August 24, 2009
Shame on Mercury Marine
Once upon a time it was the law of the land to encourage collective bargaining. The rationale was clear. America would be more productive if workers and managers worked together. Industrial peace was a primary goal. And the theory was that rule-making by democracy in the plant was preferable to government imposition of rules.
Ah, but that was before ant-labor people were appointed to the National Labor Relations Board; before President Reagan destroyed the Air Traffic Controllers union; before Democrats looked to business for campaign dough. Kevin Phillips said, "It is no disgrace that Republicans support management. The disgrace is that the party of working people, the Democratic Party, opposes labor." Example--credit for NAFTA goes to the Clinton administration.
It used to be illegal for a company to threaten to close or move jobs as a bargaining tactic. Ah, used to be indeed! Mercury Marine told its 1,900 employees, "Take a seven-year wage freeze and a 30 percent cut for new or returning workers, or else!" The "or else" was clear: "We will move the jobs to Stillwater, Oklahoma if you vote no."
They were not negotiating. They were the third grade bullies threatening to take their ball and bat and go home. "My way or the highway."
What Mercury did should be illegal. If the Democrats expect rank-and-file help in the future they had better do more than Jim Doyle, who played the middle. He hopes for a settlement. "I cannot do it alone." Is he blaming both sides? Which side are you on, Governor? Are you telling us the union should have accepted? Is that your idea of bargaining? Would a three-year freeze get your support?
Good for the union. They had the dignity to refuse the bully's humiliating threats.
Afghanistan: Sum up the "good war"--the "Obama war"--with one sentence from Admiral Mullen: "I think it is serious and it is deteriorating."
Fighting Bob Fest will be heard on this good war.
Judicial nominees: Senators Feingold and Kohl have sent three names to the president to replace retiring Judge Barbara Crabb. They are Louis Butler, William Conley and David Jones. What? You don't know much about them? Ask your senators.
post a letter about this blog »
Good for the Union Members. Either way they will be losing their jobs. This way they will continue to earn their wages and have an event horizon that they can plan for.
Exactly how long does anyone expect the outboard motors to be part of people's recreational dollars.
Expensive to buy, expensive to maintain and ex pensive to operate aren't exactly good qualities.
-Rocky | Little Chicago, WI | August 24, 2009
Sorry there Ed but it seems like you were a little too easy on Oily Doyle. The stuff I heard on WPR this morning seems to indicate that Jimbo was disappointed in the workers and kind of blamed THEM.
Face it, there is NO Democratic party worthy of the name. It is no longer a brown shoe, working class party. It is now the party of the comfortably concerned who have no real identification with the workers of this country. Most of the rank and file would rather forget that their parents carried a lunch bucket so they could pay for the kids college education. Today's Democratic party is dominated by over educated college snots who have no idea what working people have had to put up with. It is all an abstraction to them. Doyle tops the list here in Wisconsin and the Obamists do it in Washington.
Yup, we need a legitimate 3rd party that can give some hell to the Dems and the GOP.
In the meantime lets hope the rank and file at Mercury do the only sensible thing left to them. Occupy the plant and take the management hostage. It shouldn't be the right wing taking a page out of Saul Alinsky and getting free TV coverage for sensational behavior at town meetings. Time for the workers, the producers, to do it too.
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI | August 24, 2009
Mercury Marine was simply stating facts. Parties involved in bargaining should be fully aware of the consequences of their actions.
Now Mercury Marine will move, Fond du lac will become a ghost town, and the former employees can live off the hard working (non-union) people of Wisconsin.
-Peter | Waukesha, WI | August 25, 2009
How would doing nothing and slowly go out of business help the workers or people of FonduLac?
Really, what else could they do? You balance the books or you are gone...end of story.
-Ted Gilman | Some farm in WI | August 25, 2009
We're dealing with people that don't believe they are shameful. We bail out bankers and guard the sanctity of insurance companies, yet this one guy will go ahead and cripple the city with a ripple affect like that hitting Janesville.
"money doesn't talk, it swears" - B. Dylan
-Steve Stuckert | Montrose, WI | August 25, 2009
current
--------
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003