Sour Grapes At Remington?
BY Herschel Smith
10 years, 3 months ago
Jennifer Brown is scared, and with good reason.
When Remington Arms laid off 105 people Aug. 22, they were chosen strictly based on seniority. Now, 26-year-old Jennifer, who was hired in January 2013, is No. 9 on the list.
“I have my family to support,” the mother of two said. “A house, a car payment.”
“The morale in (the Ilion factory) is really low and people are waiting for more,” said her father, Frank “Rusty” Brown, chairman of the UMWA Local 717 Compac Committee.
For a family such as the Browns, more layoffs could be detrimental.
Rusty’s mother, Barbara, 71, joined Remington in the 1970s on the bottom floor, slowly working her way upward in the million-square-foot facility before retiring in 2005. Her husband, Steve, worked there, too.
Rusty and his wife, Lisha, followed in their footsteps in the mid-1990s — Rusty a furnace technician and Lisha working in inventory control.
Now, Jennifer and her sister Jessica have carried on the tradition.
Jessica, 27, was hired in 2009 when Remington Arms was bringing in new product lines, such as Marlin brand firearms.
“I was working at Kmart before there,” she said. “Trying to support a kid off minimum wage is not easy.”
The Brown family epitomizes the Ilion-Remington Arms relationship.
“You’re looking at three generations of people who have the experience, who’ve gone into that factory and have learned from Day One and have advanced through the machinery changes,” Rusty said.
“(Remington Arms is) going to find a big difference in employees when they go to Alabama,” Barbara added.
Rusty doesn’t think the move has anything to do with politics, though.
“I’m tired of hearing everybody say, ‘It’s the SAFE Act and it’s Gov. Cuomo,’” Rusty said. “The company’s not telling anyone that.”
Instead, he said, it’s because business has slowed down.
“The biggest thing with the upsurge that we had in hiring was that we were supposed to be the facility of choice,” Lisha said. “They brought everything to us.”
At its height, Rusty said, the Ilion facility was producing almost 2,000 Bushmasters a day — and that’s just one Remington Arms product.
“We overproduced,” he said. “We did what was demanded, or asked, of us. We met every challenge we had. Now, we see product lines going away.”
And with those lines went the jobs.
So exactly what difference will Remington find in employees when they move to Alabama, except for non-union wages and the corollary company loyalty? Is he suggesting that the “hicks” in Alabama can’t do what he can do? There are good mechanics in Alabama too, sir.
To him, it has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with the fact that they did everything demanded of them, they met all obligations and expectations, and so they overproduced and are now in a pickle.
Sour grapes much? Does he think the union should have held back some on the production line? Perhaps they would still have a job if the union had just done their job.
And there you have it, folks. Unions. Nothing more needs to be said. Just watching and listening explains everything.
On September 16, 2014 at 7:56 am, boogyoogyoogy said:
Just a union man supporting the union postion, which supports the powers that just destroyed these jobs.
Oh, and not just a little unwarranted hubris.
The south still understands what freedom and liberty are, much of the north, no longer do.
On September 16, 2014 at 8:19 am, Paul B said:
Unions have long since out lived their usefulness. Three generations is a nepotistic arrangement. I would bet Mom and Dad were pretty active in the union as well.
I think moving is the last chance for big business to get out from under the union’s yoke. that and the cessation of demand withdrawals from pay checks for state employee unions.
It is interesting Unions and Democrats work together to keep the proles in check.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:23 am, UNCLEELMO said:
Elections have consequences, and the consequences of liberal Democrat control in New York is that Remington is leaving the state. Simple as that.
If you work for a living and vote Democrat, you get what you deserve..
On September 16, 2014 at 9:33 am, Airb0rne4325 said:
Amen, preach it brother.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:27 am, Harry_the_Horrible said:
What Remington will find in Alabama are the people that developed and tested the Saturn V rocket, and build the Mercedes and Honda automobiles.
Their quality will not suffer.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:48 am, Jeff said:
I believe the Saturn V engine was tested at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
On September 16, 2014 at 2:44 pm, Harry_the_Horrible said:
I am sure Remington would be welcome there, too!
On September 16, 2014 at 7:32 pm, John Wood said:
According to Wikipedia, ” the Saturn V was designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun and Arthur Rudolph at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama…” Of course, it may have also been tested in Mississippi.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:30 am, Blake said:
I know it’s a novel concept, but, just perhaps the people complaining need to consider moving to the job, rather than expecting the job to come to them?
I know, heresy.
On September 16, 2014 at 11:06 am, GomeznSA said:
Yep, no ‘politics’ involved at all, never mind the FACT that those Bushmasters (aka EBRs) can no longer be sold in the very state in which they are manufactured. Nah, nothing political at all involved in the business decision to relocate.
On September 16, 2014 at 12:15 pm, Archer said:
Nope, not at all.
Nevermind that it’s a very short step from, “This can’t be sold here,” to, “This can’t be manufactured here.” To the politicians, manufacturing a product that can’t be sold is a useless job, and useless jobs can/should be purged – especially if they involve products that the politicians simply don’t like.
That the politicians haven’t made replacement jobs available for the displaced workers is a secondary consideration … if it’s been considered at all.
That the politicians’ jobs themselves could arguably be called “useless” and made unavailable to them is considered sacrilege.
What a world we live in!
On September 16, 2014 at 12:24 pm, Alemaster said:
The last thing we want is those who voted themselves out of jobs in the north bringing their “values” to the new jobs in The South. regards, Alemaster
On September 16, 2014 at 12:58 pm, Fred Smith said:
Politicians beg for union support and money, then they are the first to screw the union members.
The Northeast is in bad shape, who made that, the politicians and the voters.
On September 16, 2014 at 6:30 pm, pkill said:
Rusty was sucking up to Senitor Schumer in another gun control event staged for the cameras. Rusty must be a Democratic Party stooge. Just another loyal party hack waiting for his reward.
On September 16, 2014 at 7:25 pm, Biggiewood said:
“Rusty doesn’t think the move has anything to do with politics, though.”
You keep thinking that Rusty, when you’re filling out the unemployment forms.
On September 16, 2014 at 8:23 pm, TheLordRegent said:
Again, gun and ammo production leaving a democrat state, moving to an American state. Good news.
On September 16, 2014 at 9:40 pm, ensitue said:
Typical Socialist DRONE
On September 17, 2014 at 9:32 am, Oldbro said:
My union could not protect me when I was injured on the job. I could not remain
A member and pay for my continued benefits packet out of pocket, my wife works. They
could not stop the loss of 1/3 of the membership because of the auto industry collapse
over the last 8 years. Our pension plan is still paying but is in critical status at this point.
I always was at odds with my union over their lap dog loyalty to anti gun democrats that have been selling us out for years. The incestuous relationship between politicians,big business
and finance should cause a revolt in this country, but most of us have become sheep to the slaughter.
On September 18, 2014 at 11:02 am, Miguel said:
I just watched a commercial that NY wants business to move back and will not tax for a year until you are established. Any business owner would be a fool to take that deal.