Fence up, fears growing at Electro-Motive in London

[liner]

A union leader fears violence after a Caterpillar subsidiary erected a fence Wednesday around London's Electro-Motive plant and workers scrambled to hold a strike vote.

Union officials say the final offer would cut wages to $16.50 from $35 an hour, even though the CAW has made it clear it'll accept no wage cuts even as Caterpillar enjoys record profits.


http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/12/28/19174916.html


This will be interesting to watch.

[ralph]

This will be interesting to watch.

There's going to be blood shed, the writing is on the wall. Electro-Motive/Caterpillar has drawn a line in the snow with their final offer they made to the union and it's members. They have basically said "Take a cut or take a hike".

Caterpillar is no stranger to strikes in Ontario. Caterpillar built and opened a new plant in Brampton, Ontario back in the 80's. They built the "tool carriers" there. The membership went on strike, CAT locked the plant up and moved everything back to the US. I doubt they are afraid of Ken Lewenza and the CAW.

[end of the road]

So let me get this straight.

Despite the cut in corporate tax rates.

Despite the fact it has resulted in more money for the corporation.

It is not resulting in more people working for better wages as was promised.

Go figure.

[ralph]

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/30/caw-votes-in-favour-of-london-caterpillar-plant-strike/

Union says "Game ON">>>it's gonna be UGLY!

[liner]

Reading all the comments to this story on the London Free Press web site and there seems to be very little sympathy for these $35 hr CAW workers.Way to go Lewenza...you've managed to close down another plant!

[end of the road]

Not a fan of unions, however to tell employees they are getting their wages cut by more than half is beyond reasonable. First question I would have is what sort of cut is the upper brass getting?

Truly though, I am sure CAT is hoping they are forced to shut down and get the same work for a tenth of the wages somewhere else.

[Pipeman]

It'll moveto Mexico just like a lot of Cat's operations have done.

Mullen moves many loads from Laredo back to Canada of Equipment built by Cat in Mexico,

[ralph]

[QUOTE=Pipeman;54706]It'll moveto Mexico just like a lot of Cat's operations have done.QUOTE]

Northern Indiana, either Gary area or Fort Wayne area are the two rumoured favourites.

[liner]

Hard-hit U.S. town still waiting for Cat jobs to appear

That's a familiar story in London, but one also playing out south of the border in Muncie, Ind. - where many London workers fear the jobs at locomotive-builder Electro-Motive Diesel could be moved by U.S. owner Caterpillar Inc., through its Progress Rail division.

Progress Rail even paid retirees from London to help - something that raised the ire of the Canadian Auto Workers, the union for the London factory's workers.


http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/12/30/19182971.html


Doesn't look like they will be waiting much longer.

[ralph]

So the CAW retirees went to Muncie, IN and aided in the setup and training of the new workers!

WOW...talk about gutting your "union brothers"!

[end of the road]

helping one is gutting another, but in the long run it helps the union and that's all that matters.

[liner]

So the CAW retirees went to Muncie, IN and aided in the setup and training of the new workers!

WOW...talk about gutting your "union brothers"!

So these retiree's,while collecting their fat pension checks from the CAW then took another paid position to train new workers in Indiana. And they have the balls to call Caterpillar GREEDY. LOL

[Sleepwalk]

"The workforce hasn't been as easy to find as they thought," Roysdon said.
Why that's the case is tough to determine, with Progress Rail reticent to speak. But two factors come to mind: low wages and training requirements.
In September, an employee told Roysdon that wages ranged between $12.50 and $14.50 an hour, a tough sell in a region where vanished manufacturing jobs once paid $25 and up an hour.
Tough to determine? Really?

Sounds a lot like the "driver shortage".

[ralph]

helping one is gutting another, but in the long run it helps the union and that's all that matters.

How is this helping the "union"?

[SpiritRoad]

How is this helping the "union"?

Perhaps he forgets that the CAW and UAW are 2 different unions. Who's the union in Muncie? UAW ?

[Pipeman]

Perhaps he forgets that the CAW and UAW are 2 different unions. Who's the union in Muncie? UAW ?He just wants what is best for the AMERICAN Union.

[end of the road]

Ah 2 different unions. I was just thinking of the union bosses. They have a job despite losing jobs to the US. I figured it was the same people and 100 jobs here or 100 jobs there was still 100 people paying dues.

[ralph]

Dec 31 (Reuters) - Caterpillar Inc said a Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) labor contract that expires Saturday at midnight will not be extended despite the union's request for two more months of talks and a mediator.

