Thursday, July 01, 2010

Who's At Fault Here

From the Escanba Daily Press.
"NewPage workers picket
Upset with no contract agreement

By Jenny Lancour
POSTED: June 30, 2010

Members of the United Steel Workers Union from NewPage picket Wednesday in a local neighborhood to show their frustration with the lack of a fair labor agreement . The union contract expired more than two years ago.

ESCANABA -A group of union employees from NewPage displayed their frustration on the lack of a fair contract agreement and picketed with signs in front of a boss' home Wednesday.

About 40 members of United Steel Workers Union Local 2-21 carried signs reading "Labor Dispute" in front of the Lake Bluff home of mill manager Mike Entz. The employees' labor pact expired in June 2008 and negotiations have failed to reach a settlement.

"We're beyond two years for a labor contract," said union team leader Jim Sivertsen on the picket line. "Negotiations have been slow and mostly unproductive.""
NewPage workers picket - DailyPress.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information | The Daily Press

Let's see, since 2008, their guy becomes president. Bart Stupak and the democrats run congress. How's that hope and change going?

As Mark Belling from WISN said yesterday, Do the steel workers understand the dems and their union leaders are selling them out. Look what might of happened at Bucyrus and the steel workers union in Milwaukee.

From JS Online.
"Despite skepticism from government officials in Washington, a Milwaukee business group is standing by its contention that nearly 1,000 U.S. jobs would be retained or created if Bucyrus International Inc. salvages an order to supply equipment for a coal-mining operation in India.

The order for $600 million in mining machines is at risk of falling through after the U.S. Export-Import Bank - citing environmental concerns - last week denied loan guarantees for the project. The company says it will probably lose the orders, and the jobs, to an overseas competitor." Business leaders insist 1,000 jobs at risk if Bucyrus loses India contract - JSOnline

The economy is bad, unemployment is high and these people in Escanaba are picketing. Did the picketers remeber what New Page did to Niagara and the Fox Valley mills? Are they looking for New Page to shut down the plant?

Keep contributing your dues to democrats and your union leaders and you will see in the future what you will get. For the last two years companies do not know what the Obama administration will do to them and the rank and file think they will get a contract done to their benefit?

I do not know all the issues in Escanaba but the workers in Escanaba are in the same boat as the rest of America. We're all scared of the future and the dems are in charge. We're scared. we're worried and we're mad as heck about our future.

4 comments:

WTF-FML said...

I was at the picket. We are not picketing for anything economic. We clearly know what the economy is doing. The issue is contract language regarding safety, future jobs and reinvestment back into our mill. Once again the union has never brought economics to the table. That has never been an issue.

Paul - Berry Laker said...

WTF,

Thanks for giving me some more information.

If it's all safety issues then why aren't some of those issues in the article.

Sorry, if that is the issue, you sure are not getting a positive spin from the press on your issues.

You need better PR from your leadership.

Good luck and have a good and safe holiday weekend.

WTF-FML said...

Paul,
I must say, we have been receiving fair coverage. Our President is very critical of what and how he answers the media. However: with that being said, there was a quote in the local paper stating that we had to resort to threats….. to finish the quote…. We had do threaten NewPage’s chief negotiator with board charges to get him back to the table. He would not provide negotiation dates for us to meet..

Peace out

Paul - Berry Laker said...

WTF-FML

Thanks for that information.

Good luck with the negotiations.

Have a good week