Interesting twist or nothing meaningful?

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In what can only be described as a surprise move, Mercury Marine issued the following statement tonight:

In light of the uncertainty surrounding the voting by Mercury employees on the company’s “best and final” offer made earlier to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Mercury and the IAM Midwest Territory have agreed to meet to bring clarity to the communications regarding the unchanged “best and final” proposal.  (Source: Mercury Marine and union will talk – WFRV)

The move occurs after voting ended abruptly this afternoon.

Voting ended abruptly by order of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Midwest Office.

In spite of delivering a vote on a proposed labor contract by the midnight deadline Saturday night, union workers were prompted by local union leaders to continue voting throughout the weekend and into Monday.

“We were planning on presenting the outcome to Mercury hoping they would have a change of heart,” said union worker Fred Toth Jr. “The (Midwest) union resisted the second effort for a vote, not the company.”

It also sounds as though it was upper levels of union leadership, that is to blame for the fiasco.

On Monday afternoon, Toth blamed IAM Midwest union leadership for letting the entire local membership down.

“The company allowed us out of work to begin circulating the petition. We got nothing but trouble from the union leadership who threatened to have us fired or walked out of the plant,” Toth said. “The whole thing – letting us vote with only two hours to the deadline was a ploy for the union leaders to save face. Everyone knew there was a midnight deadline. This wasn’t a game to us.”

Toth said local union official Mark Zillges and chief union negotiator Dan Longsine worked hard to get a deal done so workers could vote again.

“It was their superiors above them, including Russell Krings (business representative for the IAMAW), that failed to help us at all,” said Toth. “They even led us to believe there were bylaws preventing us from voting on the same contract.”

Here’s Mercury’s take on situation.

Fleming agrees that time constraints weren’t the only issue, adding that the IAM leadership’s reluctance to allow the membership to vote in a timely manner before the deadline was a relevant factor.

“We realize why the employees want to take action to save their jobs, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that time was the problem here,” Fleming said. “Union members asked for an opportunity to vote and the union wouldn’t let them. And when they gave its approval for a second vote that requires many hours to accomplish it was two hours before the deadline.”

Fleming believes the confusion over a second vote resulted when union leadership moved up the vote a week prior to the Aug. 29 deadline. The company repeatedly told union officials and union workers that the proposal was the “best and final offer.”

“We had initially asked for one vote to tell us their answer, which I think would have made it clearer to employees that there would be no second vote,” Fleming said. “And then (union leaders) stopped its membership from voting after that. And now Mercury is being stuck with this no matter what the union did. And why won’t Mercury change its plans, schedules and agreements.”

As for rumors being circulated regarding a decision having been made before the intial vote.

Fleming said the rumors that Mercury Marine had planned to move its operations to Stillwater, Okla., regardless of the outcome of the vote are untrue.

“We’ve said over and over prior to and during negotiations that not one decision had been made yet and that’s the absolute truth,” Fleming said.

For those hoping that a belated “yes” vote would change the decision to move manufacturing to Oklahoma, don’t bet on it.

Even if the union leadership had delivered a “yes” vote to the company this week, Fleming said it was “highly unlikely” that the company would accept the belated union vote after the deadline.

Same goes for the meeting referred to in the statement released tonight.

“We’re talking,” Mercury communications director Steve Fleming said Monday night.

He declined to elaborate on the significance of the situation but indicated that “talking” did not mean negotiating at the bargaining table. (Source: Mercury Marine, union seek clarity on 2nd vote – Green Bay Press-Gazette)

Still sounds like game, set, match.  Manufacturing jobs going to Stillwater courtesy of the union vote on August 23rd.

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Why 2nd vote was too little too late

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Mercury Marine held firm to it’s deadline of 11:59 pm last Saturday for the union in Fond du Lac to accept the proposed contract changes.  For all the rhetoric put out by the union leadership they had a fair chance, but in the end blew it.

The company said the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 1947 should not have waited until 10 p.m. Saturday to launch a second vote on a contract proposal that expired at midnight.

“There was an entire week in which the union should have allowed its members to have a second vote, rather than wait until two hours prior to the deadline,” company spokesman Steve Fleming said.

As the company pointed out there was another community involved and further delay wouldn’t have been fair to them.

“People should be reminded that there was another town, that we are very compatible with, in Oklahoma anxiously awaiting the results” of the vote, Fleming said.

