Fond du Lac (WFRV)- We have received word that the union workers at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac have rejected the company’s latest offer. The union spokesman says the vote was not even close.
The two sides had been in negotiations for several weeks in what had become a bitter dispute. Company officials cited the economy as the reason they needed to re-negotiate the union contract, while the union accused Mercury Marine of ‘union-busting’.
Many fear this could have been the union’s only opportunity to keep the company in Fond du Lac. Voting took place at Fond du Lac High School, where more than 800 union members were eligible to vote.
The news comes after many in the community pleaded with union and company officials to work out an agreement to keep the jobs in the city. The result could mean that the company will move its operations down to its other plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Some of the concessions in the new contract were wage decreases, higher healthcare deductibles, and changes to the pension.
The company has more than 1900 employees based in Fond du Lac.
