Posted on 08/04/2010 8:26:55 PM PDT by Willie Green
When Stephanie Litchauer heard the news about potential massive layoffs at military contractor BAE Systems Wednesday she was at first floored. Then she felt deeply worried about the future of her business and all of Sealy.
"It's a brutal blow, it's as simple as that," said Litchauer, the owner of Creekmore's Sports Bar, a favorite local haunt for employees of the military contractor. "For a community that's so small, having all those employees that go to the bars and restaurants disappear will be devastating."
BAE has for almost two decades been the largest employer in Sealy, population 5,200. But Wednesday it announced it will slash its global tactical systems workforce in Texas and Michigan by almost half by year's end. That means as many 1,300 of 2,900 positions will be cut, with 97 percent of them in the Sealy-Houston-Katy area, said BAE spokesman Mike Teegardin.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
More of this administration’s punishing of states who didn’t vote for him.
Welcome to the Obama recovery.
Hope someone is checking on who determined why the mattress was yanked from Sealy.
Who needs them???
Who needs them???
Soldiers now need to sleep on Posturepedic mattresses? Gimme a BREAK!!! Oh wait a second...;)
Just trying to keep the administration happy by targeting Texas.
How’s that hopy changy thing workin out for ya’?
I am new, so forgive me if I missed the joke.
They make targeting systems from the way it reads. Sealy is the name of the town ;)
I’d start in Wisconsin.
The reader comments on that story from the democrat seminar posters are totally disgusting.
Because there was a better proposal from a contractor in Wisconsin (Oshkosh Corp.). Oshkosh was awarded it repeatedly, after protest and re-evaluations. This contract was awarded
Tirey acknowledged the cuts will hurt. "These weren't $6- or $8-an-hour jobs," he said. "These were good jobs. This was one of the better-paying employers."
Paying above the market value, it seems. Even after they had already cut something like 20% off what they are charging us now, BAE tried to get 20% more than Oshkosh's price, from what I recall. Of course, my memory ain't what it used to be, but I think that's at least ballpark.
So for the most part, the jobs didn't vanish...they just moved. Oshkosh has invested in a new facility ($30-40 million).
Perhaps if the union and employees had agreed to cut costs, they wouldn't have had to move.
I thought this is in reference to the truck contract.
Wisconsin - voted for Obama, Texas did not.
Coincidenza?
Sealy, Texas is the home town of NFL running back Hershel Walker.
And amazing trickery, how his GAO blocked the initial transfer to Wisconsin, but the Army rebid and sent it to Wisconsin anyway! Evil Army!
I think the Dems wanted it to stay in Texas.
July 18, 2010--Workers in United Steelworkers Local 7687 voted unanimously Sunday to reject a contract offer with BAE Systems, said union president Dana Edsall.How can people have no clue about market values and competition? Oh, yeah...public schools run by the Left.
[...]
"It's not a contract. It's unfair," said assembler John Holmes, who planned to voted against the offer. "They want us to sacrifice so they can make more profit."
Doug Breese, a machinist, said he would also vote no, in part because the contract would place non-union employees on the production line with union workers.
"That goes against what a union is for," Breese said.
Who’s more unionized? The plant in Oshkosh, WI or the plant in Sealy, TX?
Or is it just politics?
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) sits on the Senate Budget panel as well as the Foreign Relations and Intelligence panels.
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