Electromotive Vs. Caterpillar Corporate Greed - London, Ontario

[kitfoxflyer]

Well, EMD all over in London now -- you turned down a pay cut to 20$ a hour to get maybe less than a years wages in buyout. Benefits now gone ? Pension ? still will be there hopefully. now back on street to find a job NOW -- EI will not pay you for quite a while since you got a buy out. If you a tradesperson - ticketed you ok --lotds of jobs out there- rest are just classed as " labourers" -- Good luck to all.

[wildchild7350]

@kitfoxflyer as an ex-Sterling worker I wish the families luck. Most will have to learn to live like the general public. They will complain hard times. They maybe should see that most of the population has been making these cuts for yrs. I've had 4 jobs in 20yrs go south.Ticketed workers will still have to look for the jobs. Most will have to move. We're supposed to feel bad? In the past we called that migrating. My family came from Scotland for work. Wonders who greedy here?

[andrewdishman26]

@kitfoxflyer so you think its ok for cat to pay it's top exec's and ceo tens of millions of dollars a year but not give the workers a half decent wage to support a family and have a half decent retirment package? you don't get it buddy, of course keeping thier jobs at a much lower wage is better than nothing, but by accepting that you are giving into the company and making not much more than you'd be making on welfare. 20 dollars an hour, i heard more like 16/hour.

[kitfoxflyer]

@andrewdishman26 -- EMD ticketed trades people the rate was 34$ a hour at the last offer. Un - ticketed = labourers - plain and simple. 16.50 wass the low end but 22 at high end of offer. Tickets are transferable and so is degrees. Labourers are a commodity so to speak.

[marchesantwins]

can count on harper for help... fucken neo conservative fag. cant believe the amount of stupid fuucks that elected him... gives our tax money away to these rich profit seeking leaches. this country is fucken stupid. if layton and the NDP were elected this shit would stop.and shit like this needs more news coverage... then Harper cant hide his bicth ass.. fuck this shit pisses me off!!!!!!!!!

[WJCTechyman]

@marchesantwins I seem to agree with you but our electoral system doesn't help either. FACT: Only about 60% of our voting population in Canada actually voted back in May 2011. FACT: 40% of that 60% voted Conservative. That's only 24-25% of the Canadian voting population introduced the reign of terror from Harper's Conservatives. Scary to think about. If Bill C-10 is approved, we will be in VERY serious trouble budget-wise.

[marchesantwins]

@LLB9977 ur a cunt. go fuck urself and read a book.

[IcePrincess00011]

if the workers of Canada aren't good enough for Cat or any other non Canadian company then they are not good enough to be up here nor are their products!

[IcePrincess00011]

I've been saying this for years, as Canadians we must support our own, you will pay a bit more but the money will stay here. We used to be more self sufficient now we are so lazy we just go to wallmart and sell ourselves out. It takes some effort but you can buy a dress shirt made here, you can go to Moors & pay $80 for one made in China or find that store where they sell Canadian made shirts for $70 & suits and pay less, I do it so can you.

[TheBart212]

@LLB9977 Actually it doesn't really bother me as it doesn't affect me. But it must really bothering you though. Faggot corn packer.

[TheBart212]

@LLB9977 WOW sounds like another youtube drunk post straight out of the Local. So when is your branch slated to be shut down?

[manhunter9]

The unions fucked everything up. you realize these are UNSKILLED WORKERS MAKING 30 FUCKING DOLLARS AN HOUR! THATS MORE THAN SOME ENGINEERS MAKE.

JESUS CHRIST UNION GREEDINESS NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME. UNSKILLED LABOR SHOULD NOT BE INFLATED IN ITS WORTH. DEAL WITH IT, THERE'S A REASON THE WORK IS UNSKILLED

[IcePrincess00011]

@manhunter9 did you work there, I did, and many of these ppl are skilled in a variety of areas, welders, machininists, millwrights and electritians. And they all had to be able to decifer the multi level blueprints, so unskilled they are not for the most part. as for your hate of unions, true some have gotten a little big headed but if it weren't for unions we'd all be working mandatory 6 days a week, with poor healthcare, education and minimal vacations and mat leave.