“Frankly, it would be unethical to tell Stillwater that there was a schedule and a set of conditions for negotiations and then throw it all out the window because the union in Fond du Lac chose not to allow its members to vote” in a timely fashion. (Source: Mercury says 2nd vote too late to save jobs – Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal)

Plain and simple Mercury Marine was more than fair to the union during this entire process and gave them ample time following the vote to re-consider that decision.  The union dragged it’s feet and didn’t ensure a 2nd vote was completed and tabulated by the deadline.

That’s why it’s laughable what the union leadership had to say in calling off the vote this afternoon.

In a news release Monday afternoon, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers stopped short of saying that a second vote on a proposed labor contract was canceled. That vote was to continue until 6 p.m.

But “Mercury Marine failed to contact the union by noon today. Therefore, there is no last, best and final proposal on the table for the union to vote on,” according to the union’s District 10 headquarters. (Source: Mercury Marine union vote apparently called off – Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal)

It’s laughable because as of 11:59 pm Saturday there was no company proposal to vote on.  And once the deadline passed Mercury had no further obligation to contact the union.

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House to approve audit of Federal Reserve?

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The measure now has support from Rep. Barney Frank.

Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has endorsed a bill calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve.

The support from the powerful Massachusetts Democrat comes after the measure, introduced in late February by Rep. Ron Paul, has won hundreds of co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle.

Frank’s office had previously declined to comment on the bill, which had been idling in his committee for months, but the congressman publicly backed it when pressed on the issue at a recent town hall meeting held during Congress‘ month-long summer recess.

“We will subject them to a complete audit,” Frank said, explaining that he has been working with Paul, a Texas Republican, on the bill and expects it to pass as part of a broader financial regulatory overhaul in October.

Frank said he and Paul are working to make sure the audit does not appear as if it would influence policy.

“We don’t want to have the audit appear as if it is influencing monetary policy, because that would be inflationary,” Frank said.

He said the audit would make public a list of what the Federal Reserve “buys and sells” but that such information would be released several months after the fact, so as not to affect the markets.

An audit would provide some transparency and would be a good thing.  The bill calls for a first audit by the end of next year.

“I think it’s the financial crisis obviously that’s drawing so much attention to it, and people want to know more about the Federal Reserve,” Paul told FOXNews.com, warning about the consequences of continuing to give the body more authority. “If they give them a lot more power and there’s no more transparency, that’ll be a disaster. “

The bill would call for the comptroller general in the Government Accountability Office to audit the Fed and report those findings to Congress. The first audit would be ordered by the end of 2010.

The GAO’s ability to conduct such audits now is severely restricted.  (Source: Frank says House will likely approve audit of Federal Reserve – Fox News)

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Erpenbach not running for Governor

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One less contender on the Democrat side in the Wisconsin governor’s race.

Democrat Jon Erpenbach will not run for governor and will instead seek re-election to the state senate.

With Gov. Jim Doyle not seeking re-election, Erpenbach, of Waunakee, had considered a run for the office. But Erpenbach said he would be unable to commit to it fully because he needs to spend time with his two teenage children.

“It’s going to be huge,” Erpenbach said of the 2010 governor’s race. “This is going to take a tremendous amount of national attention from both sides and it’s going to take someone who can be extremely focused and not have other issues that they’re going to be dealing with.” (Source: Waunakee’s Erpenbach says he won’t run for governor – Wisconsin State Journal)

It’s still early but at this point only Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton has committed on the Dem’s side in what is a wide-open race.

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Mercury union leadership exposed

Following the passing of the deadline to accept the company’s contract offer it’s becoming clearer that union leadership is clearly to blame for up to 850 manufacturing jobs leaving Fond du Lac.  Despite it’s effort to blame Mercury Marine.

While union officials blame Mercury Marine for killing an 11th hour vote that might have kept more than 800 manufacturing jobs in Fond du Lac, many union workers say union leadership did too little, too late.

First there was the convincing of the membership to vote down the contract proposal on August 23rd.

Prior to the Aug. 23 vote, Toth said union leaders led the membership to believe that after the first contract was voted down, another would be brought back for a second vote. Toth described the atmosphere inside Fond du Lac High School that Sunday (Aug. 23) as “very hostile” with members voting on “emotion” rather than on the proposal before them.

Then there was the fiasco surrounding the supposed bylaw preventing a second vote when it became clear Mercury’s offer was indeed it’s last & final offer.

“We were told by District 10 union officials that there was a bylaw preventing workers from voting on a contract without at least three significant changes in it. Now we find out there wasn’t any bylaw. It was just an unwritten policy with the IAM. Policies are rewritten every day,” Toth said.

Once it was exposed for that lie, the union leadership dragged it’s feet waiting until THE LAST MINUTE to call a second vote.

