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| Anyone hear any rumors regarding union vote and what results are? I'd hate to see wisconsin loose another long term business . |
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| just what was on the news last night. Doesnt look good. 2000 jobs on the line and the union will not support the offer. the news said the offer was a pay cut for new hires and the abuility to bring in a temp agency for these new employees. also cuts to the insurance pkges and doing away with the old pension plan and replacing it with a 401k. not sure of the details but the union leaders said the offer was junk! looks like Merc will no longer be in fondy if you ask me. id say there will be a couple thousand skilled workers on the street looking for work. Its a sad day and my loyalty to Merc though half at fault here will be gone if the motors arent built close to home. Sad Sad day and i have a bad fealing in my gutt!
irononic that the Governor also anounce he wouldnt seek another term on the same day. heard JL French is done in sheboygan also... this is bad! |
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Location: Berlin | It really is a shame. Bad for us good for Oklahoma. Lets just hope all these lines make it there and some don't magically find their way to China. I feel bad for everyone involved. |
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| this was another repeat, the union responce was exactly like Newpage...I guess the jobs don't mean enough for them |
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| Hard to imagine when it gets down to the nitty griity that someone would not opt to keep there job is this changing times. The union is so far out it! They dont even seem to notice or except that so many other non union large company's have had to make these same changes to compete and remain open business. I hope there employees realize once they are gone they are gone! |
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| ya whats another 2000 jobs out of fondy anyway! just another 2000 housholds with a mortgage payment that cant be made on an unemployment check! another 2000 jobs that the state wont get the payroll tax matched. 2000 jobs gone that offered health insurance for the family or and now thanks to the state live in partners and there kids. whats 2000 jobs worth of Social security comming off the check and sent in to the feds .... what about the jobs in the aria in cardboard and crates for shipping and trucking that merc supplied loads and kept the wheels turning.. Brass ? does anyone have any idia how many companies around the aria have Merc as a primary account? people hafta wake up! Tecumsah products in new holstien employed 3000 at one plant alone... the company tried to move for years and did... guess what! Belly up and now what are we gonna put on our jiffy's Gone . Gilson Gone , French Gone , kenosha Gm Gone , why? cant make any money for the stock holders . taxes and regulation non stop! Paper mills closeing and being force to dredge up pcb's 30 ft below the riverbottom for millions from a time where the entire world dumped there crap! guess what...Belly up! Hey Fon du lac YOUR PROPERTY VALUE JUST WENT DOWN BY 20% LAST NIGHT! but taxes on the place went up another 10% Wake up ! |
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| 2000 jobs that would stay here for now if the union knew how to read the handwriting on the wall...it' simple to read... WE WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTH AND YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR JOBS IF THIS CAN'T BE DONE, WE ARE GIVING YOU ADVANCED NOTICE THAT THIS IS OUR ONLY OPTION.
The union will be to blame on this loose of jobs. |
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| "Guest
Posted 8/18/2009 2:13 PM (#84210 - in reply to #84203)
Subject: RE: mercury union vote
this was another repeat, the union responce was exactly like Newpage...I guess the jobs don't mean enough for them "
Take a look at all the jobs across the street from the Kimberly Mill at the USW office. Maybe the Mercury workers should talk to a few of the paper mill ex-workers.
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| They need to wake up and realize it's 2009 and look around them. I'm non-union and took a 43% temporary paycut this year to keep our doors open and a paycheck coming in. Before we cast ultimate judgement on the Merc union, I'd like to know what their current wages are, what they've given up already, and what was proposed. If I got one more pay-cut, I was taking the lay-off instead and letting the chips fall where they may. Got to the point that I was nearing unemployemnt wages. If that's the case with them, then what the heck, nothing to lose I guess. Also, they may see writing on the wall that we don't. Take American Axle for example. They bullied their workers into taking 60-70% pay-cuts (some people making less than $9/hr now) on the promise that just half of the jobs would stay here. They took the cut and AM darn there outsourced all their work overseas anyways. A great big f-u, ha-ha. Hard to cast judgement without all the facts. |
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | Don't pass judgement on what you don't know. While I too would hate to see the area lose 2000 jobs, blaming the union 100% for it without knowing what was in the contract doesn't make sense.
Hopefully both Merc managment and the union will negioate in good faith and help make sure that both Mercury and the 2000 employees come out of this in the best possible position. |
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Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | All true statements more info is needed here before we judge but judge we will do! corperations owned by stockholders are responsible for one thing! show a return on investment or heads will roll and a CEO will be braught in who will do the dirty work. its something how in a market with some but little competion unlike the car markets and such merc still cant show enough profit to pay a good living or stay in wisconsin. I know where i put a lot of responsibuility for this! The bull###+ Green movement back a few years. the attack on 2 stroke motors accross the board, one of the most efficiant motors ever designed is being replaced with something that has 4 times the moving parts. rediculus money spent on Reasearch and devlopment by Mercury to produce an engin before its time pushed out early due to government pressure. How many optimax powerheads did merc hafta replace? bombi has 2 stroke sled motors 600's with DSI that put out like 125 hp and get 20+ to the gallon and run cleaner than a 4 stroke. WTF! HEY VERDADIO"S are too much money! a 40 hp tiller from merc is 5+ grand! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! and they cant make a go of it? who knows what standards they hafta comply to by 2010 or 15 .... keep voting for nut jobs! wait till your pickup will be mandated to get 35mpg and the thing is made out of aluminum and costs 50 grand with a 4 banger and 8 speed transmition that is forced out before the bugs are out.... sad sad day! at the Merc National a statement was made that rumors of the tournament comming to an end were false. A Merc mandated tournement put on in fond du lac for loyal merc owners , employees and family's? Now what? Leave a state serounded by water , the misssissippi , great lakes , bay of green bay , wisconsin river , inland lakes and the baggo chain for a state called....Oaklahoma? is there even a lake in oklahoma? im getting more upset about this every min.... EMPLOYEES of Merc! send your union reps in and get something done! |
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| Bradley, you're paragrahs read like union contract language. 
