Dayton to American Crystal: Time for ‘fair agreement’ with locked-out workers
November 24, 2011 at 8:56 am in Grand Forks Herald
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton issued a statement Wednesday urging both sides in the American Crystal Sugar lockout to get back to the negotiation table, putting the most pressure on company officials. Continue Reading
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You are right, Jeff. Somebody needs to “man up”, but you are wrong in who or whom that is.
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It’s the union that doesn’t want to even be involved… they are the ones not being fair.. The union is acting just like a spoiled 4 year old screaming in the isle of wal-mart yelling no no no no no no no no. It’s time to give them their rightful spanking, they deserve it.
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Jeff: How is the union manning up? What have they done to get this to a close? Standing by their union brothers and sisters in “solidarity”….please tell me one thing that the union has done…..I keep hearing ACS is not negotiating but; the way I see it they are the only half that has come to the table with anything…the union is too busy slandering the employer they claim they want to work for
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Since he’s expressed such an interest I think Dayton should volunteer to be the union’s chief negotiator. Maybe he could duplicate what he did for the state of Minnesota–preside over a government shutdown for a couple of weeks and then end up taking the deal the Republicans offered before the shutdown. Heckofajob, governor.
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Dayton is clearly missing his regular medications
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For those who do not know or remember, the NLRB looked at your union’s claims about negotiating. The NLRB ruled on those claims AND the union’s appeal. All were denied. It’s high time the union stops regurgitating this nonsense, because it’s obvious they’re only doing so in an attempt to get someone who doesn’t know the facts on board with their position. The facts are out there…much to your chagrin.
As for the credibility of something a “union person said”, well, we’ve all seen how credible and verifiable the information coming out of the union leadership’s collective mouths are….so why would we put any stock AT ALL in some word-of-mouth alleged quote by someone? If you’re confused about my comment about your leadership’s credibility, and/or their tendency to just “throw things out there” in the hope that nobody will call them on it, (and instead just repeat what they’ve heard), then read this thread:
http://topics.areavoices.com/2011/11/21/crystal-hiring-replacement-workers-locally/
Lastly, your comment about how nothing sways opinions like $$ is completely laughable. Pot/kettle/black anyone? I tell you what: Contact EVERY union in this country and convince them to stop “contributing” money to politicians, and instead have the unions’ *principles and ideals* determine whether or not people latch onto and support what they “stand for” .
Wow.
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Amazing that folks are still beating this “dead horse”….it’s OVER, union busted, they’re history, move on. The last thing we need is anymore gov’t involvement….that Fed mediator is doing a great job!
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Livewire…totally untrue…quite the road trip you had…you may want to believe this but it has no truth to it what so ever…I dare say from the road you couldn’t even tell unless you know what to look for…I kept meeting semi after semi hauling to Hillsboro on my way to Grand Forks yesterday…Were they hauling the beets to MinnDak…Please tell me how you know that a factory is down from the road….and you accuse me of generalizing?
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17% is amazingly low to pay for health benefits. Every year my insurance costs go up and my wage doesn’t make up for it. Thats the current market. Thats something the union needs to get to grips with… They can’t live in this fairy tale land where they don’t take into account the real world market anymore.
If I could only pay 17% I’d be very happy.
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I do not have a problem with Dayton, but I take this for what it is: an attempt to pander to his base. He is scared to death of losing his union contributions.
I hope ACS holds steady, publically thanks him for his efforts, then ignores him.
I disagree that the union is a cancer, but I do think that they over-reached and any further concessions on ACS part would be inappropriate.
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amen fn.. This will be resolved when the Union Leadership comes to the tables with a real negotiation strategy and not more of the same old, same old.
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Months ago when we were meditating our belly buttons and solving the problems of the world I suggested a 50/50 plan that both sides would hate, and therefore be able to live with: The union accepts that additional outsourcing is inevitable and signs off on no reclassifications, no loss of union jobs, but all new jobs are open to outsourcing as well as a loosening of seniority rules (ACS has the right to hire who they want for what they want without interference). In return ACS agrees to keep paying healthcare premiums and sets up an arbitration board for who comes back and when.
Neither side would like it so it must be fair.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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The timing of the announcement shows how weak is his support. The afternoon before a long holiday weekend. The majority of ND and MN won’t even see this….. but his base and all locked out workers will. And it gives them hope that if they just hold out a little longer, ACSC will fold. I don’t see that happening and see this is as only delaying the final outcome…… but it helps Dayton’s union cred, so ignore the extra suffering.
