GM prepares to shut Indianapolis plant after workers reject concessions

[DainBramaged]

General Motors Co. has started the wind-down of its Indianapolis stamping plant after UAW-represented workers yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 50 percent pay cut that was sought by a potential new owner of the plant.

GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter said GM has ended its search for a potential buyer.

“We are disappointed that UAW Local 23 was not able to ratify the proposed labor agreement,” Carpenter said in an e-mail.

“As previously announced, we will continue steps to wind down the facility, which will cease production in mid-2011 and close by December 2011.”

Gregory Clark, UAW Local 23 shop chairman, said last week that the cuts were too deep and the plant's 650 workers would take their chances transferring to another GM plant should jobs open. He said about one-third of the hourly work force is eligible to retire.

Clark was critical of the intervention by the UAW International into the issue. In May, the workers overwhelmingly said they did not want to initiate concession talks with the potential new owner, stamper J.D. Norman Industries.


http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100928/OEM/100929849/1424



The potential new owner was Chinese. They wanted SKILLED lifelong machinists to work for $14 an hour and cut benefits to the bone. Of course many here will whine, that $14 is a lot of money. Bullshit. $14 an hour is $28,000 a year gross. Support a family and pay a mortgage on that.

[blindpig]

1. Repeal Taft-Hartley

By banning 'sympathy strikes' this odious legislation removed one of labor's chief weapons from the game. A bunch of sympathy strikes would would give GM pause, to say the least.

Why has the Democratic party not revisited this reactionary law? Whose side are they on?

[DainBramaged]

2. Whose side are they on? Follow the money.....

Yesterday the opportunity to roll back the law rewarding companies for outsourcing was defeated by four DemoRATS who sided with the Pukes to kill the bill.

http://www.mlive.com/michigan-job-search/index.ssf/2010/09/senate_anti-outsourcing_bill_fails_to_ad.html

An anti-outsourcing bill introduced by Senate Democrats was defeated in a cloture vote today on a vote of 53-45. Four Democrats joined all Republicans and Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman to defeat the bill.

The bill would have ended certain tax credits, deductions and deferrals for U.S. companies expanding or moving overseas and given companies a two-year payroll tax holiday for any worker who was hired in the U.S. as a result of bringing jobs back from overseas.


The Senate Democrats voting against the bill’s advancement were Max Baucus and Jon Tester of Montana; Mark Warner of Virginia, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Lieberman, who also voted no, caucuses with Democrats.

What the fuck do they have to worry about in Montana and Nebraska. And I AM SICK of these small state Senators deciding for the rest of us how our government is run.

[blindpig]

5. Kinda my point

What you point out, the lack of party discipline, is a set piece which lets the Party have it both ways, "oh we're for this but these few won't play..." This guarantees the status quo and I think they like it that way.

The Senate is an anti-democratic institution.

[The Doctor.]

7. Damn.

When up for primary re-election, I hope those Senators and their constituents get daily reminders of this vote.

[Owl]

8. I too am disgusted with the 4 stupid dems (little d) and Indy Joe for fouling this bill.

How have these clowns accounted for their vote?!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. K&R

[Sinistrous]

4. "Concessions"?

My ass. Those terms were unconditional surrender.

Sucks that the plant will probably close.

[Brickbat]

6. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

I respect the hell out of these brothers and sisters. I know that some people wouldn't make their choice and will say they should have taken the terrible cuts...but I'm not one of them.

:patriot:

[DainBramaged]

9. At least a quarter of them (about 175) are OLD enough to retire

these are SKILLED machinists, physically fit to handle the rigors of a HUGE stamping plant, whose experience is invaluable. Now because of short term profit shortsightedness, they are out of the work force.

[Brickbat]

10. More and more, skill and ability to learn don't matter.

It's how low you're willing to go. Competition is supposed to improve the quality of competitors, but in the wrecked and crooked game we have going on, the cheapest ones win almost every time.