Team Reports
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Making BedkitsJim Stark — Burlington, ON
The factory where the mattresses for the SCAW bedkits are made is not very large. The owner greeted us and readily shared information with us. He has a total of fifty employees, including an administrator, accountant, engineer, sales person, and many who do the various other jobs in the factory. Most are men, but the cutting or sewing is done by women. Men are not eager to do this kind of work in this country. All employees are full time but only a few were working the day we visited because the busy period, from November to April, had not started yet. Minimum wage is approximately $168 per month.
Regular hours of work are eight hours per day, Monday to Friday, and four hours on Saturday. Employees are entitled to benefits and time off. The employer pays health insurance and after four years the employee is covered 100%. Seven percent of their salary is paid to the government for Social Security. Workers get paid for statutory holidays and vacation. Retirement is not mandatory at 65. Severance pay after fifteen years of employment consists of seventeen months pay. Mattresses are made from beginning to end. The owner purchases barrels of polyethylene either from Asia or the United States. Raw materials are cheaper from Asia but take up to 45 days to arrive. They are more expensive from the United States but arrive in three days. Since time is of the essence, the owner most often chooses the latter.
The first step in the production is to mix the polyethylene in large rectangular vats 6 by 8 feet. When firm, the foam is removed and cut into various sizes and thicknesses, according to orders. The mattresses for the SCAW bedkits this year are three inches thick. In another area, employees cut fabric to fit the slabs of foam. This manufacturer imports the fabric from Asia since it is cheaper. The fabric comes in various patterns and colours. Our mattresses this year had teddy bear and flower prints on pink, blue, green and greyish backgrounds. The teddy bears were a big hit with the children: girls favoured the pink and boys the blue backgrounds. Three women were sewing the mattress covers together on old electric machines. Then another person stuffed the foam slab into the pocket and the end was sewn. Each of these women sew up about 330 mattresses per day. I was happy to be able to meet the people who actually make the items that go into the bedkits. |
