're diversifying locations. Maybe, they sense a change in the 'weather' in the usa, and feel the need to get some of their assets in a quieter location.

S

factfinder

Thanks everyone.

satanus- you could be right.

otwo- that could be right too- perhaps they need to keep printing at Wallkill down to a certain level to avoid having to do more for Bethelites?

It is definely for financial reasons and seems very suspicious to me.

pirata

My speculation:

Efficiency: You can print more when you don't have to switch the printing lines between magazines and books. I hear they have two shifts now for magazine printing.

No printing interruption when the society moves out of brooklyn (They can pre-print a good stock of books ahead of time, and use those supplies while they move. Magazines can tolerate less of an interruption).

Palimpsest

Now the Canada branch will print over 260 million magazines for the U.S.each year and all the expansion done in Wallkill was for nothing.

My dad works in publishing, and I know from what he's told me that there's actually more savings now in farming out work than in running your own equipment. Most newspapers now are only printing 50% or less of their daily runs; everything else is done by other papers (often including local rivals) through contracting. For example, the publication he's at does all the pre-prints for nearly 70% of newspapers within a 75-mile radius -- the rest all sold off their presses. So, if the WTBTS is like other magazine and newspaper publishers, they're probably going to sell off the bulk of their New York printing presses, which will save them a ton of money in service contracts and general maintenance. In that sense, it's not really for nothing, because they can repurpose the structural modifications (for example, turning the press floor into warehouse space) and make a pretty penny off of selling the equipment itself.

Mary

My feeling is that it was moved up here so they didn't have to pay any health insurance for Bethelites. I'm not sure how that works south of the border. After all, they're technically not "employees" at Bethel, they're "volunteers". If someone is injured on the job, who pays for it?

Up here it makes no difference. As long as you're a Canadian citizen, you're entitled to healthcare.

Palimpsest

But they didn't move people, right? So they're just using the Canadian Bethelites that were already there, and I don't think they downsized Brooklyn's staff...did I miss something on either of those counts? Unless they were moving people up to Canada, I don't see how the health insurance thing plays in. :/ Either way, it's all about the dollar. Everything in life is, especially with the WTBTS.

Gayle

Just questions and wonderings about the WTS medical care costs for long-term volunteers.

How many Bethelites are there at Canadian Branch?

How does it work in Canada for health care for people who are volunteers? Does the Canadian government make the WTS pay into the 'bucket' for JW volunteers with potential eventual health care needs/costs? Is it a taxation setup? What does the Canadian government require? Seems if everyone else, the citizens have to pay, then so should church volunteers also.

Then, also, in the U.S., who will pay for JW Headquarters volunteers 'special' health care needs? I know they have a doctor, nurses, infirmary there for basic health care needs. But what about specialists and those costs, and hospitalization? Would they qualify for Medicaid? Medicare? Who is to pay when they do not pay in through taxes because of volunteer (non-earning) status. Up to now, have some lied somehow to qualify?

It sounds like the Headquarters is trying to downsize (everywhere), but still there is the GB, long time volunteer, and corporate figures. We have seen what the WTS will do to avoid 'taxation.' The WTS will change long-time policy to avoid 'taxation.' If the GB or any long time Bethelites need an operation or specialist, does the WTS pay cash, from the rank & file donations to the "work" or have they gotten around the system on this?

Or, in the past, the medical economics system has been insurance based so much and if some people didn't have money, no house, no assets, then the cost/debt has been absorbed back to the hospitals/medical world to be 'divied up' back round about for insurance companies. etc. to absorb. However, maybe once the government gets more involved with health care to pay, maybe the government will have more of a watchful eye and demands.

designs

They want to locate closer to Crown Royal Distillers the import taxes were kill'n em...

thetrueone

There's most likely numerous financial reasons for moving some of the printing up here, perhaps to distribute the responsibility of production,

health care costs, raw material costs such as paper and ink. The down sizing of their operations in Brooklyn possibly had some bearing as well.

In a economic perspective when its realized that the properties that you've held for decades are now worth hundreds of millions and those facilities

are getting old and dated, selling them off and relocating makes all the financial sense.

The bean counters at headquarters know of the value of those buildings in Brooklyn and they are

selling them at their expressed value knowing well of their worth.

DesirousOfChange

In the US, every cong pays into a "fund" annually for the healthcare costs and car insurance costs for all traveling overseers. Perhaps this payment covers the costs at the US Branch that go beyond their volunteer doctors & nursing care. A CO in our large metro area required surgery, and WT negotiated with area hospitals and doctors (as do all insurance companies here in the US) for discounted fees based on the fact that he was a "volunteer missionary" with no personal insurance coverage. I'm told that the CO was due to move to new circuit in different state and the surgery was performed at new assignment area as WTS achieved more reasonable negotiated fees at that location.

I assume that in Canada, with socialized medical care, if "unemployed" Bethelite required health care or surgery, he would be eligible as would any other Canadian citizen. Perhaps costs for non-citizens (if US Bethelites move to Canada) are still cheaper yet than the cost in NYC. (?)

DOC

Why move magazine printing from the U.S. to Canada?

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