Starling02, if you have some information, provide it here so people know whom to contact. Sometimes it just comes down to knowing what is available and whom to contact. I don't see anything on their Web site regarding printing services, but I am sure people would be interested if they knew the different possibilities available.
posted by chrismyers at 07:38 P.M. EST on Sat Oct 28, 2006 #
I know that Lott makes pin back buttons - so I assumed that they also do sign work. The link on the lott website isn't working for me to check it out more. Does anybody here know if Lott Industries does this type of work?
posted by starling02 at 10:09 P.M. EST on Sat Oct 28, 2006 #
Sorry if I piss anybody (or everybody) off here, but I always saw Lott as taking advantage of the retarded/handicapped in order to get cheap labor.
posted by Darkseid at 10:20 P.M. EST on Sat Oct 28, 2006 #
Indeed Darkseid.
posted by junta330 at 12:22 A.M. EST on Sun Oct 29, 2006 #
Darkseid, when it comes to pissing people off, you're a rank amateur compared to me. To wit:
I admit it; the first thing I thought after reading the header text was:
Retards don't vote.
After a few seconds, my brow furrowed and I realized that I had erred in my quick judgment. This city re-elected Carty, so it's obvious that, retards DO vote. In Toledo, they votes in droves.
(Well, that's enough pissing off the Carty voters and bleeding hearts for now. He hee!)
Who owns Lott Industries? A pol using them might well consider the owner and the public appearance gained by using LI.
.... aaaaand after some googlin', I've discovered that LI is "a nonprofit corporation that is a component of the Lucas County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities". I'm immediately suspecting that LI is a taxpayer-supported entity from the LCBMRDD.
Public subsidy of private functions is always a bad thing, but within the scope of spent money, this may not be so terrible. Retarded folks must have incredible trouble finding and keeping employment, yet they are still adults of various functionality who need food, shelter, entertainment and often something engaging to do -- i.e. real lives. I've seen this directly; I know a family who has a high-functionality retarded person living with them. She's of such a high functionality that she finds it frustrating to be effectively relegated to an eternal childhood under the supervision of her mother. The desire for freedom and independence is a good sign of a certain level of intelligence.
Is LI worth supporting? Perhaps. They've been around for 50 years this month. Any advantage in the costs of their services must be considered along with the hidden costs (subsidy from taxation) and other benefits (1200 retarded folks can earn a living). Apparently, a Ford closure is going to strongly affect LI -- affecting 300 LI employees, maybe, in 2008. (But, Ford is a company run by elitist scumbags, so this is not a shock.)
posted by GuestZero at 12:39 A.M. EST on Sun Oct 29, 2006 #
The public support that Lott Industries receives is for the assistance in training and coaching individuals placed in employment. The coaches often come ahead of time to learn and understand the position and the duties. They will accompany the individual on the job until the individual is fully trained and able to work on their own. If there is any change in the position - or new skill to learn - the coach can be utilized to help in that respect.
Lott Industries is actually a FOR-PROFIT corporation. The Industries themselves are not subsidized, based upon the information I have.
Currently, Bernie Quilter, Clerk of Court, is using Lott Industries for the County's document imaging department. We've contracted with Lott for the individuals who sort the documents, prepare them for scanning, scan them, verify the scans were readable and then re-assemble the documents.
They're a terrific organization with terrific employees. Bernie thinks he'd have a hard time finding people who are as fast and as accurate as the ones he's using from Lott.
Back to the topic of the post, I don't believe that they make signs. Most of their work is contracted by specific companies. I don't believe that they have products of their own. However, if a candidated wanted to contract with Lott for the assembly of their signs, I believe that's something they could quote...
posted by MaggieThurber at 09:39 A.M. EST on Sun Oct 29, 2006 #
Retards don't vote.
After a few seconds, my brow furrowed and I realized that I had erred in my quick judgment. This city re-elected Carty, so it's obvious that, retards DO vote. In Toledo, they votes in droves.
Ha!
Ha!Ha!
Ha!Ha!Ha!
I didn't see that one coming. Good one!
posted by madjack at 10:35 A.M. EST on Mon Oct 30, 2006 #
Sorry if I piss anybody (or everybody) off here, but I always saw Lott as taking advantage of the retarded/handicapped in order to get cheap labor.
Its really not like that. Peckham Industries is a similar company in Lansing, Michigan that I'm quite familiar with. When I lived in that area, I worked at a group home for individuals with traumatic brain injuries...several of our residents worked at Peckham. Believe me, they welcomed the opportunity to get out of the house and feel productive again. It also provided them with some socialization...meeting and making friends with people outside the group home. For most individuals, its a far better alternative than sitting around the house feeling depressed or watching TV all day.
My sister-in-law is mentally retarded and has some physical disabilities too...I think in many ways it would be beneficial for her (and my mother-in-law, who takes care of her all day) to go someplace like Lott. But, my understanding is that they tried that years ago once she finished school, and it just didn't work out due to her particular issues.
posted by mom2 at 05:35 P.M. EST on Mon Oct 30, 2006 #
P.S. Not all of the sign shops are union. For example, Creative Sign on Secor Rd (near Alexis) does a good job and is a non-union shop that could do similar work. Do we know for sure that all of the signs are being printed in union shops?
posted by mom2 at 08:23 P.M. EST on Mon Oct 30, 2006 #
To my knowledge, from what I've heard, all politicians to be go for the union label on signs, etc. at election time - I assume to get that union endorsement.
posted by starling02 at 12:50 A.M. EST on Tue Oct 31, 2006 #
Candidates go to companies that are union for several reasons:
1) if there isn't that little union 'bug' on the item, then you'll get blasted by the unions (and that's not a good PR strategy, especially if you've gotten any union support).
2) they got a good price and good quality - and/or they were able to get multiple items from the same source.
3) they - or others they know - have used the supplier in the past and had a good experience in terms of on-time delivery, etc.
Candidates are not going to purchase items from a company just because they're a union shop - but they may decide NOT to purchase items from a company if it ISN'T a union shop.
posted by MaggieThurber at 06:45 A.M. EST on Tue Oct 31, 2006 #
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