Muscatine

My husband is one of those union workers out on the street. He has 41 years in tht place and has sacrificed a lot, including harm to his body in many ways. He believe when he started there and was told that he could make this his career and walk away in retirement knowing he was taken care of and had benefits.  Of course that was the way the plant was run with grandpa, and dad, newer generation only cares about filling his pockets. I understand it is his company and he can do what he wants, but he is destroying what was handed to him.

Go out and about this town and you will hear many talking about this fiasco down there and from what I hear most are blaming the leader of the company. There are not nice things said about the family.

I blame both sides of this and wished they would come to a working end. Despite what some are saying the plant needs the experienced guys in there and need them to show the new ones as they come in.  But egos on both sides can not see this.

I guess we were sure not seeing what was coming in that last contract, we never thought the company would treat its loyal workers this way. Even before the lockout, many new hires would come in and many would not last the day, they could not take it.  They apparently still are having problems with that as they run an ad in the paper and other papers out of town daily.  My husband wants to work and has always been proud of the company and what all of them together accomplished, and the leaders of the company was praising them all the time and now they want them out ? Doesn't seem right to me.

I dont believe the company wants the workers out, i believe they are out to break the union.....and your right its not right...my dad lost his job at prime mover ...just so they could bring in temps to work for nothing....my dad was there for 25 years.

I know some people are not gonna like what I say, but I think the temp places are helping in the down fall of good jobs. When we did not have the temp companies a person would go to the company and apply for jobs,  GPC used to have a big long list of people who wanted to work there and would always go several times a week to see if they were hiring. Over the years this has changed as it has with most companies and they only want to hire the temp people as they can get them for a lot less than they would normally pay a person. But as they say, most of the time you get what you pay for. GPC has been using temps for several years now and the turn over is something else. Very few stay. In a plant like GPC or many others in this town, if they want quality workers they need to pay them decent and treat them right. Yes I know the companies are out to make a profit and if the workers and the companies are working together both sides come out in a good position.

GPC has always bragged about thier workers and what good jobs they do, and they tell the people at the meetings about the records they break all thanks to the workers. But yet they are willing to throw that away ? Everyone has to start somewhere and when my husband started there he didnt' know anything either but over the years he has had a lot of experience and he knows what he is doing. This is the type guy that I think the company would want in there to teach the younger guys to keep the flow going. Just does not make sense to me at all.

  Paintlady & GTA...

  I appreciate both of your comments. 

  GTA says, "unions when they first started were to make sure workers were treated fairly...now unions are all about greed.....companies are also about greed",, "I make 11.00 and i have to bust my ass for it...i've never worked swing shift...but i have had to work shifts and hrs that literally destroyed my marriage and life...work 10 hrs and be told to be back in 5 hrs for another shift"...  That, my dear friend, is what happens in a non-union plant.  Paintlady & I agree that this union dropped the ball & got greedy with the way the economy is.  "THE COMPANIES are also about greed"; and what they can get out of their workers @ the lowest dollar amount.  Shouldn't the unions be there to protect us?  That is exactly why they came into being.  So that you didn't have to work for 10 hrs. & be told to come back in 5 hrs. for another shift.  So that your insurance & cost of living pay be NOT what the company dictates, but what is going on in the world. 

  You say that "you heard that a person was making $18.00 an hour pushing a broom.  Bull crap.  If the person pushing that broom was ordered to do so, that is what he'll do; but I guarandamtee you that he has the knowledge of what makes the plant work.  If a small fire starts in a place that a "temp worker" doesn't notice, or if the gages don't say what they are supposed to say, he'll notice.  That person is not necessarily, "pushing a broom,  That person is protecting south end & Muscatine."  I know this personally.  My husband was walking through the plant several years ago & saw a small fire near the anhydrous area.  He grabbed an extinguisher, called out the guards & got recognition for it because it would have been a major disaster. 

  Muscatine doesn't understand!  As paintlady states, the temp services are ruining our town & putting us all at risk!~  Not one of them have a vested interest in the job.  Not one of them have the experience of the people locked out that kept our town safe.  Let's let the minimum wage temp workers w/out any training work @ any of our factories & not put up a fight. 

  You are right, GTA... GPC is busting the union.  It was in the paperwork several years ago.  The person that wants to buy this plant required that to make it an official deal, the union be gone. 

  It's a sad state of affairs...but one that's going to happen.  There should not be anger, hatred or frustration @ the workers that were locked out.  They didn't have any choice.  They are angry that they, like my husband, worked hard, gave up family time, sweated in unbearable heat & cold to keep "their company",  THEIR COMPANY... going - and then their company (& the temp services), screwed them... and their beloved families over.