Mercury Marine is a pretty familiar name to anyone with an interest in boating. They have had their headquarters and a lot of their manufacturing operations in Fond du Lac, WI for many, many years. But, this will soon come to an end as their union rejected a contract with, to be fair, some pretty serious concessions. The management side has said throughout the process that they needed these concessions to remain competitive while maintaining operations in Fond du Lac. Now that the contract has been rejected, Mercury Marine seems intent on consolidating their operations in Stillwater, OK (a non-union shop).
This is part of the problem with unions. Unions once served a purpose, but now are a parasitic block between employee and employer, with little purpose other than perpetuating itself. In this instance, union solidarity is going to cost a decent-sized city (Fondy has 41,000 people) one of its largest employers. Bloated labor costs, largely due to unions, are the cause of a lot of the problems that have been plaguing automakers (not all, but a lot).
What unions need to remember is that the largest cost in any business is labor. If unions continually increase the cost of labor artificially, this starts to impact the bottom line. Companies have to increase the cost of their products, which....well, I don't think it is necessary to explain the laws of supply and demand. So, when less product is moved, something has to give. Unfortunately for Fond du Lac, they are what's going to give.
Sorry Fond du Lac, but the parasites won.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Judas...Benedict...Brett...Desperado
Ever since a buddy at work sent me an email stating that Mark Rosen had a scoop on Brett Favre, I have been struggling to not curse at every opportunity. Frankly, I am livid that Favre is now a Viking. To me, this is unforgivable.
I started writing this last night, which is the paragraph above. But, having had a chance to sleep on it, here are my thoughts on this. The main theme here is desperation.
1. Despite his protestations to the contrary, Favre is desperate to get back at Ted Thompson for a perceived slight. Favre believes that Ted Thompson disrespected him by not letting Favre come out of retirement and re-assume the starting job in Green Bay. Then, trading him to the Jets? I really believe that Favre remains upset about not getting a poke at the Packers last season. So, while revenge is not the only reason Favre did this, it's definitely a consideration.
2. According to Randy Shaver on KARE11, Brad Childress called Favre and asked him to come back on Monday night. This makes sense, as Brad Childress is probably on the hot seat. Childress wants to keep his job, and saw that his QBs of Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson weren't doing enough. So, Brad calls his buddy and begs him to reconsider. But, this is a big gamble on Childress' part. If this backfires at all (and I can't help but think it might), Chilly is done in Minnesota. The fans and ownership labor under the impression that this team with Favre can win the Super Bowl. Anything less than a deep playoff run is probably going to cost Childress his job, especially now. The ante has been upped.
3. Of course, the owner of the Vikings signed off on this. Zygi Wilf (known around here as Ziggy Piggy) owns a franchise that people were losing interest in fast. Prior to this signing, only two of the Vikings home games were sold out (Green Bay and Chicago, which draw considerable attendance from opposing fans). In this economy, and with thousands of seats available for the other games, Fox 9 and WCCO are likely not in a position to buy the other tickets to avoid local TV blackouts due to decreased advertising revenue.
The other thing to consider is how badly the Vikings want a new stadium. They have one of the worst stadium situations in the NFL. Their division rivals all have new or renovated stadiums, and are making money hand-over-fist (well, maybe not Detroit so much). Ziggy Piggy wants more revenue streams, and is just not going to get them in the Jiffy Pop Dome. With a moribund franchise who has never won a Super Bowl, this definitely wasn't going to happen. Signing Brett Favre is a gamble that could really pay off if the Vikings actually won a Super Bowl with him. This is sure to increase pressure on the state legislature to get a stadium deal done...Ziggy Piggy knows something has to give, because right now the state government has no interest in forking over money for a new stadium.
So, why did Brett Favre come to the Vikings? I believe a ton of desperation on all sides has a lot to do with this. And, here's hoping it blows up in their face.
Go Pack!
