Gov. Doyle Saved Mercury Marine; Scott Walker Asleep at the Wheel

Six years ago, Gov. Jim Doyle, the city and county of Fond du Lac and (IAM) Local 1947 pulled out all stops to save 1,000s of jobs in the Fox River Valley at Mercury Marine and the region, (Mal Contends) (Mal Contends).

As for Gov. Scott Walker and Oscar Mayer? Walker is asleep at the wheel.

And Walker is very testy about Wisconsin citizens asking any questions, (Democurmudgeon).

Walker denied there was anything he or his 'jobs' agency could have done, saying "... it has nothing to do with Wisconsin and has everything to do with a corporate decision ... ," (WISC-TV).

Bad message, shows Walker is out-of-touch and helps only his cronies and donors.

Walker switched tracks on Friday and wrote a letter to Democratic legislators, saying Republicans and Democrats "need to work together to help the workers and families being hurt ... ."

Following Walker's epic failure of his 'jobs' agency, (Ivey, The Capital Times) the only question is if Wisconsin can survive the rest of Walker's tenure.

Typical Scott Walker: Deny, qualify, reverse and no accountability from Governor Jobs Failure.

Did Merc Union Negotiator Receive Death Threats

Update: See Roger Bybee's piece at In These Times: "(W)orkers and their families soon came under enormous pressure to reconsider [the new contract with 'more than 170 changes' as] ... unbearable pressure ... [and] profound worry about their families' futures" seized the (IAM) Local 1947 made out to be the fall guy by Mercury officials. Such pressure did not grip Dustan E. McCoy, Chief Executive Officer of Brunswick Corporation. McCoy in 2008 ... raked in $9,334,343 in total compensation."

Brunswick's stock (BC) is up 162 percent since early July.

In the wake of tens of millions of dollars in state, county and city incentives for Mercury Marine to retain and increase its manufacturing jobs in Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac is breathing a sigh of relief.

But word around the campfire is that the third union vote held last week after lead (IAM) Local 1947 union negotiator Dan Longsine announced his resignation was preceded by several threats made against Longsine's life.

Unconfirmed, but the drama and fear in Fond du Lac these last few weeks certainly makes the rumor seem plausible.

Oklahoma Merc Plant to Close, Jobs to Fondy

Rollercoaster ride in Fond du Lac.

Aggressive Wisconsin pols looking out for their own? Corporate duplicity?

Whatever the machinations in the minds of the decision-makers at Brunswick and Mercury Marine, the Fox Valley and (IAM) Local 1947 are relieved; not so in Oklahoma.

The latest:

From the AP in the Chicago Tribune:

STILLWATER, Okla. - After Wisconsin workers agreed to concessions, Mercury Marine said it will move work there from Oklahoma within two years, putting 380 employees in Stillwater out of work.

The boat engine maker pitted its manufacturing plants in Stillwater and Fond du Lac, Wis., against each other, saying it would consolidate the plants but hadn't decided where.

When a union representing workers at the Wisconsin plant agreed last week to wage and benefit concessions, the company announced that plant would remain open.

On Friday, Mercury Marine said it would take 18 to 24 months to complete the Stillwater layoff.

'Eventually we'll close the Stillwater facility,' Mercury Marine spokesman Steve Fleming said.

Company President Mark Schwabero said the consolidation needed after major declines in the recreational boating industry. 'As we've stated throughout this important process, comprehensive changes to wages, benefits and operational flexibility are necessary for Mercury to effectively compete in a smaller and fundamentally changed marketplace,' he said.

State Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, worked with state officials to put together a tax-incentive package to entice Mercury Marine to stay. 'This went down to a corporation trying to get concessions out of a union, and I think they leveraged another community to do so,' Williams said.

Angry Stillwater Hits Union and Co, 'Merc Tore Up My Life'

Update: Looking back on now in 2013, I bet a lot of people are happy Jim Doyle was here to keep the Fox River Valley from being decimated, had Merc moved substantial operations. Think a fool like Scott Walker could pulled this off?

Stillwater, Oklahoma is saddened by the Merc vote and Mercury Marine's decision to move jobs up to Fond du Lac, instead of down to Stillwater.

But that didn't stop Larry Brown, president of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, from taking a shot at the (IAM) Local 1947 that he accused of being placed on a "pedestal."

It's called collective bargaining and negotiations; been around since the Wagner Act. Look it up, Larry.

