Posted on 09/01/2009 5:03:48 AM PDT by Star Traveler
POSTED: 5:46 pm CDT August 30, 2009
UPDATED: 9:32 pm CDT August 30, 2009
FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Mercury Marine may be moving its operation from Wisconsin to Stillwater, but union workers at the company's Wisconsin plant are not letting it go without a fight.
They're trying to hold another vote on a 7-year contract that would keep the company there. The contract vote overwhelmingly failed a week ago and an attempted re-vote on Saturday ended when the company said it wouldn't accept votes that came in after midnight.
Wisconsin workers said they're doing what they can to get the company to reconsider.
"This is 60 years worth of negotiations we're talking here," said Wisconsin Mercury Marine worker Fred Toth. "The people that showed up and said, 'Yeah, we want another vote,' I think this is going to pass. It looks like Mercury Marine is going to be in Fond du Lac for a long time."
Not everyone shared Toth's optimism.
"I'm at the age where I can retire. If that buyout is still on the table for $25,000, I might consider voting because I want to get the hell out," said worker Larry Indermuehle. "I'm sick of it."
On Sunday, the company said, "Under the current contract, we are not able to be competitive in the market place and will begin to move manufacturing jobs to Stillwater."
Union members said they hope the new vote will convince the company to reopen negotiations, but a Mercury Marine spokesman said any chance to negotiate ended at midnight. It said the company made that clear through legal documents sent to the union Saturday night.
Stillwater's Chamber of Commerce president said it plans to help Mercury Marine begin its move this week. The company said it will take more than two years to move its operation there.
There is already a manufacturing facility in Stillwater now, and in Tulsa. So, this will be additional manufacturing in Oklahoma for Mercury Marine.
America works less when it says “Union Yes!”
Aloha to the Socialist state of Wisconson and the dumbass Union Members. How will we know for sure new Mercs are Oklahoma built? You know they will sabatage the union motors.
In some small way these union workers remind me of the suicide bombers in the mideast.
While no friend of unions and am happy for Stillwater, I am somewhat surprised Mercury did not just go ahead and make the big leap off-shore, perhaps to China, Vietnam, India. Cost has to indeed be a major issue when competing with the likes of Yamaha and Honda. As an outboarder from a very early age who's first outboard was Martin, first ski boat had a Scott 75, I miss the old motors such as Elgins, Buccaneers, Champions, Wizards, etc - guess I am showing my age :)
“Yes. the horses are all dead. Yes, the barn door was opened, but it was too late”
...who don’t have the brains to realize they are not comming back.
once they destroy the company, the jobs are gone. (but they won the union vote!)
I’m sure the cards were on the table with the first vote. The unions thought they could squeeze a couple of more drops out of the stone.
What a fool. NO, the offer has expired. Your jobs are moving away. Your parasite union tactics finally killed the host. The job YOU ARE SICK OF is going to go to someone else who may actually like it and appreciate the salary and good benefits.
Anytime a union gets it in the a$$ that’s a good thing. The workers in Stillwater get a bonus because of the union dumb asses. Good for Stillwater!!!
It would be fun to leak those compensation figures to the union members, except the union members would say it’s not fair and demand a raise.
They likely receive roughly the same compensation, it just the union members cough up a portion of their compensation to the union.
As the rest of the country is finding out, sometimes you only get one chance to vote “STUPID”....
hh
Idiots, didn't realize you screwed the pooch being obstinate. Instead of having A job, you get unemployment, food stamps, repossessed cars and homes, meanwhile, your union bosses get full pay.
Way to show those nasty corporations who's the boss!
Ping!
Aren’t “to keep” extraneous words in the headline?
“Voting in your own economic interest”, again. I’m sure Micheal Moore is satisfied.
Actually, Honda and Yamaha face much higher labor and other costs in Japan. Just a much better business climate.
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA, is a land-grant, sun-grant, coeducational public research university founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originally known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M), it is the flagship institution of the Oklahoma State University System with 32,760 students for the 2006–07 academic year. [3] The flagship campus had a total enrollment of 23,307 students for the 2006–07 academic year.[4] Oklahoma State is situated 62 miles west of Tulsa, and 42 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a rich athletic heritage, being the home of 48 national championships, a total better than all but 3 schools in the nation, and first in the Big 12. [5] Academically, the Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture [6] ranks among the top 20 in the nation. Oklahoma State University ranks #71 among Best Value universities, receiving top-billing in the State of Oklahoma (based on in-state tuition totals), according to Kiplinger [7]. In 1998, The Student Guide to America's 100 College Buys named OSU America's #1 Best Buy [8]. The National Security Agency has named OSU a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research ("Intelligence") along with 22 other universities [9]. The Carnegie Foundation classifies OSU as a "High Research Activity campus" [10].
Oklahoma State has been named a Truman Honor Institution as a result of having 15 Truman scholars, one of the highest totals in the nation [11] including 6 in the last 7 years [12]. The university has also produced 5 Sloan Fellows [8].
Oklahoma State has had a number of high-profile speakers, including several sitting presidents. Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush all gave commencement addresses while they were in office.[13] Every year the Cowboys student body puts on the largest annual student-run pep rally in the world, known as Orange Peel. [14] Every fall the Stillwater community comes together to deck the streets in celebration for what is proclaimed as "America's Greatest Homecoming Ceremony." [15]
On December 24, 1890, the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature finally gained approval for Oklahoma Territorial Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) College, the land-grant university established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It specified that the college was to be within Payne County. Such an ambiguous description created rivalry between towns within the county, with Stillwater ultimately winning out. Upon statehood in 1907, "Territorial" was dropped from its title.
The first students assembled for class on December 14, 1891. Classes were held for two and one-half years in local churches until the first academic building, later known as Old Central, was dedicated on June 15, 1894, on the southeast corner of campus. In 1896, Oklahoma A&M held its first commencement with six male graduates.
Much of the growth of OAMC can be attributed to work of Henry G. Bennett, who served as the school's president from 1928 to 1950. Early in his tenure Dr. Bennett developed a strategic vision for the physical expansion of the university campus. His vision was followed for more than fifty years and made the university what it is today, including the Georgian architecture that permeates the campus. The focal point of his vision was a new library, which became a reality when the Edmon Low Library opened in 1953.
On May 15, 1957, Oklahoma A&M changed its name for the final time to Oklahoma State University to reflect the broadening scope of curriculum offered.
Since then, the Oklahoma State University System was created, with the Stillwater campus as the flagship institution. New branches were added later: Okmulgee (1946), Oklahoma City (1961), and Tulsa (1984) and the Center for Health Sciences (1988).[16]
In 2005, OSU announced its "Campus Master Plan", an ambitious campaign to enhance academic, athletic, and administrative facilities. Over $800 million is ear-marked for campus construction and renovation over the next twenty years.
The Plan calls for an "athletic village" where all of the university's athletic facilities will be located on the main campus. To accomplish this goal, the athletic department has bought all (or nearly all) the property north of Boone Pickens Stadium up to McElroy between Knoblock and Washington streets. This has drawn criticism from the city of Stillwater and those property owners.[17] While the vast majority of the real estate was rental property targeting college students, a few owners were longtime residents. There was a lone holdout in this parcel of land, who sued OSU over their right to use eminent domain.[18] However, this case was recently settled in favor of the University's use of eminent domain. The project includes the construction of an indoor practice facility for most sports, a soccer stadium/outdoor track, a tennis complex, and a baseball stadium.
Well..., gotta keep the titles intact... LOL...
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