[WJCTechyman]

@IcePrincess00011 Hmm....I am wondering if some of those things you listed may happen with our lovely new governments.

[javelin1010]

This isn't just about unions and/or money. It's about big business and Ottawa biggies. Wake up Canada. Out of a job yet, HARPER!!!

[TheBart212]

@LLB9977 Sorry there Dumbass Made in NA is better than Made in China. As Canada is more economically tied to the US than China so I guess you're the idiot or most likely another Union numpty. The Unions gotten what it's sewn. Ford, EM along with all the rest. Kiss my ass CAW UAW you idiots are running manufacturing out of the country faster than the NDP would.

[TheBart212]

When in doubt blame Harper. LOL. The NDP would be doing such a better job than the CPC running corporations out of the country. Lets face it all you union boys go to WalMart and Crappytire religiously to by products made in china and off shore for your own greed to save a few bucks. Well the corps move out to find cheap labour. Fucking hypocrits. Whereever I go to buy I always look around for products at least made in North America ... DO YOU???

[oldhank2003]

The only thing preventing full blow corporate fascism is the organized labor unions. The gov/corporations dont follow their s own regulations. They slowly regulate the average joe into the state of being a "wage slave". If society has major concerns about the "dictator compounds" being unequal with their populace; try comparing the average people (sheeple) with da prez, CEO's, gold shareholders etc. Dictatorship is alive & well in the "free world".

[kryz24v]

If you have the Plant and the workers why not start your own Company ? you could compete against the world market on your own terms.

[kitfoxflyer]

check my video - EMd's lasdt day :(

[burnoutking1971]

Sad day in London today. Guess this is part of the Obama plan to bring jobs back to the US and the Harper plan to make the rich more so and the working class nothing but poverty stricken wage slaves.

[rspjbr]

Heard this morning that London plant operations is being shut down.

[tcharmon74]

Keep on striking there Canadians.. Wont hurt me one bit... Hope they close up there.. Keeps me busy..

[wildchild7350]

Are you ok? Nowhere did I mention a restaurant your talking about. Do I blame the Union and it's workers. Nope, no blame for that. Blame for fact they cared nothing for their neighbours losing jobs. Meanwhile sitting up road doing less work in better conditions for 3x's $ whining. Did they try to keep the feeder companies here? Nope. They 1st to scream for public assistance and tax dollars. Only Unions and tax $ kept jobs from going years ago. $ for employers and transporting Mexican parts.

[wildchild7350]

love the part about the cameras. Check the timmies or anywhere else and see the cameras, People making minimum wage. Then discuss the stress of cameras and how to live on $store groceries. Pretty sure Federal Govt giving the plant $ is going into the $30/hr + benefits these people make. They probably had to show their total wages showing where it needed. Revolution should have been to protect low waged feeder companies in last 20yrs. Now why should general public care about the high 99%.

[dataspongetube]

Occupy London Ontario is at EMD since Jan 2nd 2012

Thanking Local 4222 Custodial Workers in our schools!! A generous donation of a wood-burning stove kept everyone toasty warm through the weather. Brian also brought a large bag of warm clothes for anyone caught unprepared. Warm hearts in the unions! :)

[mustagsally1273]

Wow! How times have changed...and all the work that our forefathers went through to build unions to protect the workers...and seems only the lazy ones, the ones rubbing elbows with the union are protected...until this stuff happens, then no one is safe. Sad that unions have now built such a bad rep and even the companies have no respect for them. Also a former Windsorite, so born and raised relying on union work.

[saltiresteeler1]

Lewenza is a POS.

[chad071981]

@saltiresteeler1 I have to agree with that remark, and I'm from Windsor!

[kitfoxflyer]

Does this mean that EMD workers no longer get 35$ a hour but a 100 $ a week strike pay?