I agree with Brad B. The other thing is, all unions are different, I've seen and worked with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hopefully both sides can come to some kind of an agreement that will keep Mercury in Fond Du Lac. the repercussions will be great if they don't. |
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| The union has a choice, keep the better paying job or loose it. Pretty simple. This economy is no atmosphere for the union to attempt to play hardball, Mercury will leave to stay alive. So yes, if Mercury leaves it is the union's fault on this one. |
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| Having both been a union worker and a non-union manager I will tell you that there is no better way to screw something up than to let union stewards and business reps make a decision. They are just middle men taking your dollar. When the jobs are gone they are off to their next opportunity to scavange on the working man.
Break you dependence of unions and make you own decisions. |
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| The easiest answer to the problem, maybe too late though. QUIT buying Jap motors! |
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| They said on the news they estimated 5900 jobs would be lost in the area if Merc left (including Merc employees, suppliers, service work, etc.)
From what I have read, I have zero doubt that Merc will leave if a new agreement is not reached. I think maybe the union is still thinking (hoping?) it's all a big bluff. This is a company that will do whatever it has to do to stay in the game, and sadly I think they will leave in the end. |
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| I want to know what the STATE(Doyle) is doing to keep this company here. That, in my opinion, has as much bearing on Merc not moving to OK, as the union concessions will. So far, he's been silent.
What say you Doylie? What are you going to do to keep Merc in the state?!
My personal opinion? I think this state is unfreindly to industry, and Merc is gone.
Sad day for Fondy, and the state.
Edited by Shep 8/19/2009 11:50 AM
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Location: McFarland, WI | The anti manufacturing attitude of the Doyle administration has trashed the state economy. Every resident will eventually be paying off a huge state deficit because of the resultant loss of state revenue. I for one may have to leave the state when I retire. As a past member of two unions I agree that union leadership rarely represents the line worker. They are in bed with the politicians and look out for their own interest. They spend the money on politics and now they can't cover the benefit packages. Look who financed Doyle. They now hope for government health insurance to bail their butts out. |
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | I know Mercury is hurting like everyone else. But it also appears that they are using this time as an advantage to "clean union house". Many are "at fault" and it is unfair to point fingers at 1 or 2. |
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Location: Menasha, WI | What, exactly, do you think Doyle (or any other politician) could do? I hear this whining about supposed anti-manufacturing attitudes from the state govt, but no one can seem to state what it is that is so bad. News flash: Manufacturing jobs are being lost across the country, even in states that are hostile to workers; it is not a phenomenon unique to Wisconsin.
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Viking - 8/19/2009 12:44 PM What, exactly, do you think Doyle (or any other politician) could do? I hear this whining about supposed anti-manufacturing attitudes from the state govt, but no one can seem to state what it is that is so bad. News flash: Manufacturing jobs are being lost across the country, even in states that are hostile to workers; it is not a phenomenon unique to Wisconsin.
Agreed! Anyone ever read books like the World is Flat? Experts have been making predictions for years that 90% (throwing that figure out there) of manufacturing in this country will be gone and sent to other countries or jobs will be replaced with automation. In this case, the job could go to a different state. It's different............. why them and not us? Is it union? Anti-manufacturing attitudes? Taxes too high? Mercury shopping around for best deal? All of the above?
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| All of the above, Dennis. But, B & C are State Govt responsibility.
Yah, Viking. Spoken like a member of the liberal education system in this state. What is Doyle to do? WHATEVER it takes to help keep these companies, and jobs here! That's what! Lower taxes, do away with useless programs and entitlements, reduce the of the UW system, lower property taxes, income taxes, business taxes. Stop double, triple, and quadruple taxing our auto and boat sales. In general, make WI a place where companies want to come and set up shop, again. We have the best workforce in the world here. Always have. Let's keep them working. WI is, and has been one of the highest taxed states. Why? Doyle is silent on this situation, as he has been silent on all the recent departures. All he wants to do is raise taxes on those of us who work, and give out more to the people who don't want to work.
I too, have been on both sides. Card carrying member of IBEW, and IAMAW(same as the Merc Union), and nonunion, which I am now. I'm doing much better since I parted ways with the IBEW in 1992, and started negotiating my own salary and benefits. If my company came to me today, and told me to keep my job, I'd have to take a cut, I probably would. I'd ask for how long, and if it was temporary, I'd deal with it. If not, I'd be looking. But that would be my choice. I don't need anyone negotiating for me.
Edited by Shep 8/19/2009 1:37 PM
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| The county is working on a package to try to keep Merc here, but I have not heard Merc company officials blame the government at all.
Some of the employees want their money, and don't care if the company dies giving it to them:
"They signed a four year deal and they should honor it. If they don't, they can leave" - Robin Schwartz, Mercury Marine employee |
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| My B-I-L is on the county board. With that, I don't have high expectations. |
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| The unions, lately, have been trying to force the upper hand and the only results have been devastating. Kimberly, Riverside and now Merc., it is amazing how they just ignore the writing on the wall and then attempt to get sympathy when they force a mill closing. |
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