I'm sure ther will be lots of finger pointing.............
Posted: Aug. 30, 2009
Fond du Lac — In the end, it came down to timing and a deadline.
And time was not on the side of the union of Mercury Marine Inc. after the company rejected the union's attempt at a second vote on a proposed labor contract aimed at saving hundreds of jobs.
The vote Saturday night came too late, and further delays wouldn't be fair to an Oklahoma community that's been waiting for the outboard-engine maker to move additional work there, Mercury executives said Sunday.
The company said the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 1947 should not have waited until 10 p.m. Saturday to launch a second vote on a contract proposal that expired at midnight.
"There was an entire week in which the union should have allowed its members to have a second vote, rather than wait until two hours prior to the deadline," company spokesman Steve Fleming said.
On Aug. 23, union members turned down the seven-year contract proposal that would have resulted in a wage freeze for current workers and a 30% pay cut for new hires and for employees called back to work from layoff. As a result of the vote, Mercury stepped up plans to move hundreds of jobs to its nonunion plant in Stillwater, Okla., where the company has done manufacturing for decades.
Union officials said the contract proposal was rejected by a wide margin. But some employees circulated petitions calling for a second look at the agreement before it expired, resulting in the last-minute decision for the second vote.
Voting began at the union hall in Fond du Lac about 10 p.m. Saturday, lasted until midnight, and continued on Sunday from roughly noon to 6 p.m. Then it was extended until Monday at 6 p.m., according to the union.
Mercury said it would not accept the results of ballots cast after midnight Saturday.
"People should be reminded that there was another town, that we are very compatible with, in Oklahoma anxiously awaiting the results" of the vote, Fleming said.
"Frankly, it would be unethical to tell Stillwater that there was a schedule and a set of conditions for negotiations and then throw it all out the window because the union in Fond du Lac chose not to allow its members to vote" in a timely fashion.
Union members said they were told that Mercury would allow them to take a second vote starting late Saturday night and continuing until the 850 eligible members could cast their ballots.
Union officials said that deal was arranged by public officials who acted as intermediaries between the union and the company.
"Then we were double-crossed. I feel like I have been thrown under the bus," said Dan Longsine, chief negotiator for Lodge 1947.
Union officials were reluctant to allow the second vote, saying it should not have taken place unless there were substantial changes in the contract proposal.
But under pressure from members circulating petitions, union leaders agreed to the action.
"Now I am disgusted," Longsine said. "I put my heart and soul on the line for this, and I feel as if I have been betrayed" by the company because it would not accept the results of the second vote - which might not come until Monday night or Tuesday.
"But we are fighting on," said Fred Toth Jr., one of the petition circulators. "The union has told us to keep getting more signatures on petitions, although I don't know why."
Meanwhile, Fond du Lac County officials are considering a 0.5% county sales tax to help pay for incentives meant to persuade Mercury to keep manufacturing and its world headquarters in Fond du Lac.
A total of 1,900 jobs would be lost if Mercury moved all its manufacturing and administration elsewhere.
The local sales tax would raise about $6.5 million per year for 12 years, county officials said, adding that Mercury could receive the money in the form of loans in which the amount repaid would depend on the number of jobs the company retains or creates.
The Fond du Lac County Board may take action on the proposal in the next 10 days.
"I have always said that I would save a sales tax for when it was critical. This is the time," County Executive Allen Buechel said.
At least some involved in the drama believe the final outcome is still to be decided.
"This is an end game where the goodwill will be gained or lost. There's an opportunity for both Mercury Marine and the union to gain a lot of goodwill," Fond du Lac City Manager Tom Herre said. "I remain hopeful that, at the conclusion of this, there will be an outcome that will be satisfying to all parties involved."
Herre was non-committal when asked if he would support the move to add 0.5% to the sales tax in the county to entice Mercury Marine to stay in Fond du Lac.
Mercury may have lost some community support for not accepting the results of the union's second vote.
"Some people are saying the company could have showed more flexibility," said Brenda Hicks-Sorensen, executive director of the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp.
But the union missed the deadline for completing the vote.
"It's like one team playing nine innings of a baseball game, and their opponent staying on the field for 12 innings," Fleming said.
Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