Caterpillar's Electro-Motive Canada subsidiary has been negotiating with the CAW for a new labor contract for locomotive production workers at a plant in London, Ontario for several months, but the parties have run into a roadblock over terms. On Friday, union members authorized a strike against Caterpillar's operation if the company imposes unilateral changes

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/01/caterpillar-caw-idUSL1E8C100P20120101

[end of the road]

If unions wanted to have some power against these types of actions the entire company should be part of the same union. If there was the threat of work disruptions at other plants over issues at one it may help them.

But the more I read about this the more it looks like CAT just wants to move the plant no matter what. If they really want to screw CAT accept the ridiculous offer they are making and try to climb back up the pay ladder.

[1-800-bigtruck]

I think Cat had full intensions of closing the London plant when they bought it , I pulled 2 loads of equipment from there early last spring to deliver at the Muncie plant ,

[Sleepwalk]

If they really want to screw CAT accept the ridiculous offer they are making and try to climb back up the pay ladder.

Would you take a pay cut to $0.19/mile?

[liner]

Electro-Motive workers locked out

By JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA

Last Updated: January 1, 2012 6:07pm

Workers at London's Electro-Motive plant have been locked out after a weekend of maneuvering by the union and management.

Earlier Sunday, the company claimed the workers refused to report to work and therefore were on strike.

But an hour after Carrie's announcement, the company announced the workers were locked out.

In a statement issued Sunday, the company blamed the union’s “changing positions” for the lockout.


http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/12/31/19184901.html

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/caterpillar-unit-rejects-caw-contract-extension-request-005847557.html;_ylt=AhYySwL170xcSFXah7xPFXg8ssB_;_ ylu=X3oDMTRuYTNuMTY4BGNjb2RlA3ZzaGFyZWFnMnVwcmVzdA RtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBOZXdzIEZvciBZb3UEcGtnAzYzMjgzYjk1 LTcxMTEtMzRjMy04YzQ0LWQwZmYxMDYyNGJhYwRwb3MDMQRzZW MDbmV3c19mb3JfeW91BHZlcgM1NGU5ZjFiMC0zNGFkLTExZTEt YmZmYy1lYWZhNTQ1ZjdmZWY-;_ylg=X3oDMTM5MG9jMXFpBGludGwDY2EEbGFuZwNlbi1jYQRw c3RhaWQDMzYwNDNkODItZjYwOS0zNGI4LTg4NjItMWEzNDMzZj RlNGFjBHBzdGNhdANidXNpbmVzc3xlY29ub215BHB0A3N0b3J5 cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3

Lockout or strike,I think the final outcome will be the same...these jobs are history.

[end of the road]

Would you take a pay cut to $0.19/mile?

Well no, but I may take a cut from .65 to .35 in order to stay working.

[liner]

Standoff at the gates

ELECTRO-MOTIVE LOCKOUT: Locked-out union members delay a replacement boiler crew in the first confrontation of the London plant’s labour dispute

As a group, the CAW members who work in the boiler room get paid more and would have lost less than many if not most of their colleagues - their wage of $40.50 and hour was to be reduced to $34 an hour.

The ads promised free airfare, free lodging, free meals and a $45 an hour pay rate, better than the $40.50 an hour paid to the union employees.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/01/02/19190311.html


I wonder if they told them that the free lodging would be a cot inside the plant.lol

[CNDTRUCKMAN]

but that cut is too much ,from 35 to 16.5 ??

and a free meal?let them define the meal first. free---on what condition?

[Drifter]

If the government had any balls they would tell these companies that close to move to mexico or the U.S. could not ship into Canada for 1 year the U.S. could do the same for plants that move to Mexico. Being as politicians here and there are bought and paid for by corporations you will never see it. Nice dream tho.

[end of the road]

Drifter, that is a good idea. However it may be ineffective. The Canadian market is small potatoes. I have heard before that California is a larger market than Canada and way cheaper and easier to manage the supply chain in a relatively small area.

If CAT is willing to walk away from a profitable plant to save a few bucks, I am sure they would lose 3% of their market share for a year in order to save as well.

We all want free markets to reign supreme until it works against us, then we call on the government to interfere. Not saying either way is wrong but do see allot of hypocrisy in the whole thing.

It would be nice to have some way to prevent this from happening but the more restrictions you put on things the more ulikely you are to scare away business. Do you think cheap labour is the only reason manufacturing jobs go to the third world? No Environmental Agencies, No Labour Laws, No expensive government regulations to follow.

