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Mercury Marine plans to close its MotorGuide plant in Tulsa, Okla., and integrate the business into its Attwood Marine Products division in Lowell, Mich., according to a release today from Mercury. The targeted date for completion of the consolidation is Oct. 30.

Not all MotorGuide employees will be making the move, according to Mercury. MotorGuide currently employs 61 people, "some of whom could be offered opportunities to relocate to Lowell," Mercury said

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local 1947, yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal from Mercury Marine that would eliminate pensions, jobs and health care for thousands of Wisconsin workers and their families.

"Mercury Marine never intended for this offer to be accepted," said IAM Midwest Territory Vice President Philip Gruber. "Despite progress on every major issue and a commitment by the IAM to continue bargaining, the company balked in the final hours and added terms and conditions that assured members would reject the offer."

Mercury Marine repeatedly claimed a yes vote would preserve jobs and keep the company headquartered in Fond du Lac, however, the company refused to make that commitment in writing, leaving many employees convinced the company fully intended to move production out of Fond du Lac, regardless of the vote outcome.

"Mercury Marine has been threatening these workers and this community for weeks," said Gruber. "Some companies may hint at dire consequences as a bargaining tactic, but rarely do we see such extortion in plain view. It's unethical, it's un-American and I respect any worker who stands up and refuses to be bullied.

Turnout has reportedly been steady in Fond du Lac, Wis., as Mercury Marine union members take a second vote on a proposed labor contract.

Union members said turnout was steady in the first day of voting Thursday, with several hundred of about 850 eligible voters casting ballots, according to a report in the Journal Sentinel newspaper.

Voting was scheduled to resume today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The same contract was rejected Aug. 23, and a second vote was cancelled after it ran past a company deadline.

If the concessions are approved, Mercury says it will keep its manufacturing in Fond du Lac and bring additional work to the plant from its non-union facility in Stillwater, Okla.

Otherwise, Mercury plans to move operations to Oklahoma.

Screw the union i'd move just to prove a point.

County officials in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, yesterday offered Mercury Marine more than US$50m in government loans and other aid in a 12-year agreement. The officials announced the package after union members voted last week to accept a new contract from the company.

County officials said they would pay for the incentives by raising the county's sales tax. The package would include US$3m in incentives from the city of Fond du Lac for loans and grants, and another US$50m in low-interest loans from the county. The money will be used for the development of new engines and the relocation of work from Mercury's facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma to Fond du Lac.

The loan also stipulates Mercury can earn a US$1000 credit on the loan for every new job brought to Fond du Lac, and a $500 credit for each existing position that is retained in the town. There is a $500 penalty for each job lost if the company leaves Fond du Lac before the end of the 12-year agreement.