Yikes -- 40 cm of snow nextd day or two -- Tim horton will have to hire more staff to keep the strikers fed with hot coffee.

Cold and lonely place out there - Oxford street east.

[wildchild7350]

Been there. I worked at Sterling during final 2 years. They actually had us striking in winter. CAW knew building the plant in Mexico. Some of the same CAW employees were flown down to teach them how to do our jobs. They protect own and let others sink. If you have a decent job like this and no $ saved then need to look in mirror. Ask yourself if the huge house, cars and toys were worth your loss of dignity. Ask why think others making 1/3 should understand & support you.

[wildchild7350]

also laughed about the camera comments. Have they walked into ANY stores lately. Even Timmies employees are being watched. I work in a call centre. My calls and keystrokes are monitored. Most of these places make about minimum wage. Yet they don't whine near as much. Every job is "stressful". Most of us aren't making what you can on stress leave. Do like the rest of us. Learn to live on less of the expensive material things. Enjoy the strike time.

[lucettelp]

@wildchild7350

So you are saying that it is OK what is being done to non unionized employees? If the unions go down, then the bosses won't have to find an excuse to fire pregnant workers at Timmies - they will be able to openly state that the are firing people because they are pregnant. If the unions go down, it will be much worse for everybody!

[wildchild7350]

@lucettelp Can see government protecting minimum wage employees? This has nothing to do with firing rules. This is about people who have been getting 2% increases on tax $ for years. Federal Gov't should only step in if company offering less then minimum wage. They saved these workers jobs 4 years ago with billions tax dollars.  Pretty sure those plants aka employees got yrly increase $. Are Fed govt supposed to "save" the overpriced "Union" protected worker their whole lives.

[lucettelp]

@wildchild7350

I am not in a union and I am glad that I was neither a worker or a customer at that restaurant that closed when it was found out they put cameras in bathrooms – presumably to prevent theft of cutlery. So you are blaming unions for NAFTA (and possibly the new Perimeter Security border)?

[wildchild7350]

@lucettelp besides you might want to see how many people are employed with Union backing. Betting there is far more of us who have lost jobs that supplied these plants years ago. People who didn't see a CAW high priced person come and picket to keep local. No Federal Govt ran to save our butt every time contracts came up. These placed doomed when all parts in Mexico. You and CAW just didn't want to see it happening. There is well trained workers just waiting. Read the weekend Metro

[kitfoxflyer]

Well -- EMD is locked out now.

Union's Bullying tactics?: Fear fo safety?"

CAT pulled the plug ---- ?

Sit back and grab some popcorn - this show will be interesting in the days to come.

[wildchild7350]

Revolution happened years ago. When all the feeder companies closed leaving lower waged people to suffer. Now CAW and these higher paid employees want pity. Never. I've had 4 jobs in 20yrs go south. Lowest paid was $6.85 making wire harnesses for Ford. Highest was $18 at Sterling for 2yrs. Did they care? They aren't going to pay fees to bring those MADE IN MEXICO parts North forever. All those MADE IN CANADA bumper stickers make me laugh. Don't like the work conditions find a new job.

[greglorious]

I stand with the union. Neoliberal capitalism's never ending mantra of more and more profit at the expense of all else has to end. All you apologists and facilitators for the corporate 'elites' better take a good look around. You've been brainwashed by corporate media to believe that there is something wrong with working men and women wanting a decent life for themselves and their families. We you be satisfied when we are all working poor, and our masters have even more levels of obscene wealth?

[kitfoxflyer]

Strike vote in -- 404 - 9 WOW

Is this suicide or what ?

Guys - CAT wil survive with or with you

Can you say the same ?

[MrEst86]

i say we drag a few of them into the street and beat them there is not enough room in county jail for more than 1000 of us

[kitfoxflyer]

Took a look at that fence around EMD -- all I can say is WOW.......

This is the final Straw.....

CAW - stick a fork in that union....... it done ...........

EMD workers should go to CAT and say- HEY - We will take a paycut to 20$ a hour and Kick the lame CAW outta there- De - certifiy that useless union - What have they been paying for ? Now it seems not alot.