Sad but true.

[Pipeman]

Drifter, that is a good idea. However it may be ineffective. The Canadian market is small potatoes. I have heard before that California is a larger market than Canada and way cheaper and easier to manage the supply chain in a relatively small area.

If CAT is willing to walk away from a profitable plant to save a few bucks, I am sure they would lose 3% of their market share for a year in order to save as well.

We all want free markets to reign supreme until it works against us, then we call on the government to interfere. Not saying either way is wrong but do see allot of hypocrisy in the whole thing.

It would be nice to have some way to prevent this from happening but the more restrictions you put on things the more ulikely you are to scare away business. Do you think cheap labour is the only reason manufacturing jobs go to the third world? No Environmental Agencies, No Labour Laws, No expensive government regulations to follow.

Sad but true.I don't think you appreciate the hundreds of millions a year of equipment that Cat sells to the oil companies in the oilsands besides all the oil leases and roads that are built to access the patch.

[end of the road]

Hey I work in a mining and forestry town and see lots of CAT equipment too. I may be mistaken here but the markets don't even compare. US is 10 times the population base. US is not just malls and houses.

[CNDTRUCKMAN]

I will be an immigrant,so I would say lets get more qualified and educated immigrants here,without population there will be no market,but more population will consume more energy.kind of controversial...everything need a balance I guess.

[1-800-bigtruck]

Electro-Motive: Unplugged
http://www.am980.ca/EI/T/Images/Blogs/bullet_post.gifPosted 1/4/2012 5:02:00 PM

It’s not often a labor dispute in London, Ontario draws attention from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other international media outlets. Then again, it’s not often an employer asks its workforce to accept an immediate 55% cut in wages, along with numerous rollbacks in benefits and pensions.

That’s what’s happening at Electro-Motive where more than 500 London workers were locked out on January 1st. Thousands of others, who supply the company with parts, are left in limbo wondering how long this work stoppage will last – or, if the company might make good on implied threats to close the facility and move all work to a plant in the U.S.

London’s unemployment rate is currently one of the highest among major Canadian cities, something not lost on those who argue Electro-Motive workers should be happy they even have a job, regardless of what it pays. If workers are to be satisfied with simply having a job, why shouldn’t companies be satisfied with simply breaking even?

Electro-Motive’s parent company isn’t, but Electro-Motive’s employees are.

The company recently posted a record $1.14-billion dollar profit - not revenue, but profit - in its latest quarter. Despite this unprecedented success, Electro-Motive workers (perhaps in recognition of the economy?) are not demanding a 44% increase in wages. They’re not holding out for a 4% increase, or even a 0.4% hike. They’re willing to accept a wage freeze.

Caterpillar, on the other hand, wants to cut wages from $35 an hour to $16.50.

The company says, at least publicly, the reason for such a dramatic rollback is the time honored “need to remain competitive.” Who are they competing against? Their main competitor, General Electric, agreed in 2010 to a four-year deal that pays most of its American workers $30 an hour plus benefits.

In reality, Caterpillar is competing against itself.

Their workers in Muncie, Indiana currently build locomotives for $18 an hour. Ignore the fact the minimum wage in the United States is lower, the unemployment rate higher, the pool of highly skilled workers more shallow. Forget all of that. The company sees a chance to further increase record profits, no matter how marginally or how recklessly, and it’s issued a take it or leave it offer:

Give up half your salary, or else…

Give up many of your benefits, or else…

Give up a portion of your pension, or else…

Or else, what?

The CAW, to its credit, seems willing to find out.

In so doing, they’ve won respect and support from many who usually have no time for unions. They’ve also been chastised by others who say they’re being greedy, foolish, or downright stupid.

None of those labels apply, and certainly not the latter.

These are not high-school drop outs, nor juvenile delinquents. The vast majority of these workers went to College for years to become skilled tradesmen, others went to University to become engineers. It’s true, in a city with 9.8% unemployment, there are many who would gladly work for $16.50 an hour. Unfortunately, those same people don’t have the necessary skills required to perform these jobs. Caterpillar executives know this first hand. It’s why they’ve only been able to find 180 individuals with the necessary qualifications to work at their plant in Muncie, Indiana. They were hoping to have hired three times that number by now.

These are not jobs anyone can walk in off the street and perform. Oddly enough, those who can – at least in London – remain on the streets, collecting a few hundred dollars a week in strike pay. It hurts their families, but it also hurts our economy. They have less money to spend on services your company provides, or things you produce.

