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Location: Coatesville, PA | I didn't read anywhere that Merc was giving these union workers a guarantee on how long their job would last? What's to stop Merc from getting union concessions, then moving south or to China next year? Merc is trying to renege on a contract they signed last year. Their word doesn't seem like it's worth much. Merc has been building their small motors in China, and has Tohatsu building some. Anybody seen the price of these units go down with the cheap labor? Where's the savings going? Wouldn't be to management would it? |
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| "I didn't read anywhere that Merc was giving these union workers a guarantee on how long their job would last? "
Not sure how many of you have guarantee's? I don't. There are only 2 guarantee's I know of, death and taxes. I am guessing with Merc gone from WI our taxes will now go up to support those who declined a job. |
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| The union must have felt that with the current administration in the White House they could vote away their jobs and rely on the taxpayer to take care of them when there are no manufacturing jobs left in Fond du Lac. If I were in that position, I wouldn't be able to walk down the street and look other people in my community in the eye knowing I directly contributed to loss of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars for the local economy. I guess others don't feel the same... |
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| I think we all need to accept that manufacturing in the
U.S. is history. Educate your kids to avoid manufacturing
related fields like the plague. |
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| thumper - 8/24/2009 7:54 AM
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.
Anyone? Anyone at all? |
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| First, I have been a Mercury man for nearly 20 years, I have been a pro staffer for 17 years. I will also be directly affected by the move, my family and me.
There are no union employees left on the floor that have small children. Lowest seniority I know is 33 years. Every union employee is within 0-8 years of retirement.
If you were laid off I don't think you had a vote. I maybe wrong, but I don't think so. So they had no opportunity to save their jobs. It was decided for them.
The union decided the fate of so many that didn't have the opportunity to vote.
The union voted whether those jobs are staying or going. And not just the jobs at Mercury, but all their suppliers, vendors and outside suppliers. This was not about a few union jobs, but about a few deciding the fate of many. Just plain selfishness. There is no guarantees, but probably Mercury and the familiar plant that I have seen since I was a kid on Highway 41 will be gone.
I will never buy a Toyota, Honda, Yamaha as long as there is a Dodge, Ford, Polaris and Mercury. We have never built better products than we are building now.
Good Luck to everybody, we will need it.
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Member
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Guest,
My question may give us more understanding. If you are correct and the lowest seniority is 33 years, do these people get any kind of retirement package once the move is made? Any guaranteed retirement after 30 years? |
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| i own a business in FDL and mercury definitely helps put food in my kids mouths. sounds like a "MURDER - SUICIDE" to me...I hope i'm here in 2 years..great area to raise my little ones. |
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| Lowest seniority is 33 years???????HOLY CRAP BATMAN....No wonder it was a no vote. These guys are so close to living off government healthcare, Social Security and other public funds that they really didn't have anything to lose.....They sure as heck didn't take in to account the thousands of their relatives that this is going to affect!
Heck after the FLW/Evinrude fallout maybe they will have money to open the plant up!!!! Can you say run it or sell it...........
Good Luck
Tyee |
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| Published: August 23, 2009 02:36 pm print this story comment on this story
NEW: Mercury will expand Stillwater MerCruiser Stillwater NewsPress
Now that union workers have rejected a contract with concessions for Mercury Marine labors in Wisconsin, the company will move forward to expand its MerCruiser plant in Stillwater, the company announced today.
Union workers at Mercury Marine voted this morning to reject a contract proposal that company officials said was necessary to keep Mercury in Fond du Lac.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers – the union that represents production workers at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac – met at Fond du Lac High School at 9 a.m. today to cast ballots that were later tallied at the headquarters of the IAMAW Local chapter 1947.
The proposal, which was presented to the union Aug. 19, is valid until Aug. 29 at midnight. The union leadership chose to accelerate the vote to Aug. 23.
Mercury said it will continue to operate the Fond du Lac facility under the terms and conditions of the existing contract, which expires in 2012.
In light of economic conditions the company says will lead to a smaller market, Mercury had submitted a contract proposal to the union in an effort to reduce costs, improve operation efficiencies and ensure the company's competitiveness, company officials said.
