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| The voting results were a NO vote!! My hat goes off to the employees for sticking together during this. If merc wants to go then let them!! I was there for the vote and i was a no also!!! |
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| "If merc wants to go then let them!!"
Then with that attitude, I sure hope we don't here any whining from the union when Merc. leaves and you are out of a job. |
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Member
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Location: Coatesville, PA | I'm sure the union members realized they could be voting their job away. Maybe it was their way of saying screw you, before the company tells them in 6 months their job is gone anyway. I wouldn't bet a dime on Mercury giving a rats butt about their employees, they are looking at the bottom line. They were probably trying to get the consessions from the union to bide them over till they could make a move. I'm not a union member, but my neighbor is in management and deals with his companies union. Believe me, they could care less about the workers, the harder they screw the worker, the more money in managements pocket! |
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| A business exists to provide a return on investment to their stockholders, not provide charity to a union.
I feel sorry for the non-union employees who did not choose to send away their jobs. |
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| ShellbackCVA59 - 8/23/2009 2:27 PM
I'm sure the union members realized they could be voting their job away. Maybe it was their way of saying screw you, before the company tells them in 6 months their job is gone anyway. I wouldn't bet a dime on Mercury giving a rats butt about their employees, they are looking at the bottom line. They were probably trying to get the consessions from the union to bide them over till they could make a move. I'm not a union member, but my neighbor is in management and deals with his companies union. Believe me, they could care less about the workers, the harder they screw the worker, the more money in managements pocket!
Come on..."screw you, before the company tells them in 6 months their job is gone anyway" if that was the case they would not have even cared to bring a negotiation up and would have just moved anyhow. Merc. could have easily just have keep production going, letting the union think everything was fine for their 4 year contract, and just start moving the jobs down south and eliminating them up here. They chose, instead, to allow the union a voice and gave them an option here. Management has cuts just as much as the mill work does, and when they get cut it is more abrupt than if working in the mill. The stockholders are the ones supplying the jobs with their investment and they have lost a ton of money, but it is always management screwing the worker never the worker pricing themselves out of what the market will bare.
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| In the almost 30 years I worked as a packaging rep, I have seen the change in how business is done. In the past are loyalty, trust and a willingness to base your brand on your people who make it. Yes there are a few exceptions, but they are not the norm. It's about profits, not people. To me, you need both. A few weeks ago around 30 people with 35 years or more at Harnischfeger were greeted at a meeting and walked out the door. No notice, no chance to vote. Just here's the door, a little something to get you by and thanks for the 35 years. Large manufacturers that my fathers packaging company built his business on are all but gone. Purchasing agents buy direct and will cut you for a nickel. It used to be based on trust and relationships between manufacturing, purchasing and their vendors. I believe most of that is history. Employees are pushed to the limit and often there is a general tension between those responsible for making the product and those responsible for managing the company.
I am unaware of the "package" offered or it's sincerity, as suggested by some. I have friends on both sides of the fence and some who I'm sure are stuck in the middle. I feel so sorry for the families of all who are affected, it's why I posted. I can't imagine the lacuna in the landscape between Hickory Street and Military Road as I pass by in the future. Seeing the plant and fountains have been a part of every drive between Milwaukee and up north for as long as I can remember. |
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| I hope those folks have information that has not been made public that gives them hope that their jobs will somehow survive this life changing game of chicken.
Best of luck to all concerned going forward.
Jim O |
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Location: Coatesville, PA | another guest - 8/23/2009 3:39 PM
A business exists to provide a return on investment to their stockholders, not provide charity to a union.
I feel sorry for the non-union employees who did not choose to send away their jobs.
Very true. But what about those super packages CEO's get even when the company is failing. Stockholders get beaten there too. The working man is constantly getting squeezed and his work moved off shore. I'm not looking at this as a Union Shop against an employer, I'm looking at this like an American Worker, against an employer who has already sent work overseas. This is just another step towards sending manufacturing overseas. At most they would probably just be postponing their eventual termination. |
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Location: Fond du Lac | are these the stockholders you are implying to, http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ir?s=BC click on some of the names and if you can figure it out you are smarter than alot of people.Yes we did know more than all the people who want to cut us down did,and when we feel you need to know we might share it.
Edited by flipper 8/23/2009 4:39 PM
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| "Yes we did know more than all the people who want to cut us down did,and when we feel you need to know we might share it."
