Posted on 08/23/2009 3:10:52 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – Union workers at Mercury Marine put their jobs at risk Sunday when they rejected a package of wage and benefit concessions the boat engine maker said it needed or it would move their work to a nonunion plant in Oklahoma.
Union leaders did not immediately release Sunday's tally but said the vote was "overwhelming" to reject what the company called its final offer.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 1947, represents 850 workers at Mercury Marine, the largest employer in the eastern Wisconsin city of Fond du Lac and the world's largest manufacturer of boat and recreational marine engines.
Mercury Marine issued a statement after the vote saying it will move many of its Fond du Lac manufacturing operations to its facility in Stillwater, Okla., over the next two to three years. The company said it would continue to operate the Fond du Lac facility for now under the terms and conditions of the existing contract, which expires in 2012.
"This has been a very difficult and stressful process for all involved," Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine, said in a statement. "We will work closely with our team in Fond du Lac to develop and communicate a transition plan for this 24-36 month process."
Mercury Marine spokesman Steve Fleming had said last week that if the offer was rejected, the union and company could resume talks and hold another vote this coming Saturday, but its offer would not change.
Local 1947 President Mark Zillges said Friday there would be no further negotiations. He did not immediately return a phone call Sunday seeking comment.
Fond du Lac city manager Thomas Herre called the vote "a huge disappointment."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Maybe they will just drive slowly through Oklahoma on their way to Mexico. It depends if Obama forces the issue; let’s wait and see what that idiot does.
Yup. But, the NAACP says that SC is a racist state.
Is the NAACP Boycott Against South Carolina Failing?
[snip]
This action sought to bring attention to the Confederate Flag flying atop the State House Capitol. The requested result was to "bring that flag down."
In 2000 the SC legislature voted to bring the flag down. Case closed.
Not hardly.
The flag was placed on a thin pole on the capitol grounds, where it is easily seen by passersby.
[snip]
Why would the membership do this to themselves are they stupid? Whe Dh’s company said they needed consessions in the late 80’s to stay open they froze wages for 3 years and did some other things they helped them pull through. It is a union shop.
They will keep a skeleton crew working until 2011 and the last 9 months to a year only the maintence crew will be working to pack up the equipment to ship to OK.
Nose, face, meet knife.
My grandfather was elected the first president of the CIO (A)machinists and electrical workers at RCA, it was the CIOA before merging with the AFL. The CIO was unhappy with his election and asked RCA to overturn the election. RCA offered to make my grandfather management, instead. He turned down the offer. Shortly afterwards, both my grandparents were run down as they stood on the curb in front of their home, by a hit and run driver.
That year, RCA closed the Camden, NJ plant and moved out of state. Not only did all the workers lose their jobs, it was the beginning of the downturn for Camden.
I like her tenacity, like a pitbull with a gun.
I have sent her some stuff she has used, so I think she may want to cover this.
Again, really exciting that Doyle is DONE!!! Tho fact that Barrett just saved someone right when Doyle announces his retirement and Barrett is thinking of running does not bode well for WI. What a lucky break for that guy to become a hero right before he announces?!
Hope GOP has a strong candidate. Heard Mark Neuman may run for something...
Oklahoma, OK!
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How much more of the country will shift to the SE - and sped up by stupid maneuvers like this? How will this affect electoral politics and power?
So, what exactly do these doofuses think they’ve proven with this vote?
There is no dignity in stupidity.
Notice the six states in the middle of the Country that are right to work — we also all went for McCain against Obama.
Notice the six states in the middle of the Country that are right to work — we also all went for McCain against Obama.
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I just think this is a VERY interesting trend in this nation. It is the success of basic economics and conservative principles against libtard social engineering.
Accept concession or lose job...how stupid do you have to be especially in this economy?!
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How about if they tried to pass massive legislation dealing grave blows to energy and saddling the economy with a massive new ‘health’ entitlement?
Oh...
Galt’s Gulch is going to have to be freakin’ HUGH to fit everyone that will want to be there!
Let’s get Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee to secede.
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The economic boom there will be FUN to watch - while the idiots in the northern cities kill off their economies in libtard hades.
Now we need to block zero’s nationalization and taxing schemes that could retard some of that growth.
only some of the scenarios are even a more stupid way for him to claim ‘victory’ for saving jobs.
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Pret’ hard to claim victory when the UR is 9.4 or 15 (depending on your measure.) But zero and the SRM will try. Morons.
They know that they have plenty of time to wreck capitalism totally.
This international union centers are, by and large, Communist in nature and truly believe in the class warfare ethos.
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Still stupid, in my book. Not everyone can reorg like Government Motors.
membership needs to have jobs for there to be a union.
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Wonder how those unions dues collections trends are going? Maroons..
When I pointed out that 60% of the “clunkers” were american brands, and 70% of the cars sold were Hondas and Toyotas, he called me “one of those rightwing nutjobs”.
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AmeriKa. Shut up, sit down, and do NOT talk about the facts!
This formed my opinion that Unions hurt more workers than they could ever help and couldn’t care less about the town, the people in the town, the company they work for or their future. They are socialists bent on self-destruction.
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Or, to put a positive spin on it, the unions just don’t have an end game (not a sustainable one anyhow.) They simply have a greedy end game (which is unsustainable.)
I don’t think the workers would call it a victory.
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