# American Capitalism at its finest (Hershey walkout) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 31, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727 "2011-08-31T05:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/121 "2011-09-03T03:11:54Z")
This is pretty much why I’m reserving judgement until I see what exactly these kids were promised in their home country. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/122 "2011-09-03T04:58:10Z")
I love the bit about how Harrisburg is conveniently located near New York City (170 miles) and Niagara Falls (\>300 miles). It’s like saying Paris is near Brussels and Amsterdam. Hell, there isn’t even high speed train service in the US to make it a reasonable trip. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/123 "2011-09-03T16:19:44Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > I love the bit about how Harrisburg is conveniently located near New York City (170 miles) and Niagara Falls (\>300 miles). It’s like saying Paris is near Brussels and Amsterdam. Hell, there isn’t even high speed train service in the US to make it a reasonable trip. It’s a pretty easy bus trip, in all honesty–if you have American sensibilities about distance. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/124 "2011-09-03T16:39:56Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > I love the bit about how Harrisburg is conveniently located near New York City (170 miles) and Niagara Falls (\>300 miles). It’s like saying Paris is near Brussels and Amsterdam. Hell, there isn’t even high speed train service in the US to make it a reasonable trip. It’s funny too, because their work shift is 3 PM to 11 PM. That pretty much excludes everything if you want to make it back to work on time. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/125 "2011-09-03T21:40:55Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > That’s the Intern/Trainee Program. > > The workers were participating in the Work & Travel Program, which promises: > \*Most participants work in entry-level jobs. All participants receive, at minimum, a federally mandated minimum wage; often, the wage is higher. I am currently rather pished, so excuse a brief reply. In one of the linked videos one of the girls mentions she is a med student, and talks about an intern placement. I will do my best to locate the clip (and time of quote) when I don’t see youtube in duplicate. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/126 "2011-09-03T22:09:40Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > _sigh_ the CETUSA fee is $650. That covers health insurance, J-1 processing and ground support in the US. The other “fees” that amount to $3,000 were apparently visa fees in the case of the Chinese student, and also included things like housing security deposit, airfare and travel expenses that have nothing to do with their work program – things they would have to pay anyway to spend a summer abroad. Airfare, beijing to los angeles. $800. Direct route, return ticket, flying air china. I’ve flown them in the past, not bad (better than Air France anyway) Visa processing fee: $140, according to the US government website here: [404 - Page Not Found](http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html) - that’s 90 days, tourist. Travel insurance, for the US, for 3 months. $100 dollars is the top end of the figures I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/127 "2011-09-03T22:41:20Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Travel insurance, for the US, for 3 months. $100 dollars is the top end of the figures I’ve seen. Not travel insurance. _health insurance_. The kind you need if you have strep throat or need birth control, you know, from a doctor. Not the kind you need if what you need is to be evacuated in the event of illness. I would be REALLY interested to know where you can get health insurance for $100/ 3mo in the US. REALLY interested. I’d be pretty interested where you can find it for $100/mo, actually. When I was single, young and healthy, I paid $144/mo, and that was 5+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/128 "2011-09-03T23:35:15Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Not travel insurance. _health insurance_. The kind you need if you have strep throat or need birth control, you know, from a doctor. Not the kind you need if what you need is to be evacuated in the event of illness. > > I would be REALLY interested to know where you can get health insurance for $100/ 3mo in the US. REALLY interested. I’d be pretty interested where you can find it for $100/mo, actually. When I was single, young and healthy, I paid $144/mo, and that was 5+ years ago. Found a quote from [here](http://www.hthtravelinsurance.com/index.cfm) for a 20-yr-old international student in the U.S., for $180 for three months. 80% up to $10,000, then 100% to $250,000. 50% prescription copay, $100 universal deductible. Durable medical equipment, abortion, mental health, substance abuse counseling, sports, car accidents, teeth, and medical evacuation are all specifically covered. My expectation is that the actuarial cost of a few months of coverage for a traveler are far below the costs associated with a full-time resident, reason being they can’t drop YOU after three months if you happen to get cancer or some other high-treatment-cost illness. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/129 "2011-09-04T15:34:24Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > Airfare, beijing to los angeles. $800. Direct route, return ticket, flying air china. I’ve flown them in the past, not bad (better than Air France anyway) > > Visa processing fee: $140, according to the US government website here: [404 - Page Not Found](http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html) - that’s 90 days, tourist. So, given that you feel that $650 is outrageous and exploitative, what’s your feeling on the fact that the fee for the comparable program in France (that notorious den of unchecked capitalism) is $1100 for the same service? ($900 fee + $200 job placement fee). ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/130 "2011-09-04T16:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > … Hershey’s once had its own unionized workers packing its candy bars, starting at $18 to $30 an hour. … wtf, you get paid this much for packing candies? what do you get for working at McDonald’s? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/131 "2011-09-04T16:46:03Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > I love the bit about how Harrisburg is conveniently located near New York City (170 miles) and Niagara Falls (\>300 miles). It’s like saying Paris is near Brussels and Amsterdam. Hell, there isn’t even high speed train service in the US to make it a reasonable trip. As far as Harrisburg to NYC, you just get on the Keystone train and it’s just 3 1/2 hours, with just 2 hours to Philly, or with a car, you could drive it in about the same time. Niagara Falls is kind of far, but I’d say that Harrisburg is near New York City. Of course, I’d say that Paris is near Brussels too, so. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/132 "2011-09-04T20:14:19Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > 8 hours standing, no breaks? Doesn’t sound realistic, or legal. Lifting a 50 lb. box every 5 seconds? For 8 hours? Well, in the UK they’d be entitled to a break, and would probably also get an unpaid lunch break. No problem with lifting the weight, assuming they’re not lifting from too high. I would imagine conditions are similar in the US. It’s certainly realistic to expect someone to do that job, though. The only thing that would bother me would be the complete lack of breaks. ---
**Author:** ![henrylarry6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/57b2e6/32.png) [@henrylarry6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/henrylarry6)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/133 "2011-09-12T13:59:04Z")
All I wanted to say is that “I hate Hersey’s chocolates”. There are no possible words that I can think of for Hershey. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/134 "2011-09-13T10:23:00Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I don’t recall from the article anything about the manufacture of chocolates being handled by students from this program. Since the vast quantities of sugar, milk, cocoa, and other ingredients probably can’t be found in China as easily or cheaply as the US, I rather doubt the operation can profitably move to China, anyway. And I don’t see Hershey shipping the product off to China just to be packed and sent back here. Chocolate doesn’t handle long-distance shipping well. You can’t fill a shipping container in China, load it on a container ship and expect to have a product acceptable to US consumers. You have to make it in the US. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/135 "2011-09-13T11:34:06Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Well, in the UK they’d be entitled to a break, and would probably also get an unpaid lunch break. No problem with lifting the weight, assuming they’re not lifting from too high. I would imagine conditions are similar in the US. > > It’s certainly realistic to expect someone to do that job, though. The only thing that would bother me would be the complete lack of breaks. Meh, from 15 to 24 with a 20 month break in 1980-81 for health reasons I worked in a machine shop. I was horsing around full cases of 3/4 inch and 1 inch valves and valve bodies, 9 inch to 24 inch valves, supplies and both empty and full gas cylinders ranging from 15# to 1 ton cylinders. I was regularly schlepping around more than their candy boxes. For 3 of those years I was working a second job either as a university student or as an apprentice in a restaurant [where I started as a prep bitch and kitchen monkey.] Hell, up until about 5 years ago when my body started crapping out I hauled my own hay and bags of animal feed. I can go with the semi traditional Meh, Kids nowadays … don’t know hard work and need to get off my lawn… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727/136 "2011-09-13T12:11:57Z")
Just a random comment, I don’t know which company it was with, but my brother signed up for one of these schemes 10 years back, when he was a student- they charged around $1500, if I remember right. The ‘We will help you find a job’, which was listed on the contract as one of the main things his money was paying for, consisted of going, ‘Eh, here’s a computer; try looking at this site, it sometimes has jobs on’. Hell yeah, some of these are scams, and bank on the fact that foreign teenagers don’t know who they should complain to- (this is not exclusive to the US, I worked at least 3 jobs in Australia while backpacking which I later found out were well below local minimum wage, and out of the 8 different places I worked over the year, all deducted taxes from my pay, only 2 actually filed it). I don’t think there’s enough info on this case to say how dodgy it is though. Is it possible this was the only job on the books at the time? Your ‘free choice’ was this or sort out your own with limited English? Do you sign up for that individual job before or after you pay, and before or after you arrive in the US? Can’t tell from the stuff I’ve read, and it makes a difference. It is true also that a lot of kids who sign up to work overseas just expect it all to be fun and easy- one of the jobs I did for a bit on Australia was grape picking; had two new English girls one day, came down the vineyard in full makeup, including shiny new nail varnish, which was pretty funny for a start. One managed to nick their finger with the knife in the first 5 minutes (tiny tiny scratch which bled for maybe 5 seconds), and demanded an immediate lift back to the hostel for both of them, because how could she possibly work while injured, and _of course_ her friend had to stay with her to check she was OK… They didn’t do a second day. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-capitalism-at-its-finest-hershey-walkout/594727.md?page=6)