Steven said:Seeing that North Sails shifted production from North America to take advantage of cheap labour yet still price the product at the same rate and keeping to themselves the cost differences, I feel that North Sails should be cracking open THEIR wallet. The already hosed us and probably pay the workers there less than 50 cents an hour.
The Tsunami is a tragic event don't get me wrong. I would feel better that North Sails would take the leadership position that $200 from every sail purchase in 2005 would go directly to the people in Sri Lanka. At over $450US per sail, I am sure they are making a hefty profit, when labour is cheap, the material in the sail is lo-tech and you are in a monopoly situation for the product.
The fact that North Sails has done very little or none what so ever as a corporate donation for the people in their sweat shops will lead me to buy a Hyde sail instead.
Greg, the Laserclass is primary a class of sailors round our globe (and not only of some builders and Yachtclubs etc.) and I cannot imagine, there is anyone who doesn´t want to do something to help.49208 said:...If you had taken the time to read this forum, you would also see where Vanguard, the NA builder of the Laser has also made a generous donation to help as well, not to mention Cedar Point YC...
ascella_dylan said:I have a suggestion that might make me buy a North sail (I always buy Hyde because of the sri lankan worker's wage thing) how about North donate the profit from all sails made in Sri Lanka for the next couple of weeks. then I might consiter buying a lower quality slave made sail.
Dylan
Steven, Mr. Johns the CEO of Vanguard did reported about that what´s going on in Sri Lanka already at Mo 27th December 2004 at the ILCA-NA Email-list [see this page: http://cerebus.winsite.com/laser/archives/2001/msg07175.html ]. So, I think, you are not right in that point above, Steven. The ILCA-NA Email-list is not a well hidden place, or something like that, for a Laserite in NA. I´m personally not the opinion, Mr. Johns did his words to self-praise Vanguards and North´s activities. I think he only wanted to go forward as a good example. I´m not a friend of the monopoly out- of-the-box-boat-builders, but in this point I trust him.Steven said:... However, I need to buy a new sail this year and if North Steps up and says that half the cost will be donated to the people of Sri Lanka then I would purchase a North Sail but they have been pretty quiet...ie nothing mentioned in their website or on Vanguards. Like I said earlier, if it is then it is well hidden....
ascella_dylan said:i did the polar bear swim for the Tsunami releif effort...and raised alot of money for it Dylan