Obama Said His Stimulus Would Bring Caterpillar Jobs Back to Illinois

Gateway Pundit ^ | February 18,2012 | Jim Hoft

[Hojczyk]

In February 2009 President Obama told Americans that Caterpillar would be able to rehire some of the employees in Illinois who were just laid off. Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens immediately refuted the claim.

Wrong again.

Caterpillar announced this week that they will hire 1,400 employees starting in January for a new plant near Athens, Georgia – a right to work state.

The National Right to Work Committee reported:

Caterpillar has been a mainstay Illinois-based company for generations but no longer. The power and influence of big labor has impacted the company for too long, damaging its bottom-line and hurting workers.

Now that Illinois’ neighbor, Indiana, has become a Right to Work state, Caterpillar is exploring their options, according to The Detroit News’ Robert Laurie:

Back in 2009, Barack Obama announced that Caterpillar had promised to rehire some of its laid-off workforce if his stimulus proposal passed. This week, the nation’s largest manufacturer of mining and construction equipment announced that it would be moving a factory from Canada to Indiana. In the process, it will create 450 new jobs in the state.

You’d think the president would be happy, but this is not quite what he had bargained for. Take note, Governor Snyder. Caterpillar’s move came almost immediately after Indiana passed a right-to-work law, which will make union dues voluntary in the state. Labor officials claim Right To Work will deplete union funds, making it much more difficult for them to organize factories.

[G Larry]

Obama is liar.

You can’t destroy all profit motivation and energy production and continue to believe jobs will be created.

THAT is what makes his statement a LIE!

[bossmechanic]

Thanks Obumo.
My state can use the jobs.
Kia has been good for us too.
Bought stock in CAT the other day.

[Repeal The 17th]

Local news for Athens, Georgia:
- Caterpillar plant will bring 4,200 jobs, $2.4 billion to region...
click for more

[gusopol3]

I certainly hope Scott Walker is going to use Illinois as his main campaign weapon against the recall in WI. All the more appropriate as that’s where the fleebaggers sought refuge.

[Alberta's Child]

An interesting thing about that new Caterpillar plant in Georgia is that it will be producing components for export -- mainly to Europe. One of the key factors in Caterpillar's decision to locate there -- in addition to Georgia' "right to work" laws -- was the site's proximity to two major East Coast ports (Charleston and Savannah).

[Repeal The 17th]

You may find the additional information in this other article interesting:
-
click me
-

Port vital to landing Caterpillar

...Savannah is one of the few U.S. ports that exports more than it imports.
...If the port was so important, why didn’t Caterpillar pick the state’s mega site in Pooler instead of its Athens mega site?
...Chris Cummiskey, state commissioner of economic development, said it didn’t get the chance. The state’s industrial-recruitment staff didn’t show the construction-equipment maker the Pooler site because it had other active prospects considering it, he said.
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The "Pooler site" is a huge industrial tract just outside of Savannah that apparently has "other active prospects".

[AndrewB]

We need jobs for people, not caterpillars. Ok Obama?

[Alberta's Child]

Thanks for the follow-up on that. It’s interesting to see how important transportation assets are to major industrial players these days. The proximity of Charleston and Savannah to each other actually puts shippers in a good position because they get competitive shipping rates with two ports situated so close together.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Right to work trumps union. Go Georgia!!

[tcrlaf]

CAT is also closing the striking London, Ontario Electro-Motive plant, and moving the work to newly right-to-work MUNCIE, INDIANA Progress Rail Plant.

Yet ANOTHER in a long, decades old story of how Unions workers OUTFORCED their own jobs.

[Gaffer]

They are opening your plant in Georgia now.

[righttackle44]

And he was right. There are more caterpillars sleeping in cocoons in Illinois right now than you can shake a stick at.