“Why did the union wait so long to call a vote? They knew last Thursday that there was great interest among members in having a re-vote, so why didn’t they call for a vote on Friday,” said union worker Fred Toth Jr. “The union leaders dragged their feet on the whole thing, and in my opinion, alienated their members.”

Toth, along with fellow workers Rick Schmidt and Felipe Rodriguez, began circulating a petition last week calling for a second vote on contract changes proposed by company management.

As for the continuing vote after the deadline passed – a token gesture.

“They’re just trying to save face and point the finger at the company,” Toth said. “Mercury Marine was pretty adamant about every step they took including the deadline. What makes (union leadership) think Mercury Marine would change their minds now?”

The union leadership is now trying to claim Mercury sent a letter stating it would extend the deadline.

Dan Longsine, chief negotiator with IAM Lodge 1947, said the union was led to believe that members would be allowed to cast votes following the midnight deadline, referring to a letter forwarded to union officials by the company.

“They told us that as long as we made a good faith effort to start the vote, that if we didn’t have enough time, they would extend the deadline past midnight. Just before midnight the company told us if the votes weren’t tallied before the deadline it would be considered a rejection,” Longsine said. “This was a very calculated move by the company.” (Source: Questions swirl around Mercury decision to hold firm to vote deadline – FDL Reporter).

Yet union leadership claims to another newspaper there was a deal in place for an extension.

Union members said they were told that Mercury would allow them to take a second vote starting late Saturday night and continuing until the 850 eligible members could cast their ballots.

Union officials said that deal was arranged by public officials who acted as intermediaries between the union and the company.

“Then we were double-crossed. I feel like I have been thrown under the bus,” said Dan Longsine, chief negotiator for Lodge 1947. (Source: Mercury says 2nd vote too late to save jobs – Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)

Keep in mind this is the same union leadership that claimed it wanted additional negotiations.

“These workers and this community deserve more than a rushed process with an artificial deadline that failed to deliver a solution that worked for everyone,” Philip Gruber, an IAM Midwest territory vice president, said Friday in a statement.

“We are prepared to meet anytime, anywhere with this company to create a proposal that fairly addresses the needs of this company and the future of this community,” Gruber said.

Friday, company officials said the union had not yet told them it wanted further discussions. (Source: Mercury Marine union calls for new talks – Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal)

It’s obvious who was actually thrown under the bus and who did the throwing.  By virtue of their lies time and again over the last week, it was union leadership that threw people under the bus.  And it wasn’t just union members, it was an entire community.

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Cutting choices

That’s essentially what the health care reform bill currently making it’s way through Congress does.  An astute constituent points this out in a letter to the Superior Telegram.

Imagine the day when you find out your 80 year old mother has been told by her doctor that she needs a pace maker and the Government Health Board has decided that she is too old and she should just take a pain pill. (Pages 253, 425 & 430)

Later in the day you open your bank statement and discover the government has deducted several hundred dollars directly from your account without your consent because they have direct, electronic access to your account. You make several calls, talk to numerous bureaucrats to find out they have made a mistake and will credit your account when they get around to it. (Pages 163 & 59)

That evening your married daughter and her husband call to say that you will be a grandfather for the second time. They also tell you that a government representative will be meeting with them to discuss family planning and scheduling her pregnancies farther apart. (Page 768)

Maybe then you will thank representatives like Ron Kind, David Obey, Tammy Baldwin, Steve Kagen, Gwen Moore, Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl who decided to follow Democratic party leaders instead of the people who they represent.

The page numbers refer to HR-3200, The Obama Healthcare Plan. (Source – Health reform cuts choice – Superior Telegram)

Perhaps Congressman Kagen, if he has actually read the bill, could provide some insight as to why such things have been inserted into the legislation.  These are decisions that should be made by a patient and his or her doctor, not government.

Where’s the local MSM when it comes to asking Congressman Kagen about these things?  Or have you forgotten how to actually do “real” reporting?

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Actions of NBC and ABC inexcusable

Here’s the ad that NBC and ABC, on a national level, don’t want the American people to see. (H/T - Charlie)

So NBC and ABC why is it you refuse to run this ad on a national level that opposes Obamacare?  Opponents have just as much right to be heard as supporters and by refusing to run this ad you are suppressing their rights.  Just how invested are you as “state-run” media that you won’t take money to run an ad opposing a proposal of President Obama and his liberal friends running Congress?

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Statement from Rep. Tom Petri on Mercury Marine

U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI-06) released the following statement this afternoon.

“I am bitterly disappointed that the contract negotiations between Mercury Marine and Local 1947 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have been unsuccessful. Mercury Marine is important to Fond du Lac. We have provided an excellent community for the company with skilled and hard-working employees, and in turn, Mercury Marine has been a valued employer.