This impacts everyone.
The impact will be even greater if more than 500 workers give back half their salaries with no questions asked. The millions in ‘savings’ won’t be spent in our community. The money will vanish into the pockets of Caterpillar executives - none of whom live, work, or play in London, Ontario.

Electro-Motive workers have refused to blink.

It’s time the rest of us opened our eyes.




Posted By: Nathan Smith

[Ynot Cal]

Very similar to GM scheme back in the 80's in Flint Michigan, where Gm shut down plants and moved everything to Mexico. employees then were earning about 20/hr compared to mexicans at pennies/hr.

Gm also had record profits when these layoffs and plant closings were happening.
Wow this is the same GM who not that long ago was bailed out from tax payers money for having put tax payers in the streets back in the 80's.

Capitalism at its finest

[Marmaduke]

Very similar to GM scheme back in the 80's in Flint Michigan, where Gm shut down plants and moved everything to Mexico. employees then were earning about 20/hr compared to mexicans at pennies/hr.

Gm also had record profits when these layoffs and plant closings were happening.
Wow this is the same GM who not that long ago was bailed out from tax payers money for having put tax payers in the streets back in the 80's.

Capitalism at its finest

And yet the GM and Dodge trucks are still expensive to buy.

[end of the road]

Okay, so who would endorse/accept/support the idea of the government stepping in and taking over the company until a Canadian owner took over. It is socialist idea, but would resolve the issue.

[ralph]

Okay, so who would endorse/accept/support the idea of the government stepping in and taking over the company until a Canadian owner took over. It is socialist idea, but would resolve the issue.

NOT with my taxdollars!

[Pipeman]

NOT with my taxdollars!I would let the Government take over the illegal drug trade. *******s would go broke in no time,

[end of the road]

NOT with my taxdollars!

Not with your tax dollars, but that company MADE a billion dollars last year. So even with government BS it surely would still be profitable.

Not every crown corp is an expense. LCBO in Ontario is a good example of one that adds money to government coffers.

[ralph]

Not with your tax dollars, but that company MADE a billion dollars last year. So even with government BS it surely would still be profitable.

Not every crown corp is an expense. LCBO in Ontario is a good example of one that adds money to government coffers.

I'm a "Capitalist"...Governments should NOT own a business.

One of these years the LCBO will lose their monopoly and public liquor/party stores will be allowed to open. I am waiting for that day. I have my store manager and location chosen already!

[liner]

Not every crown corp is an expense. LCBO in Ontario is a good example of one that adds money to government coffers.


True but can you just imagine how much more money they could have made if it were not run by government!

[liner]

Not with your tax dollars, but that company MADE a billion dollars last year. So even with government BS it surely would still be profitable.



CAT made a good profit overall but from what I have been reading the London plant was NOT profitable so why keep throwing more money into a money losing plant.

[ralph]

Not with your tax dollars, but that company MADE a billion dollars last year.

You better direct your financial advisor to buy CAT shares then shouldn't you.

[Mr Bee]

And yet the GM and Dodge trucks are still expensive to buy.

I just bought a 2011 Chev Silverado. I paid the same money as I did for my 99 Silverado. A similar 2012 would have been a couple grand more.

[Mr Bee]

If 16.50 an hour is good enough for the people that haul the material to the plant, then shouldn't 16.50 be good enough for the people inside the plant?

[ralph]

If 16.50 an hour is good enough for the people that haul the material to the plant, then shouldn't 16.50 be good enough for the people inside the plant?

Welders, painters and material handlers are no more skilled than truck drivers so that sounds reasonable to me!

[nate980]

If 16.50 an hour is good enough for the people that haul the material to the plant, then shouldn't 16.50 be good enough for the people inside the plant?

I think not lol

[end of the road]

The average long haul truck driver makes the equivalent of $16.50/hour. And that is if they run the legal 70 and don't hide another 15-20 hours a week.

Factory Worker
$16.50 x 44 hours = $726
$24.75 x 26 hours = $643.50 (OT)
Grand total for 70 hours worked $1369.50

Long Haul Driver
600 miles /day x .42 = $252/day x 5 days = $1250
Border crossing/drops/lumper fees $100/wk maybe
Grand Total for running 3000 miles and getting $100 extra for "other stuff" $1350
Total hours 70+

Now there are guys making more for specialized or niche market stuff, but the majority of drivers running Van freight don't even make this I am sure. Average miles at the big outfits is 2500 per week. Who can live on that?

