Workers at the Electro-Motive Diesel plant in La Grange, Ill., narrowly rejected a contract offer from parent company Caterpillar, raising fears the plant could suffer the same fate as London’s.
The contract offer fell by a 316-298 vote Sunday, according to a worker with knowledge of the situation. The union had recommended members approve the offer.
The employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, said there’s suspicion among the rank and file that the plant there could be closed with operations moving to the growing Muncie, Ind., plant.
Electro-Motive announced Feb. 3 its locomotive plant in London would close after workers rejected an offer that included massive wage and benefits cuts.
It’s believed at least some of the jobs from that plant are moving south to Caterpillar’s Progress Rail facility in Muncie.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen now, tomorrow will be very interesting,” the La Grange worker said after the results were known.
…We certainly don’t wish anyone to be without jobs…Just a comment. The Muncie plant is a very large building and appears to have room to accept a lot of work.
What’s left at LaGrange? Diesel Engine Manufacturing? Traction motors?
Also, I would assume if they did this, they’d only shut down the manufacturing floor and the Union jobs. I assume that R&D and the corporate offices would stay.
CAT is showing the UAW the era of being owned by GM is well and truly over at EMD is OVER when you could get what ever you wanted. CAT has a simple thing when it comes to Unions Issuses I have seen in the 20+ years I have followed them. 1st is if the UAW refuses the contract they are offered well get ready to have a REAL CHILLY OR HOT Peroid OUTSIDE. Cat is not afaird of Locking out Workers they did it for 19 Months in the 90’s at Auroua IL and Decautor IL when the Boys in Peoria went out on Strike. Then DENIED them Unemployment for being on Strike like the rest of the workers. They took it all the way to the top of the NLRB and Won in the meantime the workers are only getting Strike pay of 100-200 a week and some of them are about to lose Houses and such, Since then Cat has had Labor Peace so to speak.
Cat put the line in the Sand told the UAW you cross this line again and we will MOVE EVERYTHING and well I think the UAW at EMD is about to find out that CAT does not mess around.
Here is to Clarify my Comment on the Union thing. Here in IL we have former Heads of the Teachers UNIONS and other Public Sector UNIONS that because they did ONE DAYS worth of WORK either Teaching as a Subsitute Teacher or as a State WORKER guess who has to pay their 100K+ a year TAX FREE Pension for the rest of their Lives the State of IL taxpayers. We have Teachers that all they do is Teach Drivers Ed and when they Retire they will get 90K for the Rest of their LIVES.
Ever been to McCormick Place in Chicago to see a Trade Show. I had to make one Delivery there for one and Here is just one idea of all the Rules the City of Chicago Agreed to with the UNIONS. Only an Electrican can Plug in anything Electrical Only a Rigger can hang anything. I went to the Museum of Science and Industry a couple Years ago. They had a Derailment on the BNSF exhibit there they had to call a Steelworker to rerail the Train. No wonder it cost me 200 Bucks for the day for my family of 5 to go to that place.
Also I know the Differance between a Closed Shop and an Open Shop OK. Trust me that is why I refused to work for UPS and Yellow and some of the OTHER LTL I never wanted to become part of a Corrupt place called the Teamsters. Sorry but after seeing the way that place was run when my Father was one the lengths they went to Blacklist him for Feeding his Family for crossing the Picket line in the 70’s sorry but any UNION that demands you Stave your family FIRST is not going to EVER get a dime out of me. I had a chance to pull Doubles as a Team at UPS and REFUSED why I was not going to become a Teamster simple as that yep I gave up a 80K a year job for something I believed in. Sorry but I never had a Union Represent me and I NEVER had issues with my Bosses picking on me. Why I did my job right the First time if I screwed up I admitted it. I also got better pay than some of the guys that had been a
I am on my third career. I have watched as employers cut, and cut, and cut. What could I do about it? Nothing but move on. They gutted my retirement plan, cut our wages, made us work longer hours. What was I left with? Nothing!
Now, they need to negotiate with us terms of service, and no one forces them to sign a contract.
And that is the point. Those teachers, ect. signed contracts years before you were born. Now what you are saying to them is, the heck with your agreements, you work for what “I**”** say you should make! Forget what you were promised when you came to work decades ago, you don’t deserve a retirement because “I” say so! Forget due process, because “I” said so!
Be glad we have laws to protect workers. Labor law says you sir, are not a party to their contracts, like it or not. Yes you can change the negotiators, but you have no more right to dictate their terms of service than you do me.
Just because you are willing to bend over backwards to do more, for less, does not mean the rest of us desire that.
I would love to see some actual evidence that a union member can get a $100k, tax free, pension for life after working for one day or that a driver ed teacher gets a $90k pension.
I suspect that you have left something out of your claim or that you have found an anomaly and are trying to claim that it is the norm…
Back to the point. Catapiller did the same thing in York, PA. When the workers refused the contract and went on strile CAT brought in replacement workers. After a long strike the workers agreed to go back to work. Fine CAT said. IMMEDIATLY thereafter CAT closed the plant and moved all of the work to Peoria. Sorry your out of a job. CAT does not fool around with unions.
In the Chicago area especially this does seem to be the norm , the area is so corrupt and you don’t dare complain . I lived and worked up there for a few years and it was just crazy !!!
Your pension is not subject to Illinois state income tax. Rules in other states vary. To find out if your pension is subject to state tax and how your pension income must be reported on your state income tax return, you can view IMRF’s most current list. NOTE: Please check with that state’s department of revenue for the most up-to-date information before making a final decision.
Filing Illinois state income tax returns
Because your IMRF pension is not subject to Illinois state income tax, you should enter the federally taxed portion of your pension (from your Form 1099-R) as a subtraction on Form IL-1040, “Illinois Individual Income Tax Return.” This line is designated as retirement and Social Security income (line 5 on the 2009 IL-1040).
In order to show that your IMRF pension is subtractable, you must include a copy of page one of your US 1040 or 1040A form with your Illinois state income tax return. If you fail to attach a copy of the US 1040 or 1040A, your entry will not be allowed.
Please note: Even though you may have no other taxable income, the Illinois Department of Revenue requ
“On average, their pensions are nearly three times higher than what the typical retired city worker receives.”
Like I said, an anomaly that applies to union OFICERS who are employees of the union, not to union WORKERS. The fault rests with crooked politicians, not with union city employees.