Following the union’s vote, the company will consolidate much of its Fond du Lac manufacturing operations with its existing operations in an expanded Stillwater facility, Mercury Marine said Sunday.
Mercury said it expects to finalize details of state and local support programs over the next few days. Detailed plans and programs will be announced as they become available, and the company said it expects the full consolidation to take between 24 and 36 months.
"We appreciate the patient support of our employees and communities as we’ve gone through this process,” said Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine, in a statement posted on the corporate Web site. www.mercurymarine.com “This has been a very difficult and stressful process for all involved. We will work closely with our team in Fond du Lac to develop and communicate a transition plan for this 24-36
month process.”
"Local Lodge 1947 of The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has overwhelmingly voted to reject the "final contract modification proposal" of Mercury Marine," the IAM Local posted on its Web site www.iam1947.org after Sunday's vote.
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Member
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| " ballots that were later tallied at the headquarters of the IAMAW Local chapter 1947."
Interesting. Wide margin? OK. That explains that.
With that, I am done with this topic. Nothing more, really, needs to be said. They voted, the votes were counted, and now the next move is .......to Stillwater, OK.
Edited by Shep 8/24/2009 11:39 AM
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| No personal attacks are allowed on this site. Personal attacks, untrue and unsubstatiated comments are not tolerated and will be swiftly deleted. Everyone here has friends on both sides of the fence; remember that first and foremost.
Thanks,
Zach |
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Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | ok so 800 or so vote to suck unemployment for 3 years or as long as they can milk it before taking there retirement and SS. fondy and the aria have up to 5000 jubs or housholds affected that are either employed directly or indirectly by Merc . Another solid U.S company developes a bad name in a location that once was full of pride of ownership and quality. 800 or so union employee's (though getting the shaft on the offer laid out) Vote to take care of themselves and or become marters for the cause. fondys home values just dropped about 20% im guessing over night. This is a sad day and once again like everthing else in this country the minority chose the path for all. Wouldnt want to be put in the position of the Union brothers but the majority around my aria Union or not Past employee's of Tecumseh engins , and other shops all say live to fight another day and take the offer to take care of the other familys affected. Hey fondy! wile your all out looking for jobs remember... the folks voting will be out fishing on lake winnibago everyday and ice fishing all winter and drawing unemployment until there retirement kicks in. The rest of you will be on you own. As for Merc the company. Well No more product loyalty for me! Once a loyal merc supporter now my motor choices when made will be done stricly on Re-sale, dependabuility, cost of ownership. I DO HAVE ONE INTERESTING EXAMPLE. of what i feal is going on here. I have a buddy... his shop was shut down. Union for many many many years (entire life) He has been on unemployment for going on 3 years now and qualifies for more than the average 3 hundread and something a week because his job was eliminated and the plant closed. Part of what was once a 3000 count workforce in just this one location. Guess what.. been fishing almost everyday and enjoying life. 40 acre ranch is paid for and wife still works , big 20 ft deep v top of the line with a big black 250 in the shed.. 20 acres of prime white tail land to the north. Before you get the wrong idia , This guy busted his hump for 40 years and earned his keep. he saved his pennies and after going threw some health issues said no big deal im done working. he draws some of the well deserved unemployment that he paid into all is life 50 times what he will ever draw out and has little stress over it at all! IM FINE WITH IT TOO! Though a Union Man and seeing a battle over the years with jobs moving south and all the contracts to the point of the plant closeing he thinks without knowing all the details that for the good of the comunity and younger generation the Merc union should have taken the deal and the Union members at the tail end should do there best to hold it togather until they can retire. Yet voting the way they did is understandable for a true union member at hear and there is plenty of justification to vote down the offer.. STill we both figured the majority of those remaining union shop members can afford to draw benifits from the state (have earned them) and enjoy the next few years until retirement kicks in. Anyone selfish would be dumb to take the offer yet anyone with the best interest of the comunity and who does have any pride in the work they have done and the Mercury engine brand knows if Fondy is left behind it will be devistating to the comunity and also to the brand. These kinds of fights can drag down a company and cost them more in lost sales and revinue product quality issues and so fourth. either way its not good for anyone other than if a guy is counting his days till retirement and cant get out of going to work and still qualify for all the unemployment and gravy long term unless the company shuts down or eliminats his or her job. sad sad monday morning and if your looking to cash out of your home in the next few years id put it on the market now. |
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| Sorry, Zach. But the guy was on TV martyring himself. I figured if he could be on TV with his name, he can darn well be pointed out for who and what he is.
