First they were told they must agree to have their wages cut in half, their benefits slashed, and their pensions gutted. Then when they refused to get down on their knees, they were locked out.
Tonight they're worrying about how they are going to feed their families after their plant was closed down.
Even though as one worker said "we made damn good trains." Even though the Caterpillar hogs were making record profits.
Caterpillar revealed Jan. 26 it had record-high sales and a profit of nearly $5 billion US last year, up 83 per cent from $2.7 billion US in 2010. Profit per share was $7.40 US, up 78 per cent.
Even though the Harper Cons gave them juicy tax breaks, and now have the gall to claim that they are doing that to create jobs.
On the governing Conservative side, Shelly Glover, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance, said, "We do sympathize with those who have lost their jobs, but we are creating jobs."
The dirty lying bastards.
When everybody knows that Great Sellout Leader is secretly delighted. Because he wants to turn us into a low-wage economy, and he loves busting unions just as much as the corporate porkers from Caterpillar.
On Wednesday, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed into law a so-called right-to-work bill making his state the first in the U.S. industrial north to directly take on private-sector unions.
Two days later, Caterpillar — which is based in next-door Illinois — closed its unionized London plant.
All it was waiting for, apparently, was a signal that the state government there was serious about crippling trade unions.
Great eh? And the grotesque Cons have the nerve to call themselves a strong Canadian government. When they are the weakest, most boot licking government in this country's history. Who would sellout their own people to foreign interests.
Assisted by those Canadians who were busy today blaming this fiasco on the trade union movement. Even as the corporate hogs turn us all into slaves, or hewers of rocks and drawers of dirty oil.
The same kind of people who beat their little breasts celebrating the War of 1812, but when the real Battle for Canada happens they are missing in action. Because they've got a yellow streak as wide as Lake Superior.
Oh well. I'm so sorry for the Electro-Motive workers and their families. But I'm not a bit discouraged eh? Because I know the Battle for Canada is just beginning.
I know that the Occupy movement is right when it calls what is happening a class war. I know that the union movement is fighting for all of us.
And just like I march with the Occupy movement.
I am proud to march with them...
Down with the sellout Cons. Down with the Caterpillar hogs.
Canadians will not be slaves.
Long live the union movement.
Solidarity FOREVER....
This maybe what Harper wants but it may well back fire on him. When Canadian see that this company, with its profits, still wanted workers to take a 50% cut in salary, they will know its all bogus. It may turn out to be a problem for the Tories.
ReplyDeleteHats off to Quebec who is going to sue for a return of money given to the corporation who is taking their toys to the U.S.A. Companies who want tax reductions or government grants will usually keep looking around for more free handouts so why give them any to begin with.
When they implemented free trade, it was so north american workers could join the rush to the bottom.
At one time only 5 American states had "right to work laws". Now there are 28. The 5 original states also had the worst medical care, highest rate of poverty, lowest educational success rates, etc.
Trying to eliminate unions never does work. In the end people will understand they will be pushed until they are working for salaries comprible to those in China & Mexico.
One point I'd like to make is we can expect to see the manufacturing sector suffer in Canada due to the high Canadian $. This was a problem in The Netherlands due to their natural gas resources.
A "strong" Canadian $ is nice for some, but you have to ask yourself, How many of those Canadian $s are in my pocket.
hi e.a.f....I hope this Electro-Motive disaster comes back to haunt Harper, because there couldn't be a better example of the complete bankruptcy of his economic policy.
DeleteOr a better example of his selling out our country to foreign interests.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned in my post, there are some people in this country who scream: "If I don't have a union why should they?" Or "I don't have a pension so nobody should have one !!!!" Which of course leads all of us on a race to the bottom.
As for this:
One point I'd like to make is we can expect to see the manufacturing sector suffer in Canada due to the high Canadian $. This was a problem in The Netherlands due to their natural gas resources.
What you are referring to is the so-called Dutch Disease, which has already seriously damaged our already battered industrial base.
