Scott Parr, International Association of Machinists business representative, said Thursday 20 members of Local 516 have been told by Manitowoc Cranes that they would be laid off.The kicker is the company is raking in big money, having one billion dollars in sales in just the second quarter.
There are 184 members of Local 516 at the manufacturer on 30th Street.
“We see this every four years with some companies holding on before placing orders in advance of the presidential election, but we have also noticed it doesn’t change things whether a Republican or Democrat is elected,” Parr said.
“If people need to buy, they buy so this may be more related to fiscal year-end budgets,” Parr said, noting the vast majority of cranes sold by the company in the U.S. are to crane rental companies which lease them to construction firms.
Parr said those machinists who would be laid off were not given a “call back” date when they would be returning to work.
Yup, Walker made a business-friendly environment, right along with the worker-hostile environment.
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Is equipment sharing still illegal in Fitzwalkerstan?
ReplyDeleteScott Walker is a complete failure at job creation. The "business-friendly environment" he hypes is a recipe for corporations to not pay their fair share of taxes, as well as corporate welfare. Using public tax dollars to create jobs has never worked, so why does Walker make the idea his centerpiece for job creation?
ReplyDeleteJobs are created by companies when those companies have a demand for their product.
It's an old, time-tested idea. Read a freaking economics book beyond 101.
For a great discussion on the very topic you bring up, see this video from Friday's Here & Now program, where Fredrica Freyberg spoke with John Miller (head of Miller St. Nazianz, an agricultural implement manufacturer near Manitowoc):
http://wpt.org/npa/HAN1112.cfm
Nuff said!
Hmmmm, wonder if we'll see them bring back the laid off workers at 1/2 the wage after they try having them made in China?
ReplyDelete