[end of the road]

CAT made a good profit overall but from what I have been reading the London plant was NOT profitable so why keep throwing more money into a money losing plant.

Hmmmm. This is not my understanding. I have read the London plant was the profitable part of the company. Are you suggesting that the union is intentional misleading the public? Please! Say it ain't so.

[mc94xr7]

If unions wanted to have some power against these types of actions the entire company should be part of the same union. If there was the threat of work disruptions at other plants over issues at one it may help them.

But the more I read about this the more it looks like CAT just wants to move the plant no matter what. If they really want to screw CAT accept the ridiculous offer they are making and try to climb back up the pay ladder.or they could find another job that will over pay them.

[mc94xr7]

Would you take a pay cut to $0.19/mile? Nope, I'd quit and look for a new job- better yet i'd work for minimum wage temporarily and be home every night till I find a better job.

[liner]

Looks like the Union isn't telling the real story about the company's last offer.Why am I not surprised.Still looks like a pretty good deal.


http://www.emcupdate.ca/wp-content/uploads/Employee-Letter-and-Summary-Dec-27-2011.pdf

[junior]

Now the truth comes out the broom pushers get 16.50 and it goes up to 34.00 greedy unions as usual. Hey brrom pushers Wal Mart is hiring greeters but you wont be able to hide!!

[Pipeman]

Now the truth comes out the broom pushers get 16.50 and it goes up to 34.00 greedy unions as usual. Hey brrom pushers Wal Mart is hiring greeters but you wont be able to hide!!How much do you pay your drivers?

[mc94xr7]

I always feel sorry for the Useless teamsters- I mean they always seem to play the Victim card :'(

[SpiritRoad]

I always feel sorry for the Useless teamsters- I mean they always seem to play the Victim card :'(

I didn't realize they had a dog in this fight. I guess you wouldn't want to miss an opportunity for a cheap shot, even when there is none.

Just curious what percentage of the workers (broom pushers?) fall into the $16.50 bracket and what percent will end up with $34.00 ? Don't know? I didn't think so.

[Pipeman]

I always feel sorry for the Useless teamsters- I mean they always seem to play the Victim card :'(Effective Jan. 1 my TEAMSTER Pension is now at $3898.74 per month. What's yours (if you're collecting) or what will it be if not???

[mc94xr7]

There's no such thing as a teamsters pension.

[ralph]

There's no such thing as a teamsters pension. Ok...what would you refer to it as?

[Pipeman]

There's no such thing as a teamsters pension.I paid into the fund and now I'm collecting. Why do you make such a stupid comment? Or are you trying to act like an expert in a field in which you have no knmowledge?

[mc94xr7]

I paid into the fund and now I'm collecting. Why do you make such a stupid comment? Or are you trying to act like an expert in a field in which you have no knmowledge? at SGT there was no pension- just cpp. how is that an ignorant comment when I'm telling you fact?

[ralph]

There's no such thing as a teamsters pension.

That's what you said/typed. You made a general statement that was incorrect.

You should have qualified your comment!

[Franx]

There's no such thing as a teamsters pension.
http://pension.teamsters-canada.org/section.php?lang=en&id=5

[end of the road]

You should have qualified your comment!

I suggest a foot note or prologue that reads "What I am about to say is utter nonsense"

[liner]

"There have been reports of intimidation tactics employed against our employees, which is particularly disappointing given that neither Toromont nor our employees have anything to do with this dispute." - a statement from Toromont Cat chief executive Paul Jewer, concerning threats against a London Caterpillar dealer. He didn't say who was making the threats.



Funny....I was just thinking about whether something like this would happen as I drove by the big Toromont CAT sign in London the other day.
Guess I better not wear my CAT hat around London.lol

[mc94xr7]

That's what you said/typed. You made a general statement that was incorrect.

You should have qualified your comment! a fact I know is unions dont pay you a pension. the company you work for pays your pension and the union just takes credit for it. At SGT, there is no pension. so therefor: there is no such thing as a teamsters pension.

[mc94xr7]

@ Linear. your company will be taken over forcefully one day. the way those loogans took over SGT by force was the Robert teamter loogans would prevent SGT trucks from picking up their loads and blocked SGT's terminals and set SGT trailers on fire. you'll see. I pray you don't but they are asking nicely right now and then when they get fed up, they will just march their cowards in and they will scare everyone into joining. loogan thugs is all the teamsters are

[liner]

loogan thugs is all the teamsters are

Urban Dictionary definition.
loogan

Originally a term, perh. derog., of an irish hoodlum.

