Chapter 799: Empty-handed

New Jincheng has encountered some problems recently, at least as far as the various unions are concerned.

Some newly arrived factories are currently in talks with Lanse's Wanli Laowusuo. Everyone in New Jincheng now knows that the labor output from this company is slightly cheaper than the locals, with a difference of about one or two dollars.

Don't underestimate a difference of one or two dollars. If you have two thousand employees, and each person takes home one dollar and fifty cents less in wages per month, that's three thousand dollars for two thousand people.

If three thousand dollars isn't enough to sway an enterprise with two thousand employees, then most of Lanse's special employees are undocumented.

What does this mean?

It means there is no need to follow the provisions of the "Workers' Insurance Act" issued by the federal government in 1009, which requires companies hiring workers to purchase commercial insurance or pay medical and follow-up expenses for workers injured on the job.

The law stipulates that payments are made in tiers based on different natures, such as low-risk, medium-risk, high-risk, and especially high-risk jobs. Workers producing goods inside a factory are at least in the medium-risk category.

According to legal requirements, those who hire them only need to pay about two percent of their monthly income for commercial insurance, depending on local laws.

Currently, the mainstream commercial workers' compensation insurance payout cap is one thousand dollars; the capitalist must cover any amount exceeding that.

Taking a monthly income of forty-eight dollars as an example, one would have to spend about two thousand dollars extra per month and also bear the risk of excess workers' compensation claims.

The conflict and confrontation between capitalists and laborers have always existed. With the introduction of various laws protecting laborers, the situation between labor and capital is, to a certain extent, undergoing some reversals.

Some workers, and even professional gangs, who use work-related injuries to extort capitalists have begun to appear frequently.

At first, they would look for work in factories that didn't buy insurance for their workers, seemingly accidentally lose a toe or a finger, and then use that as a reason to extort hundreds or thousands of dollars from the capitalist.

Later on, they developed methods to form structures similar to agencies, purchasing people from impoverished areas—like Xiang Yalan—and then dumping them into factories to manufacture various accidents.

Many factories have seen numerous similar situations, some even resulting in several deaths, forcing capitalists to pay out large sums of money.

In some cases, even having commercial insurance doesn't help; the ruthlessness of these people is aimed directly at killing.

Therefore, there is still a more intense conflict between labor and capital now.

Furthermore, the labor unions and the labor federations play a less than honorable role in this. They often provide legal and moral support to extortion groups without considering the cause and effect, which means providing services like strikes and demonstrations to obtain economic or political benefits.

Capitalists are quite frustrated, and ordinary workers are also frustrated; both the capitalists and the workers who genuinely want to work seem to have become victims.

If nothing else happened, this situation would continue, but an accident did occur—Lanse's labor company.

Without the need for capitalists to bear extra workers' compensation expenses, Lanse's labor company solved the work-related injury problem. For capitalists who need a large number of workers, it's not just about saving more than two dollars per person in wages; it's about eliminating a major headache.

Being extorted costs more than just a few hundred or thousand dollars, so now those factories in the new industrial zone are all in talks with Lanse's labor company, contracting work positions directly to Lanse's company. Everyone is actually cooperating quite well.

Although no one has tried to use work-related injuries to extort the factories or Lanse's company yet, everyone knows one thing.

That is, if they really did it on purpose, not only would Lanse not give them money, he would also have them all killed!

So now, the labor company's business is booming.

And this, precisely, has offended the labor unions, because Lanse's group of people are not union members, have not paid any union dues, and will not be bossed around by them.

They don't even have the chance to organize a strike, because those people simply don't listen to them!

Therefore, the local industry union immediately found the higher-level labor federation, requesting their help to solve this problem, which led to today's meeting.

"And these two are?", Lanse's gaze passed over Lady Sai Lin Na and rested on the two people beside her.

Sai Lin Na immediately turned to the side to introduce them to Lanse, "This is Mr. Ge Li Ge, and this is Mr. Wei De."

As Lanse shook hands with them, Sai Lin Na continued to introduce them in detail, "Mr. Ge Li Ge is the Vice President of the Laizhou Labor Federation, primarily responsible for presiding over the daily work of the Laizhou Labor Federation."

"Mr. Wei De is our consultant; he knows many things and has a very profound understanding of all walks of life."

Lanse invited them to sit down and then asked Officer Lukaer to serve everyone coffee again, along with some pastries.

After everyone was seated, Lanse asked with a smile, "I have indeed had a lot to do recently, and I may have neglected you all. I apologize first."

"Let's reduce some unnecessary pleasantries and mutual flattery and get straight to the point."

"Lady Sai Lin Na, Mr. Ge Li Ge, and Mr. Wei De, what is the purpose of your visit?"

