Does Lexmark Celebrate Labor Day?

by ray stasieczko August 31, 2024

As we all wash down hot dogs with our favorite beer, let's think about the labor force in China! In China, the Labor Force means something different. In China, it's about (FORCED LABOR) - Instead of employees having 401ks, Does the Locked up labor force get 40 lashes!

Oh, if that number is wrong, the dictator Xi Jinping is welcome to clarify how many daily lashes the workers who reside behind the fences in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China receive. Read the Wikipedia description of this area full of caged in people by the Chinese Communist Dictator.

In early July 2023, the Department of Homeland Security banned a PRC company called Ninestar along with eight of its subsidiaries. This (PRC) People's Republic of China company was banned based on the (UFLPA) Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Here's a link to the announcement of the ban by DHS This DHS banning of Ninestar and eight of its subsidiaries was a wake up call to the print industry!

Ninestar's largest subsidiary, Lexmark, is a spin-out from IBM. Lexmark was once an American company with deep roots in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2016, Ninestar bought the controlling equity in Lexmark. Lexmark is now owned by a communist-controlled PRC, Ninestar. If you are one of those who believe that Lexmark is not owned by Ninestar. Here's the link to Ninestars website. Read right off the ninestar website! They clearly wrote in 2016 they bought Lexmark

Lexmark was not one of the eight Ninestar subsidiaries banned. However, one would have to be completely naive to think that Lexmark, the largest subsidiary of Ninestar, which represents the majority of Ninestar's annual revenues, is not in any way associated with the atrocities regarding its owners' use of forced labor. Lexmark and its importance to Ninestar make a perfect scenario to consider and implement the phrase guilt by association.

Lexmark will claim that they manufacture in Mexico. When they say this, it doesn't matter where you put machines together or how many manufacturing hours are in Mexico versus how many hours of manufacturing your owner Ninestar does in forced labor camps.

Over the last 14 months, Lexmark's leaders have distracted, distorted, and, some would believe, outright lied regarding their relationship with their owners, Ninestar. They repeated statements describing Ninestar as one of their investors or just one of their many suppliers.

Unfortunately, most of the industry's media and analyst firms have entirely ignored this ongoing story. Other than the occasional copy and pasted propaganda from Lexmark's marketing dept.

I was shocked when Keypoint Intelligence wrote an article regarding Ninestar. The article was composed of nearly 800 words, none of which were (Lexmark) WTF! That was my thinking. Read the link to the article and see if you don't ask, why no mention of Lexmark?

As I read that article, it seemed that Keypoint Intelligence was more concerned with selling Lexmark a BLI Award than with telling the world the truth that Lexmark is the largest subsidiary of the banned PRC Ninestar. Here's an award which ends in 2024 Maybe it's hard to approach Lexmark about new awards if they include them in an article about Ninestar their owners.

In that article, Keypoint intelligence did not address how dealers or end-users could be impacted by Lexmark's owners being banned. I will suggest this to the Keypoint Intelligence leadership. End-users could care less about your summer pick. However, most end-users care deeply about understanding if their print equipment manufacturers are in any way associated with a PRC entity banned over forced labor.

That Keypoint Intelligence article convinced me 100% of Keypoint Intelligence bias. Keypoint Intelligence needs more scrutiny; better yet, it needs a competitor that bases its news or analysis on something other than potentially selling BLI awards.

Over the last 14 months, there have been zero unscripted interviews regarding this major story with Lexmark's CEO or any of its so-called independent board members. A few months after the ban went into place, Lexmark's CEO was invited to a panel discussion on the subject. He declined and today continues hiding.

So, when you hear or read the Lexmark marketing saying things like "independent," you should scream. If you have independence from the Chinese Communist Party, why are you all hiding under your desk? Check out this short video where republican congresswoman Lisa McClain discusses how PRC entities have zero independence from the Chinese Communist Party. Even Those not on Chinese soil.

Everything the leadership at Lexmark has said since June 2023 seems to be parroted talking points from their PRC owners Ninestar, not even close to independent talking points. Actually, if they are independently defending Ninestar, that is even more dangerous and makes me think of the dangers of espionage.

The Chinese Communist Party is playing a game one I believe to be very dangerous to the American people. These PRC entities have bought controlling interest in American technology companies, and they bet that the Americans who work within these companies would focus more on getting their paychecks over focusing on any immoral acts or threats to democracy these PRC entities participate in.

There was a time when the Lexmark good old guys and gals of Kentucky were proud to call Lexmark home. Today, I would challenge the level of pride in all who still wonder about the quickly emptying halls at the Lexmark - Lexington offices.

To my dealer friends and Lexmark employees who left Lexmark, I applaud you. For those in the process, I urge you to speed up your exit. There are other choices; those end-users you service and support will soon wake up to what the industry has been ignoring or worse covertly hiding from them.

When American businesses are made aware of the atrocities of DHS-banned PRC entities, American companies should slam the door on these organizations and all the organization's subsidiaries banned or not.

We can not make these decisions based on how much we like the people who work there. The decision should be based on how much we despise the Chinese Communist Party, Allowing PRC entities to utilize forced labor in the manufacturing component of the supply chain.

I can't imagine any church of any denomination wanting print equipment from a PRC subsidiary whose owners were banned by DHS for using forced labor in their manufacturing processes.

Now, let's talk about security! Who else is concerned that our government offices, military facilities, financial institutions, and medical facilities are filled with Lexmark equipment? What about the Lexmark software? Or, scanning to the Lexmark Cloud?

I have shared the Lexmark cross-border data policy numerous times on my daily Vlog, The End Of The Day With Ray! Its vagueness is scary, to say the least. Here's the link Scroll down to Cross Border data transfer and read a couple of times how Lexmark share all kinds of data

Lexmark has shown its willingness to distract from its communist controllers' grip with such ease that one would have to ponder what else Lexmark is distracting us from.

Why would anyone voluntarily use the Lexmark cloud platform after all that's known of the corrupt Chinese Communist Party? Why take the chance is my thinking. Isn't the best way to avoid risk to eliminate that which is risky? We all remember the China Balloon? Don't We?

Lexmark is Ninestar's largest subsidiary, and when the people throughout the free world deny Lexmark, Ninestar will collapse. This would be an important outcome as maybe it will teach the Chinese Communist Party that Americans can not be manipulated by PRC entities.

All those who consume technology must seriously consider the ownership of the technology companies they do business with. Here's a link of one of my daily episodes where I discuss the Ninestar Portfolio Of Companies

So, on this Labor Day, Let's together share our disgust and distaste regarding the outrageous labor practices of those PRC entities banned over forced labor!

Let's immediately fire all the subsidiaries of all the DHS banned PRC entities.

Let's stop listening to the propaganda from the executives who find themselves trapped by their paychecks within these PRC entities.

Let's use logical thinking over emotional thinking!

Geopolitics is not going to get easier. All free societies must say no to the atrocities of forced and slave labor. And it is probably not prudent to have China owned companies putting their technology in our nation's business infrastructure.

Thank you for reading my weekend article. Go now and enjoy the summer season's last picnic, and on Tuesday, call up and fire Lexmark along with all the Ninestar subsidiaries, banned or not.

In closing, Our entire industry understands the threats imposed by all Chinese Communist Party Controlled PRC entities and all their subsidiaries located here in America. So, Now Is The Time We Must Stop Procrastinating And Deal With These Threats.

Ray Stasieczko

Host of, The End Of The Day With Ray! The Industry’s largest Vlog Here's the Link I welcome all to subscribe to my YouTube Channel

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