USW Local 2-232

formerly PACE 7-232

Representing  employees at Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Strattec Security Corp. in Milwaukee, WI

Membership Meeting 

Sunday July 25th, 2010

USW Local 2-232 Office

8500 W. Capital Dr.  LL 101  Milwaukee 

9:30a.m.

Election for Trustee at Large 

will take place during this meeting.

  Members are urged to Attend this Meeting.

            Well, everyone, its that time again. I have a bit of manufacturing and American history to share with you. During the latter half of 1776, Benjamin Franklin was sent by Congress to seek foreign aid for the Revolutionary War. His endeavors were successful and he did acquire weapons and provisions that in turn helped us get our now “taken for granted” freedoms. The embarrassment the United States suffered due to an incapacity of being able to be self sufficient during the war would now lead to actions taken by government officials of the time. In 1791, with the embarrassment and fear still fresh in the government’s head, the Secretary of Treasury at that time and soon to be President, Alexander Hamilton wrote a report to the President. The report highlighted that America needs to ensure and promote manufacturing within our borders to ensure our safety and to keep our levels of supplies strong enough to defend ourselves without having to worry about a different country to come and bail us out. Bottom line was that we need to manufacture goods in America to take care of America.

            With that being said, let me get back to the present time frame. It appears that the government now and the ruthless greed of corporations are now putting the money before the safety and defense of our beautiful country. As laborers we feel the wrath of these injustices every day. Now, the intent of this article is not to lower your level of patriotism or sense of security. In fact I feel we need to be aware of this kind of information so we do not fall prey to the old saying “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat.” With the current status of the world and the advancement of technologies abroad, who is to say that anyone will be able to help us even if they want to?.

            The only way to lead our lost herd of politicians back to the prosperous, greener pastures of manufacturing within our own borders is to go out and vote for the representatives that know the issues and realize the repercussions and the severity of such. As far as Corporate America is concerned, the only way to wake up those greedy bastards is to let the right government officials give them a swift kick in the butt, by putting in place laws and guidelines that keep Americans working, making goods in American factories to keep Americans going every day in times of peace and in such tragic times as now with fear of war and terrorism abroad. I’m pretty sure the greedy corporate bastards will not be happy making the great country they live in a third world defenseless wasteland. Let’s see how they would enjoy all that money surrounded by poverty and despair.

            At Strattec De Milwaukee things are going about the same. The two remaining layoffs caused by machine movement are slated for the early March time frame. The two displaced people will be a trickle down result from the finalizing of department 90. These are supposedly the final layoffs due to machine movement that fall under similar language.

            We still do not know what could come in the future as far as layoffs, due to discontinuing of locks being manufactured and the current state of our economy being in a recession. Hopefully we can make it through with no layoffs but, we need to keep our heads on straight and be ready for anything. With regards to the final number of layoffs, the Company and the Union have a meeting set up for February 25th to get final numbers and hopefully stop this doom and gloom on the shop floor and let us start to work forward to the future and who knows maybe even get some new work for us at the Milwaukee facility.