Posted on 07/03/2011 6:38:04 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Every working American should be dismayed by — and afraid of — what BMW is doing.
By all accounts, BMW's parts distribution warehouse in Ontario was one of the jewels of the company's system.
Supplying dealer service departments throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, it received gold medals from BMW for its efficiency and employed several of the top-ranked workers in the country. In the roughly 40 years its workers had been represented by the Teamsters union, there had never been a labor stoppage.
Times being what they are, when a Teamsters committee came to the plant in early June to open negotiations over a new contract to start Sept. 1, they thought they might be asked to accept minuscule wage increases and maybe some givebacks on health coverage.
They were stunned by what they heard instead: As of Aug. 31, the plant would be outsourced to an unidentified third-party logistics company and all but three of its 71 employees laid off.
The union contract will be terminated. Some of the employees might be offered jobs with the new operator, but there are no guarantees. And no one expects the new bosses will match the existing $25 hourly scale or the health benefits provided now.
The average seniority of employees at Ontario is about 20 years; five have spent 30 years or more at Ontario or its predecessor warehouse in Carson. Of the employees to be laid off (according to a notice BMW sent the union), 27 are age 50 or older. The word that came most often to the lips of workers and their families I've talked to is "devastated."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
It is the lawyers and the environmentalists that are killing jobs
It is the Obama Administration that is killing jobs.
Nice to see Canada is also taking on the unions.
God, this is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Union filth actually forced to accept a market wage!!!!!!!! Who will they kill, beat, or maim in their anger? No more free money to elected dem. filth from this source anyway. BMW - as of now, the single greatest creation of mankind in all the entire history of the world!
Running a parts distribution warehouse is not rocket science. Why would BMW even consider running this thing. Makes perfect sense to outsource it.
This is about Ontario, California, not the province of Ontario.
This is Ontario CA, between Riverside and LA.
Sorry to hear about the job losses, but anytime a union can take it in the shorts, it’s a better day for all of us. It means less money in Democrat politicians’ pockets.
Why should I be dismayed in what happens in Canada for a product out of my income level and that I wouldn't buy if I could, and that I should care about over paid union jobs?
Ontario, California. East of Los Angeles.
“God, this is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Union filth actually forced to accept a market wage!!!!!!!! Who will they kill, beat, or maim in their anger? No more free money to elected dem. filth from this source anyway. BMW - as of now, the single greatest creation of mankind in all the entire history of the world!”
I’m with you. We have a First Amendment and the LA Times can publish whatever they please.
Even so, this story REEKS. I have no doubt that there was a lot of problems with that facility - starting with ‘work rules’ and just getting worse. The smart thing for those workers would have been to de-certify the union years ago, and they’d probably still have jobs.
One other point - how does a ‘logistics company’ just march in there and run the place? Doesn’t happen - instead they will re-hire many (if not most) of these oppressed worker - AT MARKET WAGES. The workers, of course, are free to reject their offers and market themselves to others (the layoff notices are a formality...for the ones the don’t get or don’t accept offers).
Sick piece from a sick newspaper that I actually used to enjoy reading.
“This is Ontario CA, between Riverside and LA.”
Yea, I figured it out after reading a bit further.
Blah, blah, blah, solidarity, yada, devistated, loyalty yada, yada.
The lessons of South Carolina are being applied everywhere.
I spoke to my BMW engineer nephew yesterday who told me business was booming is their South Carolina plant.
Hey Calipornia, live by the unions, die by the unions, enjoy the ride to perdition.
Same for NY, read the other day that high rise construction unionized crane operators make a cool $500,000.00 a year.
And the liberal parasites are "shocked" and "outraged" when their policies ALWAYS have the un-intended consequences."
Conversation overheard in the NY legislature -"Great news! That bastard Glen Beck is moving to Texas. I thought he'd follow Limbaugh to Florida. Now let's go find a way to raise taxes on Sean Hannity - our tax revenues are unexpectedly declining."
Market Wage and Benefits!!!! Next, we need the government unionistas to get it through their thick skulls that only the top executives at corporatist driven structures get the benefits they demand. Eff’m. unloading boxes of parts, and then retrieving them and mailing the is not a $25 per hour job plus benefits. He’ll, I’m sure Amazon pays a lot less for the same task, but more SKUs.
Cheap at twice the price.
It amused me when I drove to California to have Ontario licence plates while driving around the city of Ontario. Hey check out my new city of Ontario plates! Ignore the crown with a cross on it. :)
Schadenfreude!! HAPPY 4th!!!
Why do I suspect this has more to do with California taxation and regulation strangling yet another successful business, than anything else?
Someone needs to post the Simpsons Ha ha cartoon.
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