The Blog Peoria Project

Widmer’s Peoria Watch: Joliet IAM workers strike CAT

While the news media states some of the basic complaints of the strikers, the public is usually led to believe the whole problem is these basic issues of holding wages, note the “right to” and asking union members to pick up a greater share of their genorous health benefits.

The entire contract between CAT and the union is probably in a series of binders that would fill more than a file drawers. I’ll bet that in that contract, the union is demanding that the plant will not be closed, profitable or not, no temporary workers despite the fact that more workers may be needed only if there are short peak periods of production to meet demand and 30 or so other changes in the contract that will never be published in the media.

I hope they get things worked out where both sides make some concessions but in the end, not like GM, Caterpillar owns the business and the workers not satisfied with conditions, have the freedom in America to seek higher paying jobs with more benefits.elsewhere.

Read the complete post HERE.