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La-Z-Boy plant: 630 Utah workers to lose jobs in summer

If La-Z-Boy is using the market slump as part of an excuse to outsource their labor to Mexico so the upper level management can have bigger salaries. Every other company does it these days and who wouldn't? When you're making hundreds of millions of dollars every year, the upper level management will do anything they can, including lay of thousands of employees just to make fatter salaries. Proof of this is that when the market turns back around and the economy picks back up, La-Z-Boy will conveniently leave all their factories in Mexico.

I'm sorry to hear this news and sorry that these good people will lose their jobs.

So much for the theory that Utah is immune to what goes on in the national economy.

Does that mean the Mexican workers they already employ will get relocation costs?

This means I will no longer buy la-z-boy.

These MBA types just don't get it....

I suppose there is relocation for any/all the illegals working at the plant to go home to Mexico?

Ross Perot was right in 1992! The giant sucking sound of good paying jobs leaving the country is killing our middle and lower classes.

Something the federal government doesn't understand about America is that we can't all be Doctors, Lawyers and Indian Chiefs.

America is a diverse nation of people. With diverse needs for employment opportunities.

The American middle to lower classes are getting the big screw-job with all these "free-trade" agreements.

Another thing to ponder. If all these jobs are heading to Mexico and employing Mexicans enriching them enough to in turn by our products. Why do we STILL have illegals crossing the border?

They already have our old jobs back home now.

Chalk up another great success of capitalism. Don't worry, it's really worth it for us in the long run, 'cause it trains us to not be lazy and stupid.

Does not surpise me about la-z-boy. My husband use to work for la-z-boy in tremonton for many years, but after the owner died and the kids took over he could no longer work for them. He would tell me how they would put the chairs together. Cheap!!! He would say they father must be turning in his grave to his this happening. The company is not the same as it once was. So for this to happen does not surpise us at all. The family of the company love the all mighty buck, and they will get it any way and use an excuse to get it.

The planning necessary to accomplish this took place LONG before the housing slump, don't kid yourself. The culprit is NAFTA and the greed of pimply-faced Wharton/Harvard MBA's and misplaced loyalty. The folks in Tremonton ought to buy the plant, put their shoulder's to the wheel and make a better product at a lower cost. Take the opportunity to teach the company a lesson. One cost they've underbudgeted is freight..it's their Achilles'Heal. Another is the quality of their product will not be enhanced by this move. I, for one, faced with the decision to buy an American made recliner or super-soft chair versus one "Hecho en Mexico", if the price was within 5 to 10%, will opt for the American-made product to sustain our families and our economy. Create and employee-owned company, gird up your loins and go for it! Also, learn a lesson from this experience.

example of choosing cheap labor over quality. Shame on you La-Z-Boy....

we in America should all consider this the next time we go to buy furniture. I for one am sick of companies thinking only of the profit margin instead of the American workers and public who have supported them from the start. This is just not right. And we the people need to start buying strictly American if at all possible.

This is just the beginning.

Producing these chairs in Mexico is good for America and good for our neighoring Mexico. If they can lower their costs by producing the chairs in Mexico, then that will mean lower costs for people in the United States buying chairs.

Plus, it's good for Mexico and the Mexican economy. If we're going to solve the illegal immigration problem, then we need to strengthen Mexico's economy.

However, the company and our society need to help provide training for the workers being laid off. They will need retraining and will probably need to move to a different geographic region to find good employment.

American greed is alive and well even in Utah. these companies make millions off the backs of their workers and then it is still not enough so they cut the people who made them rich and send their jobs out of the country. profits. The only way to save our middle class is to organize vote, boycott. I wont be buying no lazy boy chair. The reason that the illegals won't go along home is that they don't want to work for the same employer who will have them do the same work at a fraction of the wage they're not stupid. however if working class america doesn't get it right we are all going to be in trouble. we should have listened and elected the fellow that was warning us about the sucking sounds taking our jobs. other countries are more proactive in maintaining their jobs. sad to say that americans are ignorant and very lax when making changes that is why these companies do what they do. we like to vote for yo yo's who tell us that our auto jobs are gone and nothing we can do. that lazy boy is gone

If you are interested in learning how free trade benefits America and our trading partners, I suggest you learn about 2 economic topics: Comparative Advantage and Opportunity Cost.

Go to Google and search for "Comparative advantage". Read the Wikipedia article. It will help you understand why many economists think free trade can raise the standard of living for the American people.

How do you say "la-z-boy" in spanish and will this be a part of their marketing campaign here in the USA now that they are no longer an "American" company?

This is a catch 22. We wouldn't be saying anything if this were one of the other named plants that was closing. It seems that this one simply had to close to sustain the viability of the company to pay and support its other US workers. Believe me, Utah has benefited from this

I understand people are upset, but let me throw out another example. We have the Crandall canyon mine disaster from last summer and everyone, including congress, going after its boisterous owner to shut the mine down. What about the other hundreds of miners who lost their jobs? I sure haven�t heard much in defense of their livelihood.

Just a thought.

well, i was in the market for 2 chairs and this just made it easier. buy american.

This solves my furniture problem. I have been in the market for a new sofa...et.al. Now I know. A La-Z-Boy will never even be considered.

It's all in the name of "increasing shareholder value". La-Z-Boy, you reap what you sow.

The reality is business has to be concerned about their profit margin, if they don't they will soon be in bankruptcy .To compete in a global economy they are forced to do whatever is necessary to compete. Instead of bad mouthing the owners we should be figuring out what it takes to keep them here.We are quick to compain about tax breaks, but this is the alternative.