Wisconsin Machinists at Mercury Marine Seek State Presence at Bargaining Table

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) requested Wisconsin Governor James Doyle take an active part in any negotiations with Mercury Marine (Fond Du Lac, WI) that could result in the closing the Fond du Lac facility.

Mercury Marine announced last week they are considering shifting operations from Fond du Lac to Stillwater, OK, a move that would eliminate as many as 2,000 local jobs and devastate the surrounding economy.

"The State of Wisconsin cannot afford stand by while a major corporation commits an act of economic extortion in its own backyard," said IAM Business Representative Russell Krings. "Mercury Marine has benefited for decades from state and local tax incentives and public support. They cannot be allowed to use the current economic crisis to pit one small community against another for the privilege of their presence."

IAM members in Fond du Lac recently ratified a four-year agreement with Mercury Marine that included a provision permitting the contract to be modified in the event of extreme circumstances. Proposals received from Mercury Marine this week would essentially eliminate nearly all economic and non-economic language in the collective bargaining agreement, except the provisions pertaining to management rights.

"We're prepared to meet with Mercury Marine, as we have for years, and discuss the best way to preserve jobs, promote this company's products and protect the economic interest of this community," said Krings. "We are not willing to allow short-sighted managers and out-of-town opportunists to tear down what we have worked for years to create."

The IAM is among the nation's largest industrial trade unions, representing nearly 700,000 active and retired members under more than 5,000 contracts in aerospace, manufacturing, transportation, shipbuilding and defense-related industries.

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International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, www.goiam.org