Facing Mass Lay-Offs, Whirlpool Workers Choose to Fight Company

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5665/facing_mass_lay-offs_whirlpool_workers_choose_to_fight_company/

Tuesday March 9 3:18 pm

Indiana unionists hold rally, file federal lawsuit to challenge outsourcing and management's "unfair practice"

By Joseph Varga, South Central Indiana Jobs with Justice

When members of an electrical workers union in Evansville, Ind., decided to stir things up and fight the closing of the Whirlpool plant in their city—which would eliminate 1,100 jobs and move many to Mexico—they realized they had to bring attention to their struggle.

As part of their strategy, IUE/CWA Local 808 members—900 of which work at Whirlpool—decided to stage a rally in late February in front of the plant to stir up public support. They ended up getting help from an unlikely source: Whirlpool Evansville Division’s Vice-President Paul Coburn. With his threat to Evansville employees in an internal employee newsletter that potential employers in the Evansville region might not want to hire union members who attend a rally, Coburn helped bring attention to workers' plight.



Local 808 filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and unions and their supporters have picked up the story. Do an Internet search of his name combined with Whirlpool and Evansville, and you will get an idea of potential forces converging. Now the situation could cause more than just a stir.

This potential tidal wave started as just more bad news for union members in Southern Indiana.

Another recession, another plant closing, another relocation, more permanent lay-offs. (The first round is set to begin on March 26, the Evansville Courier & Press reports.) It's a scenario that has become all-too common and accepted here in Indiana and elsewhere. In spite of healthy profits, union concessions, and agreements to “lean” manufacturing, Whirlpool announced in August 2009, that it was closing the Evansville refrigerator operation and would shift the work to existing locations in Iowa, and to a new $55 million expansion of their complex in Monterrey, Mexico.

FULL story at link.

[RKP5637]

More workers need to fight these damn corporations in the US including many

in middle management. In middle management you have no rights. Work your ass off, get threats, a whole bunch of crap. What do you do, go to HR? What a F'en joke that is... there are a lot of workers in this country getting screwed, they all need to wake up and realize it... many execs are a bunch of sleazy bastards. We in this country are back when the unions were formed to protect workers, and workers at all levels need help today IMO.

[drm604]

1. K&R

:kick:

[The Genealogist]

2. Saw this plant recently...these workers deserve far better

I am fed up with with corporations treating workers like so much human waste. It is clear why the term "human 'resources'" is used. They are doing to people what corporations always do with "resources:" exploit them, toss aside what is left over, then move on and do it to the next batch of "resources."

[James48]

3. We need to change our #1 export

from "jobs", to "UNIONS".

We need to help get Unions at every single plant, in every single country on the face of the planet, and teach them all how to fight to better their own wages and working conditions.

When we do that- the bleeding of jobs in America will stop- and we'll ALL have a rising tide.

Let's export Union ideas around the world.

[OhioChick]

4. K&R n/t

[kgnu_fan]

5. knr

[Zenlitened]

6. Recc'd. - n/t

[Omaha Steve]

7. Kick