Posted on 01/31/2010 9:00:46 AM PST by Second Amendment First
Boron, Calif. -
A shadow has fallen over this close-knit community of 2,000 as fears deepen of a strike at the borax mine on the city's edge.
"The whole town is tied to that mine. Most of the people who live here now work at the plant," said David Liebengood, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 30, which represents the employees. "It has passed through generations."
But the days of generational job security may be over. Citing a 25% loss in its share of the global market, mining company Rio Tinto has spent the last five months trying and mostly failing to extract concessions from the union, including changes in the cherished seniority system.
The company now has threatened to lock out its roughly 600 hourly employees and bus in replacements as early as this morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Exploiting the workers?
The company is offering: 2 percent wage increase each year of the contract $4,000 signing bonus for every employee 80 percent of health care covered early retirement bridge payments of $10,000 to $40,000 a two-year grace period for re-training.
The average wage at the Borax plant is $26 an hour the company's main competitor, government-owned Eti Maden in Turkey, pays $9.70 an hour.
This is hardly "exploiting".
The union, on the other hand, has written letters to borate buyers that %u201Cthreatened the company's ability to supply borates,%u201D causing market share to slip. The Borax plant has lost $6 million in sales as a result of the letters.
This dumb a** union is going to kill the company with their demands and then cry when the company goes under. Same thing happened here in central Pa with a trucking company.
Here is a hint - don't strike. $26/hour jobs with bennies don't grow on trees...
Having driven by Boron a few times I can clearly say these workers are nuts to go on strike. In that desolate wasteland abandoned houses line the road along with defunct businesses. What they shall reap is unemployment and hot dust laden wind .
Another example of Unions workers cutting their own throats. I went through this crap when I worked for the lumber industry. The enviros were making it extremely difficult(and they still are)for lumber companies to make a profit but Union workers wouldn’t budge on wage and insurance cuts. Results? The mill I worked for, a combination, plywood, particleboard, saw mill and molding plant, finally closed down for good, putting some 650 people out of work, and that’s just one example.
The unions do not care about the workers, only the power of unions.
Shoot any who attempt to breach security, vandalize, trespass etc.
These union ‘voters’ are a case-hardened version of California voters in general.
The Environazis managed to close down over 110 mills in Northern Calif alone.
......Maoist union boss.....
You are too kind. The man is a terrorist. He needs to be taken down
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