Members of Local 1947 in Fond du Lac, WI, concluded an extraordinary month with a vote last week to ratify a proposal from Mercury Marine that will result in additional work and jobs coming to the IAM-represented facility. Mercury had threatened to move the jobs if members did not approve a cost-cutting proposal.
The IAM represents more than 850 hourly workers at the Fond du Lac facility, however, those jobs support an additional 4,250 jobs in the surrounding community, according to the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation.
The vote drew national attention, with lawmakers from Wisconsin and Oklahoma offering competing incentives to attract the engine maker, whose business has sharply fallen in the ongoing recession. Despite strong feelings and an initial rejection of the proposal, a majority of members voted to ratify the proposal once clarifications were included.
“We met with Mercury Marine top management and have a commitment that with this vote, the company will stay in Fond du Lac, WI and move more work to Fond du Lac over time,” said Midwest Territory GVP Philip J. Gruber. “Our members’ vote for the company proposal, while being a very difficult decision, clearly says they are willing to work with Mercury to secure a sound future for themselves, the company and the community.”
In a statement issued after the vote, Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero said the company will begin consolidating work in Fond du Lac this year, including moving work from a non-union plant in Stillwater, OK., within two years.