Give me a break. Your union would be the first people to the microphone if the details that have been on the news were incorrect or if there was some really low-down dealings that Merc. was doing. If you want people to understand your point you better make it, your loosing support. |
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| the union built mercury. my hat goes off to all union members! mercury builds enough motors in china. the best motors are build in fondulac,not stillwater ok.,and not china. thank god for unions or everybody would be making 10 bucks a hour. |
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Location: Berlin | So sorry to hear you could not work this out. I am terrified of what the outcome will be of this as I am sure all Merc employyes are. I don't have enough facts to judge anyone. Wow, scary times are ahead. Good luck to all involved  |
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Member
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Location: Fond du Lac | I can't give you a break that has to be a management decision and they will let you know 20 minutes prior to that break if you have to work thru your break and if you should take your break before or after the scheduled break.By the way after you worked 12 hours straight pay for 3 days we don't need anymore production this week you can come back on Monday,don't think about collecting unemployment for the other 4 hours of a 40 hour week either,is that a candy wrapper on the floor,your fired.Wasn't looking for support,I just feel like arguing for awhile
Edited by flipper 8/23/2009 6:19 PM
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| Rich S is correct as is flipper. We the public do not know all the facts, and one thing learned long ago is that you don't negotiate contracts in the media.
If they close the place down, the first article in the papers will be how the demise of all those jobs can be attributed to the 'NO' vote by the union members. I guarrantee there is something in the new contract we don't have any knowledge of.
Someone earlier alluded to the possibility that the concessions might just be a way for Merc to pay for shipping those jobs out and shutting down the factory. I've seen this happen way too many times.
I have one question for Merc, why freeze wages for 7 years? Why not just for the term of the current contract?
Something's amiss here I think. |
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| herb you hit it right on the head. They will keep us around until Merc is fully ready to go to China and then to bad to sad for the employees!!! We as employees were at a no win situation. Like others said, the company has already made up their minds no matter what the out come of the vote was. |
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| So....let me get this straight. When a union forces the upper hand with a company they threaten to strike (and often do) thus making the company loose earnings and this is good...not for the company. But when the tables are turned and the company forces the upper hand to the union and threatens to leave (and often do) thus making the workers loose earnings this is bad? |
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Member
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | flipper -
We routinely change our employee's work schedules on a lot less notice than 20 minutes. We routinely work 12+ hour days early in the week, then send employee's home for the week without 40 hours. Do they like that? NO. Do I like doing it? NO. HOWEVER, in the tough business environment we are in, we all do what we need to to survive. BTW, even with stellar performance evaluations, I haven't gotten a raise in 2 years and average a 2% annual raise for the 2 years previous to that.
I'm not bitter. I'm happy to have my job for a company that wants to have me. |
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Member
Posts: 87
Location: Fond du Lac | how far can a dog run into the woods? |
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| I've never been a Merc guy but I might have to consider one now. I like the fact that they finally stood up to the union and told them where to go. Of course I won't be buying any Merc until all production is out of FDL as I would not trust any of these union hacks to do anything but sabotage whatever they make now.
I do feel sorry though for all the non-union employees who got screwed by the union by not having a say in whether they had a job or not. |
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| "the best motors are build in fondulac,not stillwater ok."
There's a comment you would not hear if the workers in Stillwater were unionized. What a bias bunch of BS. And I suppose you have access to the service records of the motors that needed warranty work and it shows which plants they came from.
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| we know both governors fought for this business AND both were probably offering a competitive package, and the union may have been the deciding factor but what erks me is the 2000 people in the fondulac plant and the additional 2000 that support it will be competing for no jobs in the area...Never before could I stand by my mail box and look left and see 3 for sale signs and know 5 neighbors out of a job and turn my head and look to the right and see 2 for sale signs and know 6 more out of a job..... by the way I can see 12 houses, and thats my little subdivision in the fox valley area. This is gonna hurt and hurt bad. How many of those with all those years of service are sitting with pensions and nearing retirement...I once heard 50% were near retirement within 5 years. I don't feel one bit sorry for those that voted NO.......I only worry that my kids will be able to survive this open pocetbook Washington has!
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| Seriously, who votes themselves out of a job? Especially in today's economy. A collective group of morons I guess. One of the dumbest things I've seen in a long time. |
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| I too feel for the non union workers there. My wife is a salary worker and just got a 10% salary cut because they can't do anything with the union for another year. Some may call it an odd mentatlity, but she's still happy to have a job. Why can't union people have the same mentality? It honestly baffles me.
John |
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| Whem merc is gone out of fondulac all you ignorant union will wish you had a job! Again all the old timers used the untrue scare tactics to get the no vote. Its a bullish atttitde the union chief and his cronies use. Dont feel sorry for any of you . Bye Bye merc |
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Member
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| Someone just give me a believable answer to this one simple question, and I will be done:
How did this "NO" vote help any Merc employees or the FDL community?
Please keep your answer short...if it makes sense, it shouldn't have to be very long.
Edited by thumper 8/24/2009 7:57 AM
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