But the Cons don't care because they are such tools of Big Oil, they are willing to sacrifice the economic well being of every province except Alberta. And takes us back to the days when we were mere hewers or wood and drawers of water.
The good news is the only thing they had going for them was the illusion they were good money managers, and I'm hoping what's happening now will destroy that illusion forever...
Great post Simon! harper is a boot-licker. He's done the same thing with Stelco, INCO, and too many other places.
ReplyDeleteHe wants a low-wage country, but then the shit-head will genuinely wonder why the economy is not doing better.
I have zero patience for the stoops who haven't figured this out. Not only are they ignorant or idiots, ... their ignorance and idiocy lowers my standard of living.
hi Thwap... thank you. I heard the news at work and I wasn't able to think of anything else. All I wanted to do was come home and give vent to my anger. And like you I also blame the goofs who believed that the Cons were good "money managers." When in fact they're just rabid ideologues who are hollowing out this country, and humiliating decent working Canadians, in their frenzy to destroy government.
DeleteGreat Ugly Leader poses as a nationalist, but just like Duplessis he is just a puppet of big business trying to destroy the union movement so Big Business can treat us like slaves.
As I told e.a.f. I'm hoping that even some of those dumb Canadians can finally see the Cons for what they really are. The most ghastly government in Canadian history and a serious threat to our economic and social future...
A strong Canadian $ is nice for a few Canadian-based corps, and some Canadian tourists. When the Canadian $ shot up from 67 cents American to 100 cents American, the prices at retail didn't change any. A strong Canadian $ should mean Canadian corps making investments in new equipment to improve productivity, but the corps are just sitting on their piles of money.
ReplyDeleteThe wonders of free-trade do a great job for Big Corp bank accounts and the executive class, but not so great for smaller economic players.
hi anonymous... I think you have summed up the economic situation really well. The high dollar has definitely hurt our manufacturing base as the so-called Dutch Disease always does. And since they don't want to control it, by taxing the oil patch and slowing down development, they are now trying to boost it by turning us into a low wage economy. Which of course is madness, and will turn our country into a Banana Republic, and condemn younger Canadians to a life without any good jobs. Which in turn will reduce our capacity to pay for services for Canadians of all ages. I'm afraid their budget will ignore the advice of serious economists and plunge us into a double dip recession. Which is of course what happened to FDR in 1937, when as the U.S. economy was recovering the Republicans forced him to attack the deficit instead of maintaining stimulus programs, unemployment jumped from fourteen to twenty percent. And the economy didn't really recover until the Second World War.
DeleteAs the old philosopher said, those who don't learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them. Let's just hope that we don't make the same mistake in the next election...
I think if any company like ElectoMotive and, by extension, Caterpillar, that takes significant amounts of taxpayer money and then proceeds to try to bust unions or abuse its employees by demanding huge, unwarranted pay and benefit cuts, or threatens to take jobs out of the country or close down factories if their selfish temper tantrum blackmail isn't satisfied should be told, in no uncertain terms, that if they do that our markets will be closed to them and that they won't be allowed to bid on another government sponsored contract or sell so much as a rubber band or thumbtack in Canada ever again. Also, to retain access to our markets they WILL pay a socially responsible tax rate in order to contribute to the ongoing maintenance, education and development of a committed and skilled work force
ReplyDeletehi ThinkingManNeil...I couldn't agree with you more. There must be some punishment for there corporate hogs who think they can play games with the lives of Canadian workers. Even the NDP plan to only give tax breaks to companies that produce good jobs would be better than what we have now. Big businesses are getting big tax breaks and all they are doing is sitting on it, using it to fatten their profits, and no doubt give themselves juicy bonuses,while workers look for jobs that don't exist. Of course, and I know you agree with me, all this would be just fiddling with a larger problem that only a revolution can truly fix. The system is corrupted beyond repair, and must be replaced with a better and fairer one, one that puts people before corporate profits. In that regard I am still optimistic since the Harperites are doing a marvellous job of pointing out the weaknesses and inequity of our current system. But then I have always had the reputation of being a guy who believes that there is a pony under all the manure... ;)
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