Now used to indicate any rural, slack-jawed yokel of incestuous inbreeding.

Noted for intolerant, yet resourceful nature.

Especially applies to those in Northern Ontario and Tennessee.
The loogan in Sudbury was warming up the moment (with his first cousin, sex not determined) to the passionate stylings of David Wilcox's "Layin' Pipe."


or..

loogan
History of word- obscure, perhaps derived from "Hooligan"

1.n.or v.- A slang term used to describe an unsophisticated provincial person of backwoodsian origin; usually of lower-class, anglo-saxon descent.
"That service station attendant is a real loogan"


So that's the definition of a loogan.I don't believe I've ever heard the word before but I must say it is rather fitting.lol

[Marmaduke]

[QUOTE=mc94xr7;55263]@ Linear. your company will be taken over forcefully one day. the way those loogans took over SGT by force was the Robert teamter loogans would prevent SGT trucks from picking up their loads and blocked SGT's terminals and set SGT trailers on fire. you'll see. I pray you don't but they are asking nicely right now and then when they get fed up, they will just march their cowards in and they will scare everyone into joining. loogan thugs is all the teamsters are[/QUOTE

I find that hard to believe but I don't know anything about the teamsters except they are trying to build up thier membership again. If thats how thier going about it I wouldn't have anything to do with them either. That sounds like a scene from a Hoffa movie in the 30's.

[mc94xr7]

[QUOTE=mc94xr7;55263]@ Linear. your company will be taken over forcefully one day. the way those loogans took over SGT by force was the Robert teamter loogans would prevent SGT trucks from picking up their loads and blocked SGT's terminals and set SGT trailers on fire. you'll see. I pray you don't but they are asking nicely right now and then when they get fed up, they will just march their cowards in and they will scare everyone into joining. loogan thugs is all the teamsters are[/QUOTE

I find that hard to believe but I don't know anything about the teamsters except they are trying to build up thier membership again. If thats how thier going about it I wouldn't have anything to do with them either. That sounds like a scene from a Hoffa movie in the 30's.
I heard it straight out of the hrses mouth: Rick Davies- he said it with pride and bragged about it. He is our union leader (when I worked at SGT- he doesn't even drive. he works at the teamsters office. I told him the teamsters should be a real union like the CAW- ya you heard me- I actially gave the ones i call the Criers and Whiners a legit union. I was shocked to hear from Rick Davies say "the CAW isn't a real union because they do nothing and they are just in it for the dues". so I tried to get involved and make the "union" work how the myth of what the roll of unions is (the workers utopia paradise) but Rick Davies enforced what I know about unions: they are a leach that sucks the blood out of the workers and the company and the only time they help the workers is if it only benefits the union. I bet they take kick-backs from the company and the union pays the stewards extra so they can promote the union which is why there are so many people who want the union in their non-union company so they can be stewards to collect kickbacks too.
Thank you Rick Davies of the teamster local for telling me the dirty truth so i can share it with people who know only of the myth. oh ya- unions also fund leftwing partyies with my hard eand money while i vote right wing- now how does that make sense for me?

[ralph]

These picketers from Electro-Motive are as dumb as a box of rocks! Today they picketed outside the Caterpillar dealer Toromont in London. Sure Toromont is the CAT dealer but Toromont had nothing ,zip, nada to do with Electro-Motive.

On more positive news TSC stores in London and Oleyland boots have stopped selling CAT branded products! That will show those big mean corporate bass turds, won't it!

Edit: Apparently these Einstein's convinced other union members across CANADA to picket other CAT dealers.
http://www.therecord.com/news/business/article/661292--caw-pickets-caterpillar-dealerships-across-canada-to-protest-wage-cuts

[liner]

Bunch of overpaid whiners!What I find funny about these guys is the fact that they believe their "skills" are worth $34-$40 hr.If that were true then they should have no problem finding another employer willing to pay that rate.

[Franx]

Looks like CAT is going to shut her down..... http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1125718--electro-motive-to-close-london-locomotive-plant?bn=1

[SpiritRoad]

Looks like CAT is going to shut her down..... http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1125718--electro-motive-to-close-london-locomotive-plant?bn=1

Yeah that was in the cards all along. Try to make the union look unreasonable for not accepting an unreasonable offer then shut it down and move to a scab/right-to-work state. You can't be first but you could be next.