Sep Km 2003 - Reduce labor?

truthseeker

"God kept making it grow." How thrilling it has been to see the growth in the United States field!

During the 2003 service year, over 70,000 new Bible studies were started. This is comendable.

..............so begins the opening lines of the 'Dear Kingdom Publishers' letter on page 1 of the KM.

This bit gets interesting....

Two large state-of-the-art printing presses are schedule to arrive early in 2004. Each press will be

able to produce up to 25 magazines a second. New bindery and shipping equipment will also be

installed during 2004. This will result in greater production with reduced personnel.

And how about page 3 - Increased activity at United States Bethel...

The consolidation of the US printery operations at Wallkill would not be possible without the recent

reorganization of our worldwide production of books. Prior to this reorganization, the United States

branch produced almost 50 percent of the books used in our work worldwide. Some book

production has been shifted to other branches, making better use of their facilities and leaving the

United States with a reduced workload. It will also be necessary to provide six branches, including

the United States, with a total of seven new printing presses. The use of new, more efficient

equipment will make it possible to increase production worldwide with reduced personnel.

So, all would-be Bethelite - are you sure you want to make Bethel your career?

garybuss

New printing presses? Increased production? Sounds like a book publishing business to me.

haha! this has been in the works for quite some time. In addition to reducing the workload, all printing will be moved to Wallkill, and non-essential personnel sent home or moved elsewhere. Makes you wonder if WTS is planning on selling some of that prime Brooklyn Heights real estate at huge profits...besides 360 Furman bldg that is.

As far as the book printing work being distributed to other countries...even WT can see the benefit of cheap 3rd world labor. I'm certain it's much cheaper to house 100 bethelites in Nairobi, Kenya, than in Brooklyn Heights.

Funny though how these announcements are all couched in "jehovah's blessing" wording, rather than a "smart business move."

and I repeat: bleh.

Odrade

jws

As far as the book printing work being distributed to other countries...even WT can see the benefit of cheap 3rd world labor. I'm certain it's much cheaper to house 100 bethelites in Nairobi, Kenya, than in Brooklyn Heights.

Not to mention cheaper distribution if you don't have to send it over an ocean.

Wonder if all these goot business moves are simply coming from the reorg at the top. Seperating the gov body from running the business.

Euphemism

U.S. Bethel stopped accepting general applications a year or two ago. They've started taking new people again, but only a very small trickle. They've also been encouraging anyone who wants a change and has been considering leaving to go ahead and do so.

The economics of free labor just ain't what they used to be.

iiz2cool

New printing presses? Increased production? Sounds like a book publishing business to me.

Yes, it does sound like a business. It makes me wonder. Not that this would likely happen, but if the society were to disolve its corporations and sell off all assets, which individuals would get the money? I'm sure someone up there is raking in some big bucks.

Walter

Euphemism

Not that this would likely happen, but if the society were to disolve its corporations and sell off all assets, which individuals would get the money?

No individuals... the Society is a non-profit corporation.

I'm no lawyer, but I think that if a non-profit corporation were to be dissolved, the Board of Directors (or possibly the shareholders/trustees) would have to make a resolution on disposition of the assets reasonably in consonance with the chartered purpose of the organization.

Joker10

truthseeker, do you know how many publishers reported in June? Intereting to know if inactives came back because of the Inactive Program of January-March.

SYN

Each press will be able to produce up to 25 magazines a second.

If I'd read that when I was still a Dub, I would probably have broken into a cold sweat

rocketman

Funny though how these announcements are all couched in "jehovah's blessing" wording, rather than a "smart business move."

So true.....we no doubt remember the donation "arrangement" being viewed as "somplification" with flowery scriptural language instead of what it really was - an attempt to avoid taxation.

Sep Km 2003 - Reduce labor?

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