Lady Sai Lin Na picked up her coffee cup and lowered her head to start drinking; she didn't really want to get involved in these matters.

Because she has always lived in New Jincheng, one has to mention New Jincheng's current core light industry business—the textile industry.

The textile industry has very little pollution and many export orders. To reduce transportation costs, many enterprises have gradually set up factories in New Jincheng.

After business personnel receive orders, they start arranging production tasks, which basically require queuing. Once a batch of orders is completed here, they can be loaded onto ships for delivery that same day.

Therefore, other offices of the labor federation might be in Manton or elsewhere, but the light industry textile office is right in New Jincheng.

This place has the largest textile industry in Laizhou.

It is precisely because Lady Sai Lin Na has always lived in New Jincheng that she knows very well whose voice is the loudest in this city.

She used lowering her head to distance herself from the whole affair, which could also be considered a stance.

Mr. Wei De glanced at Lady Sai Lin Na, who still had some status and influence in the labor federation, and frowned slightly.

But he smoothed it out quickly; he didn't think Lanse would be a "trouble."

They have seen many "troubles," and even those super conglomerates with widespread fame feel powerless when facing them!

If you don't listen to me, I'll make all your factories stop working!

The losses brought by a work stoppage are not just a few hundred or thousand dollars; if there are any breach of contract penalties, that's hundreds of thousands or millions!

At the same time, skilled workers themselves are the core voters, and politicians, even the President, will maintain a certain respect for this group.

He had heard some rumors related to Lanse, but he wasn't afraid.

The twenty million federal workers are his strongest backing. Even if the Lanse family is powerful, can they be the opponents of the twenty million working class?

Because Mr. Ge Li Ge is the Vice President, if he were to speak, some things would be hard to turn around, so Mr. Wei De spoke first.

"Mr. Lanse, I heard that you have a labor company under your name?"

Lanse didn't deny it; he leaned back on the sofa and took out his cigarette case and matches, "Do you mind if I have one?"

Lady Sai Lin Na smiled and signaled him to go ahead. Although Mr. Wei De frowned again, somewhat dissatisfied with Lanse interrupting his rhythm, he didn't refuse.

Lanse lit a cigarette, rested one hand on the armrest of the sofa, and held the cigarette in the other, exhaling a puff of smoke, "Yes, I do have a labor company that helps some people who have the ability to work but lack the permission to work, solving their labor problems."

He used the phrase "ability to work" twice in a row, but the meanings of these two phrases are different.

The former refers to "possessing the physique and ability to work," while the latter refers to "whether one is permitted to work." However, everyone in the room could understand what he meant; after all, that's what they do.

Mr. Wei De nodded slightly, "I also heard that your registered members have already reached forty thousand?"

Lanse didn't deny this either, and furthermore said, "We are still expanding. I don't think this number is enough to truly reflect the awkward problem of some of the labor force in New Jincheng now."

"Mr. Wei De, do you also want to join this plan?"

Mr. Wei De's mouth twitched, smiling not so happily. This was a very strange description, but that was the feeling he projected.

I am smiling, but I am an unhappy smile.

"Mr. Lanse, this quantity and scale are too large. Many workers inside have not received systematic training and grading; they will disrupt the stability and balance of the labor market."

"I have no intention of creating any contradictions or conflicts; I am just stating a fact."

"The labor market needs each of us to spontaneously maintain it so that the working class can exchange labor for corresponding rewards."

"Please forgive my directness, but your company is destroying this stability!"

Lanse's face didn't show much change in expression; he took a puff of his cigarette, "So what is your demand?"

He had heard someone say before that the labor union had strong opinions about the labor company. Now it seems they came for this matter.

However, Lanse could understand them, because skipping the union process is equivalent to digging at the roots of the labor union and the labor federation.

Once this model becomes replicable and brings more effects, such companies will soon appear everywhere.

Of course, their scale might not be as large as Lanse's, and their destructive power might not be as great as his, but this is a bad phenomenon.

Lady Sai Lin Na suddenly stood up, "Sorry, I need to go to the restroom..."

Lanse pointed out the way for her, knowing she didn't want to stay and feel awkward.

For Mr. Wei De and this Mr. Ge Li Ge, Sai Lin Na's task was already completed.

After she left, Mr. Wei De continued, "We have discussed two contingency plans internally."

Lanse nodded, signaling him to continue.

"The first one, although I personally don't like this choice, is to dissolve your labor company."

"In fact, from the research we have done on some phenomena in New Jincheng, we also believe that effectively managing these black immigrants can have a positive effect on the labor market."

"Once they are allowed to flow back into the market in a chaotic way, competition will become more intense, and the industry will become more unstable."

"So we are more inclined toward the second choice."

