Indiana GE plant workers await options (another plant closing 900 people)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/BUSINESS/802220418

Refrigerator unit to be shut down

Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Workers at a General Electric Co. appliance factory slated to close next year will have to wait a few more weeks to learn more about transfer options and certain benefits.

Details won't be available until a 60-day bargaining period ends March 17. The period allows time to propose ways to save the plant.

GE announced last month that it planned to close the factory due to losses of about $45 million last year and an expectation of similar losses this year. Officials cited declining sales of side-by-side refrigerators and rising material and labor costs.

The plant, part of the company's Louisville-based Consumer and Industrial division, employs about 900 people. GE has said about 60 percent of the workers are eligible to retire.

FULL story at link.

[mac2]

1. Generous?

If the area doesn't have a surplus of good jobs it is not "generous". These American corporations are abandoned this country for cheaper labor. They are abandoning the community and setting up elsewhere. That responsibility is part of their charter. When is a governor going to act on that charater?

[MaryCeleste]

2. What would you suggest GE do?

- Consumers sales are down for the products that plant produces
- The competition (which is overseas) is killing them on price.

The employees seem to understand that. What would you have GE do at this plant

[mac2]

3. National Health Care would cut costs

and would help us compete with the other democracies in the world.

Hire Americans who are their consumers and made them great. All companies are suffering because our economy is on its knees. People aren't building because of bad loan policies and over sight. Lay them off but don't move and re-hire the old employees when the economy comes back.

Put a tariff on imported products who use slave labor to bring their prices lower and ruin our businesses.

Many corporations/companies moving to third world countries (such as Mexico and China) have had big trouble doing business there. Their products defective and can't get them to market. Their employees not educated and distracted because of their own poverty and tramas.

[mac2]

4. Only 40 posts...new to globalism?

[MaryCeleste]

5. Not at all

but am tired of outrage without concrete ideas. Its easy to rail about outsourcing, but few have any realistic solutions to local issues.