I started writing this last night, which is the paragraph above. But, having had a chance to sleep on it, here are my thoughts on this. The main theme here is desperation.
1. Despite his protestations to the contrary, Favre is desperate to get back at Ted Thompson for a perceived slight. Favre believes that Ted Thompson disrespected him by not letting Favre come out of retirement and re-assume the starting job in Green Bay. Then, trading him to the Jets? I really believe that Favre remains upset about not getting a poke at the Packers last season. So, while revenge is not the only reason Favre did this, it's definitely a consideration.
2. According to Randy Shaver on KARE11, Brad Childress called Favre and asked him to come back on Monday night. This makes sense, as Brad Childress is probably on the hot seat. Childress wants to keep his job, and saw that his QBs of Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson weren't doing enough. So, Brad calls his buddy and begs him to reconsider. But, this is a big gamble on Childress' part. If this backfires at all (and I can't help but think it might), Chilly is done in Minnesota. The fans and ownership labor under the impression that this team with Favre can win the Super Bowl. Anything less than a deep playoff run is probably going to cost Childress his job, especially now. The ante has been upped.
3. Of course, the owner of the Vikings signed off on this. Zygi Wilf (known around here as Ziggy Piggy) owns a franchise that people were losing interest in fast. Prior to this signing, only two of the Vikings home games were sold out (Green Bay and Chicago, which draw considerable attendance from opposing fans). In this economy, and with thousands of seats available for the other games, Fox 9 and WCCO are likely not in a position to buy the other tickets to avoid local TV blackouts due to decreased advertising revenue.
The other thing to consider is how badly the Vikings want a new stadium. They have one of the worst stadium situations in the NFL. Their division rivals all have new or renovated stadiums, and are making money hand-over-fist (well, maybe not Detroit so much). Ziggy Piggy wants more revenue streams, and is just not going to get them in the Jiffy Pop Dome. With a moribund franchise who has never won a Super Bowl, this definitely wasn't going to happen. Signing Brett Favre is a gamble that could really pay off if the Vikings actually won a Super Bowl with him. This is sure to increase pressure on the state legislature to get a stadium deal done...Ziggy Piggy knows something has to give, because right now the state government has no interest in forking over money for a new stadium.
So, why did Brett Favre come to the Vikings? I believe a ton of desperation on all sides has a lot to do with this. And, here's hoping it blows up in their face.
Go Pack!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Green Bay: You Can Leave Your Trash Behind
WARNING: Wisconsin-centric post coming up:
All right, a chance to engage in Appleton snobbery (because, other than the Packers, Green Bay is completely inferior to the Fox Cities)!! Austin Straubel "International" Airport is lucky enough to receive a garbage sterilizer for disposing of trash from international flights. According to the linked article, officials believe that this could serve as an impetus to have more international flights come into Green Bay.
Three things here: First, the idea that any international commercial flights will ever come into Green Bay is laughable. Per the airport website, you can fly directly from Green Bay to the following cities:
Chicago (O'Hare)
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Detroit
Milwaukee
Marquette, MI
Yes, I am sure the direct flights from Heathrow, de Gaulle, Narita, Pearson, Frankfurt, etc will quickly be added to the list. Never mind not having any flights to states that don't border Wisconsin, Straubel will get them all.
Even Appleton's crappy little airport serves more destinations (Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Denver are all direct destinations from ATW, although in fairness there is no direct flight from Appleton to Marquette. That must be one of the loneliest customs offices in the country over there at Straubel.
Second, if private international flights need to go to a city with a real airport, they are not going to go to Green Bay because they can dump their trash there. Imagine how this might go:
Pilot: "You know, you have a meeting in Chicago, but we need to get rid of this trash, so we're diverting to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sure, you need to go to Chicago, but in Green Bay, you can clear customs faster...and, no trash."
Rich international flyer: "Uh, how far is Green Bay from Chicago?"
