The thing I have a hard time understanding with all the redundant bethelites

joe134cd

This has probably been touched on before but I thought I would mention it again.

The problem I have with all the redundant bethelites. They were virtually getting free labour. Even if it cost them $15000 for medical care and housing and feeding per bethelites this is still a very reasonable cost for an employee. For Gods sake what were they expecting to pay.

Some have said that certain American legislation around medical care may have played a part in this. If this is the case then why didn't they move to the UK / Australia were medical care and pension plans are still Government funded. I really feel sorry for those redundant bethelites. Merry Christmas everyone.

sir82

$15,000 wouldn't be bad.

But ever seen how much it costs in the US to have a heart attack treated? Or cancer? Or how much therapy & ongoing care after a stroke costs? The WTS does not buy insurance for its volunteers, it is self-insured, i.e., pays all medical expenses out-of-pocket.

And career Bethelites, with their sedentary lifestyle and often unhealthy meals, not to mention the copious amounts of hard liquor that many ingest, are quite ripe for cancer & heart disease.

WingCommander

Go forth be warm and well fed, Brothers!

Oubliette

joe134cd: they were virtually getting free labour.

Not free, but certainly the economic equivalent of slave labor.

If an enterprise cannot be economically viable with a virtually limitless slave labor force of dedicated slaves, then that enterprise is not viable and is almost certainly being mismanaged by its leadership.

steve2

It is not free labor at all.

Bethel has to cover all costs for food, clothing, medical, sundry items - all costs.

As those in Bethel get older, their medical costs alone are going to increase. If your volunteer helpers require even just a little but more health care year-by-year that is going to keep costs mounting.

Besides, as many organizations have found, having a cheap pool of workers is no substitute for qualified, well-trained workers who have incentives to be more creative, innovative, efficient and/or productive.

The best incentive? A decent, if not generous salary.

sparrowdown

If Bethel wasn't so kitted out with every luxury known to man essentially like a luxury hotel then they wouldn't need all that staff anyway. Bethelites were always redundant as far as the actual preaching "work" goes.

fulano

What luxury are you reffering to sp.down?

Pete Zahut

As a former Bethelite, I never understood why they had as much support staff as they did. They made the whole process of printing literature so complicated. Most of the Bethelites had little or nothing to do with the actual printing of literature. They had Tailors, upholsterers, Barbers, etc. They even had their own Dairy and made cheese and soap etc. It seemed like they could sub contract the printing out to with a lot less bother and all those people serving "full time", could have been working in the actual Ministry. Even if they hired a few dozen JW's and paid them a wage to operate the presses etc and paid them. The workers could have their own places and buy their own groceries just like anyone else who has a job. It was an old buisness model from the C. T. Russell days that didn't make sense in the modern world, just like the old assemblies where full on meals were served and hundreds of volunteers worked preparing them instead of listening to the program. The whole idea was to get the message out before the end came but they were defeating their own purpose by being so elaborate. It reminded me of the farmer who has 10 kids so they can help with the farm but because he has 10 kids he needs a farm to feed them all.

I also never understood why they kept printing new books and magazines month after month, that covered the same topics over and over. ( Is the Bible the Word of God) (The Bible, Gods Word or Mans?) (Did Man Get Here By Evolution or Creation) (Life, How Did it Get Here?) etc. Later I realized that JW's themselves were their best customers. They'd donate their money AND they'd buy every book and magazine that came out even though they had already essentially paid for them. Heck of a deal...until the internet came along.

pepperheart

People who are aged 18 to 30 can mostly work harder than people aged 40 plus

the girl next door

aged 18 to 30 can mostly work harder than people aged 40

Key word "can". You haven't spent much time at "bethel" ;)

The thing I have a hard time understanding with all the redundant bethelites

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