Crystal, union reps to meet June 8
May 2, 2012 at 1:11 pm in Grand Forks Herald
“We hope there will be negotiations; the last few times we met, they just listened,” said John Riskey, president of Local 167G, which represents locked-out workers at Crystal plants in East Grand Forks, Drayton, N.D., and Moorhead.
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Who called for the meeting? ACS has nothing to gain but a substantial amount to lose by making any substantial concessions. Most of the locked out workers have moved on & to put everyone through a years hassle & heartache for no reason would be foolish.
Let’s see what the union means by negotiate. If it is more of the same ACS needs to just get up & leave.
Give the union 2 out of 5 years of free healthcare & no change as far as seniority & new positions. I probably wouldn’t even offer that but I’m feeling generous.
Also, ACS picks who comes back. Those presently under indictment need not apply.
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flyingnurse……you hit the nail on the head!! This is just another waste of time for all involved.
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Wow…two thumbs down this quick! Get a job!
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Looks like a one-man boxing match to me…..
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I hope something good comes out of the meeting. I want to see American Crystal Sugar and their longstanding work force come together for the better of the company. I think we can pull this off. Good luck to everybody as we go forward with our lives.
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I hope something positive can come from it too. I just feel like if the locked out workers come back, won’t that be awkward? They have said some pretty heated things on those picket lines. How would that work?
I’m not saying they shouldn’t come to an agreement but I just wonder how working conditions would be if they go back.
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If the other hundreds of labor unions that have been locked out of their jobs in the USA in the past years can be mature enough to go back to work I would think the workers in the RRV could do the same thing. And with the threat of losing their jobs for good I think they will behave themselves. If not…they won’t be there long. A settled contract with five years free of worry will bring alot of people peace of mind.
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tj: your comment reads like a well-written prayer. I wish I could check the “like” button more than once. Nice effort!
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ron……”hang the union out to dry”? Give me a freakin’ break!! Why wouldn’t the company decide to move on without the union employees? The union voted (twice) and decided they could not work for the package offered. End of story.
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“June 8th? I doubt any progress would be made. Hang the union out to dry for a month and than crush their hearts again?”
Actually Ron, if you think about it….ACS is doing the union a favor by scheduling a month or so out.
If ACS had agreed to meet IMMEDIATELY, then the union reps would have gone into the meetings unprepared again. At least scheduling this far out gives the locked-out workers ample time to sit their “leaders” down and give them an earful.
If these “reps” were “representing” ME, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would schedule SEVERAL face-to-face meetings with them BEFORE they went into another meeting with management….and subsequently tripped all over themselves again.
In short, they would NOT be going into any more meetings with ACS management with ONLY the union’s “bigger agenda” on their minds. A very clear picture of MY face having been recently in THEIR face would be on their minds as well.
Guaranteed.
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I’m not sure I understand Riskey’s statement, “given the same offer, we probably wouldn’t.” Also, I am thinking that most of the language changes that ACS is trying to make are in the contract at Sydney. The old ACS contract was very outdated and we are seeing the effects of that dated contract today.
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A word was left out: “given the same offer we probably wouldn’t be in this situation” Whether that would have happened or not is speculative.
I believe you are right about the Sydney contract. The factory was bought by ACS in 2002. I’m sure the company made a point to bring that contract up to their standards from the get go.
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Sydney is in the middle of the bakken , If they had a labor dispute it might be difficult to find housing for replacements. The workers would have a few more otions.
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Make that options!
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Good point….we need to find oil quick.
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The union is in the Bermuda Triangle. There is no way out. They have crapped in their own nest.
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You gotta love Minnesota! The “Don’t Work but Get a Paycheck ” state! Why would there be any incentive to agree to a contract to go back to work? No need to answer…we all know the answer.
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It’s the lazy unionites taking unemployment, most likely the same ones that aren’t even qualified to even work their positions. They weren’t fired or laid off, they chose not to work, therefore they should not be getting any unemployment. Time Riske, Fembroke come out of the twilight zone.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/79708686@N04/show/
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Paul,
Thanks for posting those pics and sharing the link. For those not on last week’s ACSC lockout article blog, I had requested to see the photos of the dumping of beets by Ardoch, ND and the remelt sugar totes.
I’m not sure why Paul has received such a large number of thumbs down. He shared pictures that are facts. Yes, facts we already have heard about and (at least for the rotten beets) ones that Crystal has acknowledged. I’m not sure if they have ever publicly mentioned the remelt sugar. However, the pictures add to the story.
I’ll give Paul a thumbs-up for providing these photos that helps to tell another side of the story.
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It won’t be much of a meeting. The local reps will be in jail for spitting and keying of cars. Union thugs, just like the 40′s.
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I have to agree with you. It is a sad deal that ACS has to continue dealing with a union that offers so little yet demands so much.
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A contract was offered. The opportunity to work was presented to the union. They chose to not work. The consequences of turning down the contract should have been painfully clear to the union.
It was very clear to ACS what could happen to them if they went into last fall using a workforce that was not under contract and could walk off the job, thus giving the union leverage in negotiations.
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Today’s story is about how the final offer is still the final offer. My question is simple (and sincere): why is ACS agreeing to meet? Their offer has been on the table long enough that there can be no possible confusion as to what it is. If they are not going to enter into a new round of negotiations (see above, I think this is the correct move), why meet?
If you turn down a governor and senator, what possible PR advantage can be gained by listening to the union major in what is not the central issue (healthcare) while completely ignoring the main issue: seniority and job classifications?
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Ron…are you saying that phil m should be intimidated by the locked workers?
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Ron, Are you suggesting that the locked out workers would use violence? Why would a true statement upset them? After all this time I can’t believe they still make their families suffer for the fatcat union leaders.
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Yep, posting comments online is almost as easy as surrounding and taunting replacement workers while picketing.
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Ron, Some of us have been face to face with them, they still remain blind to the facts. They are similar to sheep or lemmings following each other over a cliff.
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