“The citizens of Fond du Lac can be proud of local efforts to keep Mercury Marine here. In particular, I would like to commend County Executive Allen Buechel and City Manager Tom Herre for their leadership, along with the numerous other state and local officials who have worked so tirelessly to achieve a positive outcome.

“As Senator Kohl, Senator Feingold, and I pointed out in our August 24th letter to Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero and Union President Mark Zillges, ‘Mercury Marine has been a vital part of the Fond du Lac community for seventy years and during this time, the company and Fond du Lac have formed a strong and beneficial relationship.’ In that letter we encouraged both parties to resolve this matter in a way that would keep Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac.

“While I am deeply dismayed that there has not been agreement on contract modifications, we must now urgently continue to focus on what can be done to keep Mercury’s corporate headquarters in Fond du Lac. To that end, I am pleased that last week Senators Kohl and Feingold joined me in sending a second letter to Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero asking the company to strongly consider the headquarters incentive package that has been developed by state and local leaders.

“As stated in our letter, ‘We understand that Mercury Marine faces significant challenges as it prepares for a changed environment within the marine industry over the next decade or longer. It appears that these challenges are understood and appreciated, and through its local leadership, this region has stepped up to remain a part of Mercury’s future. The commitment of our state and local leaders in working with Mercury on keeping its corporate headquarters in Fond du Lac reflects a belief that Wisconsin and its workforce still have much to offer Mercury Marine. We commend the efforts of all involved in laboring to maintain Mercury’s presence in Fond du Lac, and we encourage you to consider carefully the valuable contribution that this community can make to your success.’” (Source: Press Releases – WisPolitics.com)

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Senator Harry Reid bullies newspaper

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Perhaps this is why the two Gannett papers in the 8th district constantly act like lap dogs for Congressman Kagen and rarely have anything critical to say.

Has Steve Kagen or his liberal buddies bullied the local papers the way Senator Harry Reid bullied the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sunday accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, of “bullying” his newspaper by telling an employee he wants the Review-Journal shut down.

Sherman Frederick alleged in a column in his newspaper that the “full-on threat” was made during a brief exchange between Reid and the newspaper’s advertising director Wednesday at a luncheon for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Frederick said that as Reid shook the employee’s hand, he said, “I hope you go out of business.”

While acknowledging that his newspaper does not always see “eye to eye with him on matters of politics,” Frederick noted that ad director Bob Brown has “nothing to do with news coverage” or opinion pages.

The publisher is correct in calling out the Senator for his comment.

“No citizen should expect this kind of behavior from a U.S. senator. It is certainly not becoming of a man who is the majority leader in the U.S. Senate. And it absolutely is not what anyone would expect from a man who now asks Nevadans to send him back to the Senate for a fifth term,” he wrote. “So today, we serve notice on Sen. Reid that this creepy tactic will not be tolerated.” (Source – Publisher accuses Reid of “bullying” Nevada newspaper – FoxNews)

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Representatives, not rulers elected

Great letter to the editor.

I attended Rep. Steve Kagen’s listening session at the Brown County Central Library and have since heard concerned citizens described as Nazis, brownshirts, terrorists, unAmerican, evil-mongers and paid mobs.

We have been contacting senators and representatives for months regarding their rushed massive spending and government takeovers. Unemployment is skyrocketing, businesses are closing, and the federal deficit is projected to quadruple last year’s record.

If nationalization of health care passes, the Congressional Budget Office projects an additional deficit of almost $300 billion. This government has not exactly earned the confidence of the American people.

Our outrage is about government bureaucrats, appointed by the president and overseen by Congress, mandating our health care; it is about financially penalizing American taxpayers and businesses if we don’t take a “government-approved” plan; it is about covering “non-U.S. citizens.”

These are all in the bill and more. Yes, we are frightened — these officials are supposed to be our representatives, not our rulers.

Thomas Jefferson said, “When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”

George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force … it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

Jan Weycker

(Source – We elect representatives, not rulers – Green Bay Press-Gazette)

It is pretty sad when elected officials act the way the Representative Steve Kagen and others have acted when it comes to responding to concerned citizens.  Look at the actions of the federal government since the liberal Democrats have been in control.  The crap that has been shoved down the throats of the American people is ridiculous.  These people are ELECTED Representatives and should be listening to constituents, respecting constituents.  Instead they continue to act as rulers who can do whatever they want.

Hopefully people of the 8th District remember what Steve Kagen and his liberal buddies have done to this great nation when November 2010 rolls around.

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