Drayton’s Main Street locked out by the lockout
October 15, 2011 at 3:30 pm in Grand Forks Herald
As smallest Red River Valley community with American Crystal Sugar plant, Drayton feels pinch of lockout even moreDrayton likely is the hardest hit community proportionally of the five Red River Valley plant sites because its population of 800 is the smallest, about half of Hillsboro’s. But some see a greater harm than lost wages and lower beet payments to growers, not the least in community relationships — some which may never be mended.
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They had a good paying job and let it go. What did they think would happen?
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I think they have a average paying job for living in a no mans land. …Life is good outside of American Crystal Sugar, workers just need to find a direction and move on from that company, dont think they wont do it again or better yet when the sugar bill goes down in 2012 and North Dakota becomes second in the nation for producing oil lets hope most workers will see the light and see there is good beyond all of this and that final offer they can take it …with a smile.
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How many of these same people are living beyond their means? How many of these same people trusted someone (union leaders) to speak for them and decide whether or not they continue to have a job? How many of these same people are actively looking work vs. sitting at home feeling sorry for themselves?
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These stories are sad, & I feel for their families, but the fact remains: they voted no to a raise knowing they would be locked out. As I have stated before, I am a licensed professional & not only are my wages frozen for the year, the cost of health insurance has went up 25% in the last 3 years while what is actually covered has been drastically reduced.
To have turned down a contract that was not asking for severe cuts is pure arrogance. Union members say they turned down the contract over job security; how secure are you feeling now?
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So your union stinks.
This story is about the businesses impacted in the small town of Drayton. Did they also vote for the lockout? It is hard enough to stay open in a small town–and without grocery, etc. every community member is impacted, but especially their aging population. This is not all about your dislike of the union. This is about community, too.
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Good points Justine. The sad part is so few had a say in this matter. Either a company or a organization, the union, had the power to pull down our communities. One thing is for certain, this region will have a firm hold in the world markets for food production in the century to come. Probably why ACS wanted to get their labor costs down. Sugar is a staple and with China and India and their mushrooming populations and ecdonomic growth, sugar and other much needed essential products, someday, will be in extremely short supply. In that sense this company-union conflict was bound to happen, eventually. Probably better to get it fully nhashed out, now, then 10 years from now.
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Drayton is a great little town that relies on one industry to stay afloat. If ACS closes their plant, Drayton will be nothing more than a ND memory. It is a common ND story. It is also what happened to many little towns that relied on the automobile industry for their livelihoods. When the Big 3 shut down or moved overseas, everyone left because there was no work.
I know several people who were born and raised in Drayton and who still consider it home. I feel for them and their families, but I sincerely hope they all have a plan B. After all is said and done you move to where the work is. If ACS downsizes or leaves, Drayton needs to have a plan to survive.
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Wake up boy and smell the coffee. You been drinking too much whiskey on them picket lines. What in heck is a mobbed up union any hay? The workers i know locked out dam well want back in and before the snow flies. They say take the fight for union jobs and stick somewhere else, not in our Red River Valley!
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Who said anything about the factory closing?
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TJ: If and when the farmers lose their subsidies (and they will), the corporate landscape will change drastically. ACS, like most ag businesses is artificially profitable. Seriously, how can you not be profitable when you are guaranteed an income?
No one said anything about the factory closing yet. That said, if I was a young twenty something looking for a stable job and a gold watch at the end of twenty years …. I might go back to school.
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The sugar industry recieved ZERO subsidy dollars.
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The sugar program relies on the government for quotas and tariffs which in turn INCREASES the cost of sugar. So instead of receiving tax dollars from the federal government, the sugar program takes out the middle man so that all sugar producers can take the consumer’s money every time they buy anything made with sugar.
And if times get tough, farmers can pay back their loans in SUGAR to the federal government which will sell it at a loss.
So the sugar program is not a net zero program to anyone.
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I am not sure people really understand what a union is no matter where/who you work at. A union is a closed shop and you pay a fee to be acepted or you join a membership like ACS farmers and buy beet stock to apply then get accepted by board members to be eligiable to grow sugar. Alot of farmers are not acepted for not enough money back up, in return this makes ACS a closed shop and a union of farmers. The difference here is there is no subisidization for the AFL CIO or Nurses unions- teachers union or any for that matter unless you qualify like farmers do. ..Its a win win for their union and thats what the farmers bill in 2010 is all about. so yes to hear people bash unions and there in one themselves is how we call the kettle black in america.
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ACS is not a union, it is a Cooperative. The difference in buying beet stock and paying union dues is at the end of the day the beet stock is still worth $3650 a share at last transaction. What are your union dues worth right now if you are one of the 1300 people out of work. I have never heard of anyone getting turned down from buying beet stock if they didn’t have enough money back up. If you don’t have the money to pay for it, or can’t get financed, no you won’t be able to buy shares.
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Maybe in your mind Harley1955, but ACS is a business created by a group individual farmers (Co-op) to make money for those individual farmers. The co-op is formed by stock shares, the shares represent 1 acre of beets the individual shareholder is able to grow. Now there are retired growers that own shares and enter into limited liability partner contracts, this contracts make the shareholder a limited liable entity, thus they have some risk. It makes the grower a general partner, he bares the majority of the risk. The shareholders elect a board of directors, these are a group of shareholders that the majority of shareholders trust to make decisions for the company. One of many decisions the board of directors make is to hire management. Management has many jobs, labor relations as we all know, but they also have to market the sugar and make profits for the co-op, profits are used to pay for processing expenses, and then distributed out to growers. Now I understand the current management has done a wonderful job in marketing. Labor relations, needs improvement. This is a short version of what was explained to me.
But it is not easy to negotiate with a representative that has a larger agenda (this is my opinion).
Now a labor union is an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.
I seem to see differences between the two.
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Do you work Jeff H? If you do, what do you do? I am interested to see what kind of business would hire a employee like yourself.
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Too bad the old Soviet Union didn’t survive Jeff H, you would have fit right in…..
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ACS probably would not hire you anyway. You sound rather ignorant. If you want a high salary, eductate yourself and find a job that pays well. Don’t knock others who are successful.
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I’m DONE buying Crystal sugar, until the CEO is removed from office.
Bought my first bag of “Our Family” sugar last week.
The boycott begins…
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Schurkey–sorry to tell you this but Our Family is ACS
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I hope things work out next week and this thing comes to an end. Hopefully both sides will give enough to make it happen. : )
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