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Scooter- the comment you are referring to has been blown out of proportion as noted in other comment sections. Fredickson was playin the old game of telephone and ended up at the end of the line. I wonder if he at all considers the potential consequences of blatantly spreading false tumors on tv.
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Dayton would fare better if he had his nails done rather that commenting on a private company’s matter.
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Now Jeff, I admit math was my weakest subject, but if I am reading this correctly 100% of union members have been unemployed since sometime in July or August. ACS is now hiring temperarily permanent local workers to replace those who have chosen to stay out in the cold. Come spring when we are still having this discussions it won’t be the ACS board or management that will be needing the private food pantry and emergency housing vouchers … just saying
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Since at least “Kassie” has found alternative employment and posted this on the boards here, we know that not 100% of the employees have been unemployed since summer.
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Justine; many employees have gotten jobs, for them I am happy …to the ones that are sitting at the union halls whining I don’t feel one bit sorry for
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So if 100% of the ACSC board and management agree to the offer, then does that make it 100% fair, 50% fair, or is it 45% fair?
I just find it odd that the vote of one party is what determines if it is a fair offer or not. If you follow that logic, then ACS should keep making offers until the union accepts one. All would be unfair until the accepted one. The union would love if negotiations worked that way.
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Jeff-90% of how many? No one will answer this question? The last comment giving an actual vote count was a mere 174 people. It has never been 1300 workers that were able to vote. Let them all vote Jeff and it at a neutral voting place with neutral person counting the vote. From the comments in this forum many were told how to vote and Riskey did the count.
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174 in Hillsboro alone as reported by the Hillsboro Banner. Ballots counted in Grand Forks. I don’t know what kind of controls there are on the ballots. It appears like that is all left up to the union.
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To me, a fair agreement was set on the table at least twice and the former workers refused it. I think what Dayton means by fair is that ACS should take one in the shorts, pander to the union and have to subsidize worker’s lifestyles until they die by giving them whatever they ask for all the time along with new cars for every worker, a 12 week cruise every year, 20 acres of land and a copy of Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana doing Romeo And Juliet on blu-ray.
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BAC:
What problem is he trying to mitigate? I no longer see a problem. A fair and reasonable offer was made, the union turned it down (as is their right), and the company is moving on.
There is no problem to mitigate, either at the state, local, or national level. If the governor wants to be proactive, he can figure out what he is going to do to help those MN workers who abandoned their jobs when their jobless benefits run out. I do not know how long they are eligible to receive benefits, but something tells me the unemployment numbers in the Red River Valley will jump at the most inopportune time: like right before the next election.
This is of less concern on the ND side; it is doubtful those workers can live that long without some form of income, and I don’t think the $100 a week they get from the union will cut it.
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dayton weighing in is only the resuli of the union telling one of their bought and paid for lackeys what to say and when to say it.
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This is something politicians need to keep it’s nose out of… Dayton should stick with other things more important.. like balancing the state budget without taxing the public into submission.
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A fair agreement would be: you work, we pay you $12.50 an hour. Don’t like those terms, move along. I am sick of unions gouging companies AND US, the ultimate consumer, to death. Have any of you looked at how prices are insane lately? UNIONS did it!
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John,
I agree this was poorly handled, but not by the company. The union is to blame. Their sense of entitlement is galling. “I am entitled to this job and I deserve to work at a rate I deem appropriate with a benefit package that I decide whether or not is fair. Market be damned.”
I have very few rules in my house, but the ones I have I enforce. When one of my son’s got old enough to be convinced that he was entitled to room and board regardless of the rules, he was genuinely shocked to find his stuff on the front lawn with a for sale sign on it and his presence no longer welcome. He could not believe it. He also found out he had far fewer friends than he did before now that he had no car and no cash.
The union is learning a similar lesson. What is amusing is their reaction is almost identical to his: first righteous indignation, followed by self pity. He eventually found a place to live (the week in the homeless shelter was a very real wake up call) and is now much more realistic in his outlook. One can only hope that the union makes similar progress.
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John; I don’t know why Crystal would want any of the employees back….and be specific by what you mean by the company handling this poorly…could Daytons interest be that he likes the donations by the union or that Minnesota is paying too much out in unemployment….It will never be settled by Christmas as the union has not even asked for more negotiations; except of course their talking to the media, which is not geting them back to the table
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On KFGO they are advertising a meeting at MSUM with Gov. Dayton. I believe they called it a Crystal Sugar Stakeholders Meeting…..what aa joke!!! I hope there is plenty of cheese and crackers to go with all the whine that will served.
