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Working Conditions of Cigar Workers

R

Rural Guy

Esquire
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
740
Location
Eastern ON, Canada
Okay, first off this is not a rant or political thing. I'm not interested in hearing horror stories or to debate 3rd world working conditions, living costs etc. I'm not looking to hear who may or may not be oppressive or unfair to their workers.

There was one thread I found 3 years ago... LINK ...but that was thread jacked very quickly and there was no real information.

What I'm looking for is if anyone can tell me what manufacturers are fair to their employees in their production process or if in general the sector is good to their employees.

If anyone knows but feels uncomfortable saying so please PM me.

Also, if anyone knows of manufacturers that are not fair employers please PM me as well as I'd like to know if there are any companies I'd like to avoid but not start a whole political thing here.

Finally, please no thread jacking, I know there are lots of domestic professions here in North America (or, as most of you are there, the US) that deserve a lot more than what they get, I also know lower wages mean cheaper Cigars.

Okay, let the "Hey noob, blah blah blahs" Begin! ;)

Mike
 
uptown_isy said:
Lower wages mean cheaper cigars? Not likely. Wages can't get any lower than they are in Cuba. Meanwhile, Cohibas are among the most expensive cigars out there.
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Exactly.

From what I saw in Cuba, people appeared to be treated well. In the cigar factories, as well as the workers at the resort. Granted I was mostly in the touristy areas and the part of the cigar factory that I toured was just a small part of the factory that we were allowed to see.

There are really no independant companies in Cuba. They are all owned and run by the govenment. I guess some will be better than others, but that will largely have to do with whom is appointed to manage that specific entity by the govenment.
 
Hey all,

Thanks for the replies, basically this info is just for my own purposes, I've got no connections with the government aside from the fact they fund the agency I work for which is a Children's Aid Society, I investigate allegations of child abuse in my local area ONLY (nothing to do with child labour, unless it's in my small county in Ontario).

I'm active in my union and somewhat socially aware and if there are companies that have positve reputations I'd like to give them more of my buisness than those that do not, that's all. I understand this can be a politically charged conversation, hence why I requested PMs from those more comfortable with those. I'm more than happy to discuss this specifically more through PMs or email if need be. Really, I was just looking for something like "So and so has a good reputation for how they treat their employees." I'm not all that interested in knowing who doesn't have a good rep, though I'd like to avoid them if I know but that's secondary to knowing who is a good manufacturer out there.

Mike
 
I can't say how the actual employees are treated, nor can I provide actual figures... but the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, (Fuente, among others), puts a great deal of money into charities, helping children in under-developed countrties.

Oh yeah, they make great cigars too :thumbs:
 
Rural Guy said:
I'm active in my union and somewhat socially aware and if there are companies that have positve reputations I'd like to give them more of my buisness than those that do not, that's all.
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So, you'd prefer not to buy from companies that treat their workers like crap, right? If I'm reading it correctly... ???



Shoot, then don't buy from Target! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Good luck in your quest. Just know that there is no such thing as a perfect workplace environment...or a free lunch. :cool:
 
bigwhiteash said:
I can't say how the actual employees are treated, nor can I provide actual figures... but the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, (Fuente, among others), puts a great deal of money into charities, helping children in under-developed countrties.

Oh yeah, they make great cigars too :thumbs:
Click to expand...


Hey Thanks,

I looked up that site Link and that is also the type of thing I'm interested in learning. I have yet to try anything from Fuente or Newman but I'll be sure to try some (I've heard all sorts of great things about the X but haven't found one yet to even try). My feeling is if I'm going to be spending my money on cigars or any product for that matter, it's nice to know some of it is going to something worth while.

BTW I'm not some tree hugging anti globalization type, I mean hey, I eat at McD's and like that they have various charities they run.

Mike

souldog24ca said:
Rural Guy said:
I'm active in my union and somewhat socially aware and if there are companies that have positve reputations I'd like to give them more of my buisness than those that do not, that's all.
Click to expand...

So, you'd prefer not to buy from companies that treat their workers like crap, right? If I'm reading it correctly... ???



Shoot, then don't buy from Target! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Good luck in your quest. Just know that there is no such thing as a perfect workplace environment...or a free lunch. :cool:
Click to expand...

Hey you're right on with that, I'm not interested in doing the greatest good or anything like that, I know why people go into buisness and do what they do, but if there's some companies that try to balance profit with some giving back or even just being fair to their employees, hey, why not see if they have any thing I like.

Mike

bfreebern said:
I could care less.
Click to expand...

But I notice in your profile you like Fuente and the Diamond Crown (Newman) so see, you're giving back without even caring! ;)

Mike
 
I think he is asking for something similar to that "Free Trade" coffee that I see all over the place. That stuff has a reputation for treating its workers well and they ask for a bit more money in exchange. If I had any desire to ever buy coffee, I would probably buy some of their stuff just to make me feel like a humanitarian.

I don't know about any answers that exist to the question but I respect companies that treat their employees well. There are stores where I do not shop because they treat people poorly, there are banks that I do not use because they treat their people poorly. I don't suspect we will hear much about how these companies treat their employees but I would think it is a valid consideration.

Good luck in the quest for an answer.
 
uptown_isy said:
Lower wages mean cheaper cigars? Not likely. Wages can't get any lower than they are in Cuba. Meanwhile, Cohibas are among the most expensive cigars out there.
Click to expand...

Lower wages do indeed mean lower production costs -- which may or may not result in lower cost cigars. If anyone really thinks it costs twice as much to produce a Cohiba as it does a Montecristo, I've got a bridge to sell you.

Yes, better experienced rollers are used. Yes, better quality tobacco is generally used. But neither double the production costs of said cigars.

However it is true that traditional cigar rolling is very labor intensive. Carlito Fuente stated that tobacco probably was touched by 200 hands or so before finally being rolled into a cigar. This is from seed to harvest to curing to aging to sorting to rolling to banding, etc. So certainly countries where wages are lower allow cigars to be produced more cheaply.

There's a reason why Brown label Tatuajes are much more expensive than the red label Tatuajes... the tobacco is from the same sources, but manufacturing costs in Nicaragua are infinitely cheaper.

How employees are taken care of varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you work for Fuente or Davidoff, you are making very good money for the Dominican Republic. It's actually a highly sought after job (even with healthcare provided)... and as you become more experienced, wages go up as well.

Obviously wages are cheapest in Cuba by far... which is a benefit for a labor intensive product.

Any specific questions...?
 
moki said:
If anyone really thinks it costs twice as much to produce a Cohiba as it does a Montecristo, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Click to expand...

Andrew - I told you, the bridge is still mine until your check clears. Once the money is in my account, I'll mail you the deed.
 
I think the Fair Trade Coffee example by punk_lawyer best summed up what sort of information I was looking for, wish I had worded it that way to begin with. Thanks Moki for the reply.
 
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