There's no other way to describe what these people are. |
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| Sunshine - 8/24/2009 10:44 AM
Guest,
My question may give us more understanding. If you are correct and the lowest seniority is 33 years, do these people get any kind of retirement package once the move is made? Any guaranteed retirement after 30 years?
Can someone answer this question. Sounds like many know these types of answers, why is no one talking who voted no? |
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Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | oh boy ..... What is Walleye Weekend gonna be like? Merc National... Tradition? Bad Blood ? Boat burnings? no event at all? oh never mind i even braught this up......... its kinda like talking about where we are going to go for thanksgiving a day after a family lost a grandmother... kinda feals like a death in a way... Still cant get over the bad fealing in my Guts. Im in Denial! i must be! but this kinda hurts ya know? |
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Member
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Location: Coatesville, PA | I realize this is going to hurt alot of people and it seems the union members vote casts them as the villian. But think about 3 things.
1. Will Mercury lower the price of their products when they move production south to the cheaper labor?
2. When Mercury moved production of their smaller motors to China, did they lower the price?
3. I think it was stated that the corp headquarters employ's 1000 people. So the 800 people on the shop floor are responsible for Mercury being unprofitable?
I'm a worker, but not union. I'd bet you could go thru Merc's corp offices and find the same kind of shameful spending and perks that were revealed in the financial world after the meltdown. |
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Location: Menasha, WI | Developing.... http://www.jsonline.com/business/54558552.html
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| This isn't about lowring the price of motors. This is about trying to keep the sell price competitive and still make a profit.
What is so hard to understand about that?
And this is not all about the union, either. This State bears a great share of the blame, for this, other lost companies, and those who will not consider building here. Harley, for example. A WI based company, that won't even consider building a new plant here. And the cost of labor is not the reason! It's the bad business environment and policy's of this State.
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| Viking - 8/24/2009 3:47 PM
<p>Developing....</p><p> </p><p>http://www.jsonline.com/business/54558552.html <br /></p>
Good read Viking, seems Mercury is still trying to work this out. I hope both Merc and the voting union members keep what is best for the community in mind during these very important times.
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| "thumper - 8/24/2009 7:54 AM
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.
Anyone? Anyone at all?"
It didn't. It just accelerated the inevitable by 12 months or so. Those jobs were gone no matter what. Foregone conclusion with the Amercan comsumers choice to support Japan for a few saved dollars(so they think). It was just a matter of when. It's illegal to make Americans work for the wages they need those motors to be manufactured at to truly compete. Plain and simple. |
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| Typical union rhetoric. The Japenese don't work for peanuts and there motors aren't any chaeper, just better. They take pride in there work not like many union employees that only worry about what the company can do for them. |
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| guest - 8/24/2009 10:41 PM
Typical union rhetoric. The Japenese don't work for peanuts and there motors aren't any chaeper, just better. They take pride in there work not like many union employees that only worry about what the company can do for them.
Really? The average wage for a worker in Japan is $1.20 pr hour. Sounds like peanuts to me! |
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| "It's illegal to make Americans work for the wages they need those motors to be manufactured at to truly compete. Plain and simple"
So then it is illegal what Mercury is doing for wages in Oklahoma? Give me a break. I don't hear them complaining about there job, in fact they are begging for more jobs. I guarantee if Mercury would post the 800 jobs with the proposed plan there would be a waiting list for people to get in.
This is the same problem the auto manufactures faced, only big government is there to bail out Mercury's union workers. |
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| Get your facts straight. Japanese workers are well paid. If you don't know what you are talking about don't post. |
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