The sacrifice that the (IAM) Local 1947 is making for their jobs, their families and the community - with a big assist from the city and county of Fond du Lac and state of Wisconsin - is appreciated and feted here.

From Monique Headley of the Stillwater NewsPress:

‘Disappointed. Hurt,’ said 16-year Stillwater plant employee Todd Pierce. ‘It’s been a major part of my life. I’ve got no voice. This was decided by someone else … (Mercury) tore up my family and my life. That ain’t no way to run a business.’

In disagreement with and numb from the outcome, at times Larry Brown, president of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, spoke with a voice that broke with emotion to about 20 workers gathered at Brannigans at 600 McElroy Rd.

‘I don’t think it will be a good decision in the long term for Mercury Marine.' Brown said. 'It elevated the union to a pedestal they won’t be able to knock them off of. The union will be claiming victory and that they came in on a white horse to save jobs … It’s a good win for them. I am just not happy with how it came about.’

To ease the angst, he bought a round of drinks for the bar.Brown said the team - from Stillwater economic developers to state lawmakers - to keep Mercury in Stillwater put forth an amazing effort.

One team member, Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, said Thursday he will look into repealing state tax credits the state gave Mercury Marine in legislation he helped get passed this spring.

Mercury Union Accepts Contract Takebacks and Concessions

IAM Local 1947 votes: Yes. Breaking ...

Mercury Marine union workers save the day and the city of Fond du Lac.

Make no mistake, the economic health of the Fox Valley is being borne on the strong backs of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Hail organized labor. Fond du Lac and the entire state owe a debt of gratitude to (IAM) Local 1947!

From (IAM) Local 1947:

Wisconsin Machinists at Mercury Marine

Fond du Lac, Wi,
September 4, 2009

The members of IAM Local 1947 in Fond du Lac, Wi have ratified a modification of their current labor agreement that will result in job security and the movement of jobs from other Mercury Marine locations to Fond du Lac, Wi.

Machinists union leaders met with Mercury Marine top management and with this vote, have a commitment that the company will stay in Fond du Lac, Wi, and move more work to Fond du Lac over time.

Our members vote for the company proposal, while being a very difficult decision, clearly says that they are willing to work with Mercury to secure a sound future for themselves, the company and the community.

Let's be clear. This decision to modify our current labor agreement is a huge sacrifice on the part of our members and should not be taken lightly.

We fully expect Mercury Marine to honor their commitment to keep our jobs in Fond du Lac and their promise to move other work from Mercury Marine facilities to Fond du Lac.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Governor Jim Dole for the support we have received from the state of Wisconsin.

We are now prepared to move forward.

Russ Krings

District 10 Representative

Mercury Marine Workers See Daylight, Wisc Pols Come Through

Updated: Gov Doyle saved Mercury Marine and 1,000s of other Fox Valley jobs with the biggest incentive package ever given out in Wisconsin.

Updated - "Through the efforts of state and local officials...," reads the (IAM) Local 1947 webpage. That's the lede everyone is looking for.

A radical game changer out of Fond du Lac.

After the city and county of Fond du Lac and Wisconsin put together incentives to keep Mercury Marine jobs in Wisconsin, new word comes that Mercury Marine and the (IAM) Local 1947 [now updated] may strike a deal not only retaining manufacturing jobs but actually moving jobs from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Fond du Lac.

Details on the negotiations are sketchy but the newly scheduled contract vote on Thursday and Friday may signal some great news coming out of Fondy.

Brunswick Corp. executives likely did not suddenly convert to Louis Uchitelle's concerns expressed in The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences.

Fond du Lac and Wisconsin offered publicly funded incentive packages to Merc for the benefit of workers and the surrounding communities that constitute nothing less than the dreaded industrial policy.

Wonder how many Sarah Palin-John McCain voters in Fond du Lac County [28,155 GOP to 23,457 for Obama-Biden in 2008] are going to scream: "Socialist!"

From the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Local Lodge 1947):

Fond du Lac, WI,
September 2, 2009

Through the efforts of state and local officials, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Mercury Marine have met and prepared a supplement contract proposal that was presented to the members of Local 1947 on August 23, 2009.

The supplement and the contract proposal will be presented to the IAM Local 1947 membership in a voting process that will take place on Thursday and Friday, September 3rd and 4th, 2009. The supplement contains clarifications of the August 23, 2009 proposal. ...