Whirlpool Layoffs Begin: 465 Workers on their Last Shift Today

[KoKo]

Whirlpool Layoffs Begin: 465 Workers on their Last Shift Today
By: Michael Whitney Friday March 26, 2010 5:09 pm
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Whirlpool Rally in Evansville, IN by Ohio AFL-CIO on Flickr

After a valiant effort by the Evansville community to save the jobs of more than 1,000 people, Whirlpool is moving unabated in shutting down the operations of its Indiana plant – starting today.

Union officials say Friday was the last day for 465 workers at the plant. Whirlpool announced last year that it would shut down the 1,100-worker refrigerator factory and move production to Mexico.

A few dozen union members held protest signs in the rain Thursday along U.S. 41 outside the plant. Worker Danny Rowe said he hoped their presence reminded others about the number of jobs leaving the country.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka led 1500 people in a march earlier this year to protest the move to Mexico. The plant, which currently employs 1100 people, will shut down by the end of June.

This marks yet another entry in the long record of American companies killing American jobs in search of cheap labor. And for what? A 77% raise for its CEO, plus $19 million in stimulus funds.

Even as Whirlpool is forcing workers to the unemployment line and the plant’s closing is sending economic shockwaves through the Evansville community, CEO and Chairman Jeff Fettig won’t have to worry about covering his rent.

Earlier this month, the Dow Jones News Wire reported that his 2009 compensation rose 77 percent.

Fettig’s salary, incentive-based pay, executive perks, and stock and options awards amounted to $10.81 million, up from $6.11 million in 2008, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchanges Commission….The company’s net income fell 21.5 percent from 2008, while sales slipped 9.56 percent. But Fettig received $3.5 million in nonequity incentive pay, up from $420,000 the year before.

Whirlpool also received $19 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to build more energy efficient and green appliances. But it is spending $110 million to build a new plant in Mexico.

In other news: way to go, GOP, for continuing to deny jobless Americans unemployment benefits.
http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/03/26/whirlpool-layoffs-begin-465-workers-on-their-last-shift-today/

[midnight]

1. Let's stop the bleeding of American workers jobs....

[Gravel Democrat]

2. Priorities

Wouldn't it have made more sense to focus on Jobs Jobs Jobs
before concentrating on something that requires everyone to
contribute to for-profit insurance companies bottom lines?

How many insurance company executives will make millions
and millions while the 60 hr per week waitress is forced to pay
out of her wages to satisfy the IRS?

I think it's pretty clear where the priorities of our Elites lie.

The sad thing is that there is still so much support.

The sellout of American Manufacturing is a crime of the worst order.
It's as serious as it gets. Will "we" end up manufacturing *Anything*?
How can anyone even begin to think that this is good for this country?

Meanwhile, in the last 30 seconds, the US has spent about $28.5 thousand dollars
in Afghanistan. The kooks run the asylum

"The troop increase will cost $2.5 billion per month, $82 million per day,
$3.4 million per hour, $57,000 per minute, and $951 per second.".
http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2009/1203/what-obamas-afghan-war-plan-will-cost-you

We are at the trillion dollar mark for Iraq and Afghanistan. Think about that.
We could have given every single American Citizen a MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH
and still have spent Nine Hundred Ninty Nine BILLION, 7 Hundred Million dollars on these wars.
1,000,000,000,000- 300,000,000= 999,700,000,000 Dollars. Since we're borrowing to kill,
does this figure include the interest our grandchildren will pay? Will we just default?
Imagine a TRILLION DOLLARS of Your and My Money!!!!

This is insanity. Seriously. Insanity. Legalized, Public Insanity on display. And there is no outrage.

Edit: Math Edit 2wice because I can't get my mind around the #'s

What does a TRILLION DOLLARS look like? Here's why it's tough to imagine:
http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html

we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing so much about.
What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion.
It's a one followed by 12 zeros.