Same as Sterling and Ford Workers....... CAW executive still get their massive pays.

THink about it !

[wildchild7350]

@kitfoxflyer I worked at Sterling for 2 yrs and couple months. All the parts in the rear axle are made in Mexico. Pretty sure most of the parts here too. I would have not taken the pay jump from $17.95/hr to $28 to keep my job. CAW told people right up to the closing day it was handled. I've lost a # of lower paying jobs to Mexico. Jobs aren't same as were yrs ago. When you got out of school found job and retired at same place. Only these Union employees think their "irreplaceable".

[kitfoxflyer]

Seems to me that the greed is coming fom the Employees and the CAW.

Anyone that turns down $17.00 a hour for non ticketed trade will be kicking the gift horse in the mouth.

Reality is that the stubbornish will just make your familes hurt more. Downsize and adjust cost now .

Would you rather half of a loaf of bread or no bread at all ?

[kitfoxflyer]

Fences going up today --

Lockout coming.....

Plant will be leaving town and continue ot make trains elsewhere.

All those dues finally wasted --but yet KEn keeps gettting paid while EMW will get no job

[kitfoxflyer]

Ok Local economy under CAW Union dictatorship -

Sterling -- GONE

Ford -Talbotville - GONE

EMD -- CAW will blame everyone else but themsleves. -- Soon to be gone ........

10 years ago not one CAW member could have predicted the future.

Now 2011 /2012 -Reality time guys....... sorry to say.

[wildchild7350]

wow then some CAW people needed to open eyes. Check the feeder companies. How far back did they leave. United Tech hired lots making minimum wage.It closed about 20yrs ago. They will pay travelling charges for all those MADE IN MEXICO parts? Plus wage for people who whine/steal and run 2nd businesses in their buildings? Why do you think the cameras? These employees have same option we did. If don't like the cameras and work environment quit. Somebody is willing to do it cheaper aka Mexicans.

[studioonelofts]

If you see a company called AFI sneeking around, they are helping to get Caterpiller ready for a lockout and a stand off.

Caterpillar is all about the money and can only be managed with ironclad legal agreements.

[kitfoxflyer]

guys -- wage cut imminent if they do nodt close the plant. . Face it ,if you got a ticket -- you will be very employable. If you are a labourer well then a 17$ a hour job is decent. Tim hortons I think are about 11 or 12 $ a hour.... labourer or skilled tradesman? That is what you got to offer that makes you employable.

[wildchild7350]

@kitfoxflyer Love your comments. Not sure can only blame on CAW. Their a company too. People's greed is what has allowed all this to happen. We need bigger and better of anything. When learn to live not needing newest and best will understand.

[scott4152]

I work here at LaGrange I do love the product and enjoy my job but you are right they are making it harder. I think things were better under Greenbair. Cat talks about it's a family business and morals yeah right. I just get up do my job 100% and don't think about the bs because I know the work force is better than management.

[mrnewagemotor]

As a former employee of ElectroMotive Diesel at Country Side Illinois near Chicago plant....I honestly have to say that it was the biggest bullshit dirty dangerous lousy job I have ever worked in my life ! I had to quit ! I couldn't face myself looking in the mirror in the morning - knowing I was making $474 a week take home - for doing a job that would kill me in a few years - and it was tougher to land it than my former government job as a technician/mechanic ! BIGGEST BULLSHIT JOB EVER !

[grandpa5x]

As a former EMD employee at the original EMD who lost his job when the work moved to canada, welcome to the real world, I hate that this is happening to you, but shit happens.

[ChrisHaspeck]

Caterpillar are truly going to cause a revolution in London Ont. I think if the people rise up the company would just close up shop and move to Mexico. It's fucking brutal to think that a company that has contunally produced the WORLD'S BEST locomotives for the last 50 (even under the GM corporation) would just say screw you to an entire city. A large chunk of SW Ont will be directly affected. FUCK YOU Caterpillar .. FUCK YOU !!!