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Gussy….
This happens to coincide with Crystal Sugars’ annual shareholders meeting. Annual being the key word here…
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Gussy- they are having a prayer vigil too. I wonder how much Dayton is being paid by the union to do this. Dayton is committing political suicide by his biased relationship/opinion in all of this. His should be impeached.
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As the governor of MN Dayton should be meeting with both sides of the dispute. His own state’s NLRB ruled twice that ACSC has been acting and negotiating in good faith when complaints were filed against against them by the union. The ruling can be read online. The contract AND changes that ACSC made for the union are published online.
In my humble opinion one would view ACSC contract as a business trying to crack down some employee abuses and run more efficiently/ competively in the future. It should be a companies right to do that.
It should also be the companies right to promote the most qualified people, demand that you show up for work and on time without being under the influence. Hence drug testing.
Regarding healthcare the union should spend their millions reforming healthcare instead of hurting companies that provide good paying jobs.
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I guess ACSC has their annual meeting this week too. I wonder if Dayton will attend if he doesn’t he’d be a fool.
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I agree, Starbuck. The stakeholders in Crystal will be at the Holiday Inn in Fargo on Dec. 1.
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It is funny, the union was status quo until ACS started hiring local replacements. Neighbors who are willing to walk past the lines & work. That took quite a bit of wind out of the union sails.
I hope ACS keeps the loyal local workers on if & when the union backtracks & agrees to the contract that has been on the table for 5-6 months.
The union made their own bed, I hope ACS does not go out of their way to reward them for their behavior.
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joe blow; Crystal is presently hiring workers from the area…the Strom employees are not all from southern states either some are from the cities etc. The company is hiring to fully staff all the factories for the long haul ….I don’t expect this to be over this campaign…hope that info helps.
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My son went for his pre-employment screening/testing today. They want to bring the first group of new guys on board by 12/12. We will see how it goes. Pay & bennies a lot better than Sam’s Club but still only temporary. Hopefully that will change.
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Time the union workers should man up and vote that corrupt union out.
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The workers are from nearly every state in the US. Several from Ohio and Indiana. There are also several local workers that have been there since the onset.
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We all know that KVLY is the unions channel of choice but Mike Morken just said on the 6 o’clock news American Crystals “STAKEHOLDERS” meeting…Whatever happened to unbiased reporting? How pathetic.
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It’s the shareholders’ annual meeting. Farmers need to buy stock (translates to acres) to be able to plant sugar beets to bring to market there.
http://www.crystalsugar.com/agronomy/default.aspx
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That’s what the union is calling this “stakeholders” meeting at MSUM. The “stockholders” ie. the farmers have their own meeting to attend. It is quite ludacris to think the employees have anything at stake when they voted the contract offering down…..twice!
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My feeling here is; they have given up the right to call themselves American Crystal stakeholders….they can call themselves union stakeholders but leave the American Crystal out of it…they have given up their employee satus by their vote and their treatment to the company….they obviously don’t get it.
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http://www.crystalsugar.com/media/news/nlrb.appeal.pdf
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I’ve been trying to understand why the union continues to say the company hasn’t been negotiating. Could someone post the alternatives to the new contract that the union has proposed? As the public sees it there have been none. There has been no negotiating just rejections.
Try looking into what healthcare would cost if you paid it on your own especially if you are 40-50-60 years old. Just a thought.
Job security has already been addressed. Done!
Ask your reps to come up with a different plan.
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I am hoping American Crystal goes back to the first contract; that the union rejected….I can live with that….but enforce the random drug testing; you owe your employees that it is a safety issue and should not be negotiable….drop the “super” seniority; for those of you who don’t know what that is ; if an employee has held a temporary position.he/she would get that job regardless of whether they did a good job at it or not…this is set aside from seniority in that it is only for holding the job temporary not permanent….the abuse here comes because, we have employees who bid every temporary job that is posted, they then do the training and accept the job; hence they have SUPER seniority..then they bid the next temporary job…this is keeping employees who actually want that job out of it. If the union keeps listening to Friskey and Rumke it just doesn’t matter…they won’t accept any contract because it has nothing to do with anything anymore…the union now just can’t believe their POWER is gone….do not offer them anything Crystal….let them keep coming to negotiations with nothing…that is working so well for them.
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Governor Dayton- Read the contract!! Look at ALL of their benefits. Anyone can see that it is a more than fair contract. If you can’t read it then move your buddies Riskey and Froemke out of the way…,
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