Pilot: "336 kilometers."
RIF: "Wrong answer, we're flying to Chicago."
Third, what reason short of the Packers does anyone outside of the Midwest ever have to go to Green Bay? Bay Beach? The National Railroad Museum? Oh wait, I know...it's because Preble High School has a huge following throughout the world. That must be it. That's why people will want to come to Green Bay from all over the world, the Green Bay Preble Hornets.
Come to Green Bay!! Don't worry about your exotic trash, we'll take care of it!
All right, a chance to engage in Appleton snobbery (because, other than the Packers, Green Bay is completely inferior to the Fox Cities)!! Austin Straubel "International" Airport is lucky enough to receive a garbage sterilizer for disposing of trash from international flights. According to the linked article, officials believe that this could serve as an impetus to have more international flights come into Green Bay.
Three things here: First, the idea that any international commercial flights will ever come into Green Bay is laughable. Per the airport website, you can fly directly from Green Bay to the following cities:
Chicago (O'Hare)
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Detroit
Milwaukee
Marquette, MI
Yes, I am sure the direct flights from Heathrow, de Gaulle, Narita, Pearson, Frankfurt, etc will quickly be added to the list. Never mind not having any flights to states that don't border Wisconsin, Straubel will get them all.
Even Appleton's crappy little airport serves more destinations (Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Denver are all direct destinations from ATW, although in fairness there is no direct flight from Appleton to Marquette. That must be one of the loneliest customs offices in the country over there at Straubel.
Second, if private international flights need to go to a city with a real airport, they are not going to go to Green Bay because they can dump their trash there. Imagine how this might go:
Pilot: "You know, you have a meeting in Chicago, but we need to get rid of this trash, so we're diverting to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sure, you need to go to Chicago, but in Green Bay, you can clear customs faster...and, no trash."
Rich international flyer: "Uh, how far is Green Bay from Chicago?"
Pilot: "336 kilometers."
RIF: "Wrong answer, we're flying to Chicago."
Third, what reason short of the Packers does anyone outside of the Midwest ever have to go to Green Bay? Bay Beach? The National Railroad Museum? Oh wait, I know...it's because Preble High School has a huge following throughout the world. That must be it. That's why people will want to come to Green Bay from all over the world, the Green Bay Preble Hornets.
Come to Green Bay!! Don't worry about your exotic trash, we'll take care of it!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Hi kettle, this is pot...
Wisconsinites can't drive, says a Minnesotan. Do Wisconsinites tend to obey the speed limit...yeah, to some extent. Wisconsin has a Gestapo for a State Patrol, so speed limits tend to be obeyed (let's not even talk about Rosendale)...so, we're a little slow. But, for any Minnesotan to claim that anyone from anywhere is worse than they are is WRONG!!! Minnesotans, you suck at driving!!!! You are supposed to let people in when they are merging onto a freeway!! I swear, people think they lose if they let someone in. You are supposed to use turn signals when you switch lanes and, you know, make turns!!! Turn signals are not merely for decorative purposes. They serve a purpose. Oh, one other thing...the left lane is for passing (although in fairness, some Sconnies hang out in the left lane like idiots too).
I have figured this out even though I rarely ever drive. Minnesotans, I generally love ya (except for your stupid-ass pro football team), but you claiming Sconnies are bad drivers is, to quote Trimuph the Insult Comic Dog, like poop telling vomit it stinks!!
I have figured this out even though I rarely ever drive. Minnesotans, I generally love ya (except for your stupid-ass pro football team), but you claiming Sconnies are bad drivers is, to quote Trimuph the Insult Comic Dog, like poop telling vomit it stinks!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Follow the Stinger...
...as I begin contributing to Mr D's neighborhood. This does not mean the end of Stinger Nation, though. I am hoping by occasionally throwing some posts up there, that blog writing gets back into my blood and I post here more often. So anyway, see what I do there and here if you dare.
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