He glanced at Mr. Ge Li Ge and then said softly, "Let the workers intervene in the labor company's business; we will connect with those factories. In this way, we form a complementary relationship with your company, thoroughly solving all problems."

He said this with quite a few smiles on his face, "The union and the labor federation can also provide you with a lot of help. You know, we have over twenty million worker brothers; we are the most powerful class in the federation and can crush everything!"

His face was flushed with excitement; it seems he really had fooled himself.

Lanse said with a smile, "But you still need the capitalists to pay you a salary so that the workers can survive."

This sentence made Mr. Wei De freeze for a moment, and then he wanted to get angry, but he controlled himself well. He suppressed some anger and said in a muffled voice, "Mr. Lanse, I respect you, and I hope you can respect me and the worker brother class."

"We and the capitalists are equal; we exchange labor for rewards. No one is higher than us, and we are not lower than anyone!"

This sentence was so damn funny that Lanse almost laughed. He flicked the cigarette ash, "I don't oppose your ideas..."

Mr. Wei De and Mr. Ge Li Ge looked at each other, seeing surprise in each other's eyes. They had originally thought they would have to "fight" hard to get the result they wanted.

Now it seems this Mr. Lanse is quite considerate of them.

Mr. Wei De was just about to speak to facilitate this cooperation when he was stopped by Lanse raising his hand, "Don't be in a hurry; there are still some things between us that need to be solved."

With a basis for cooperation, Mr. Wei De's face was full of smiles, and he wasn't in a hurry anymore. He said happily, "You say."

Lanse crossed his legs, leaned forward slightly, and moved his hand from the sofa armrest to his crossed leg.

"The first question: can the workers registered in my company enjoy everything that ordinary federal workers in the industry union enjoy?"

"Various benefits, treatment, and if they encounter problems, can they ask you to seek justice for them, such as being deducted wages, or being unreasonably dismissed by their employer for some reason?"

Mr. Wei De felt something was wrong as he listened, but he didn't know what was wrong. He could only look at Mr. Ge Li Ge.

The two lowered their heads and communicated in low voices for a while, feeling that there was a problem, and a big one at that.

The problem is that these laborers in Lanse's company are all damn undocumented!

Those bosses can fire them unscrupulously, without even needing to find any reason.

Not convinced?

If they aren't convinced, they'll call the immigration bureau and say there are black laborers here.

Why are there so many illegal immigrants doing the lowest-level work on the docks, and everyone knows it, but the dockworkers' union just won't accept them?

Even if they want to pay money and join the union, they will be rejected?

To put it bluntly, it's because their status is illegal, and the dockworkers' union is a legal institution; they cannot recruit these members.

If they recruited them, and they encountered many problems because of their illegal status, would the union step up?

Stepping up means they are providing help or defense for illegal workers, which will attract some moral condemnation.

If they don't step up, they have collected dues, which will make people feel their eating habits are too ugly.

So they simply don't give these people a chance to join the union.

Now the two just discussed it briefly and reached these conclusions. For a moment, both of their faces didn't look very good.

When they came, they only thought this matter was easy to solve, without considering too much—

The company is still Lanse's company, and his black immigrants are still his black immigrants; it's just that now, capitalists wanting to connect with Lanse's company need to go through this union procedure.

Other than that, everything else is the same as before. They intended to gain influence and control without paying anything!

Mr. Wei De frowned and said, "Mr. Lanse, what we mean is that we join as an intermediate link between your company and the capitalists, not that we want to take over these workers..."

When he said these words, he actually felt a little empty inside; after all, these words didn't sound like something a person would say.

Lanse wasn't angry either, just curled his lips, "Then what are you going to pay for your demands?"

Mr. Wei De froze for a while, "Uh," for a while, "We can help you communicate better with those capitalists, and at the same time, we can provide experienced skilled workers, and we know how to arrange workers' production schedules more scientifically..."

He said a lot, and it seemed like they were all advantages, but he didn't say anything about the actual things.

Lanse took another puff of his cigarette and pressed the butt into the ashtray, "So you don't pay anything, but you hope to control the company in my hands and my workers?"

Mr. Wei De was also a little impatient, "You can't say that. With our help, capitalists will deal with you more cautiously, and we can also ensure your legal interests..."

Lanse interrupted him, "But you also said just now that you won't provide any assistance. By the way, I'll ask, the vast majority of my workers are illegal immigrants. What help can you provide them?"

"They can't buy commercial insurance, they can't buy medical insurance. Maybe you can help them solve these problems?"

"Or can you help them obtain legal status so they can work legally?"

He shook his head, "Honestly, I don't see your sincerity, and I don't see the possibility of continuing to talk. Maybe you can go back and think about it again, and see how you can convince me."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 800 =====