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Mon 12 May, 2003 11:44 am
Here's an article from the New York Times, 12 May 2003, that gives information on the latest benefit from Bush's tax plan. Pre-planning doesn't seem to be one of the Bush strengths. This speech is designed to force Senator Ben Nelson to vote yes for the Bush plan.
Plant Workers Say Bush Speech Will Cost Them
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
resident Bush plans to speak at an Omaha plastics factory today to sell his message that his tax cut plan will put money in workers' pockets. But some workers at the factory, Airlite Plastics, are complaining that Mr. Bush's speech will have the opposite effect.
They are unhappy because Airlite's chief executive, Brad Crosby, has announced that more than 300 hourly workers might lose all or part of a day's pay unless they work next Saturday to offset the time lost when the plant closes for the speech.
An Airlite spokesman said in a telephone interview last night that most workers would be given four options when the plant is partly closed for one and a half shifts during the speech: They can take an official day off whether or not they attend the speech and make up the work on Saturday to receive full pay. They can use a paid vacation day. They can work their regular shift in part of the plant that will remain open. Or they can take an unpaid day off.
This does not apply, however, to the 15 people who work in the area of the plant where the president will speak, the spokesman said last night. They will receive their regular pay.
The spokesman said Mr. Crosby was not available for an interview. But Mr. Crosby told The Associated Press: "Right from the beginning, we didn't want to see anyone take a cut in pay. We're just trying to be completely fair."
The company's decision not to pay most of the workers during the Bush visit was first reported on Friday in The Omaha World-Herald. The newspaper said a man who said he was an Airlite employee, but did not give his name, complained to an editor in a voice mail message that some longtime employees would lose more than $130 in pay.
"It's not a great thing for us employees," the man was quoted as saying. "We're losing a lot of money because of his visit. His speech is supposed to be about what the family can get from his tax breaks. It doesn't really make sense."
The Airlite factory, a new nonunion plant near Eppley Airfield, employs 570 workers and makes 1.3 billion plastic cups and lids a year for yogurt, cream cheese and other dairy products. Mr. Bush will speak at a new plant addition that makes molded plastic coolers for shipping medicine and steaks.
Mr. Bush's visit to Nebraska is one stop in an intense campaign to sell his tax cut plan to Americans. White House strategists say they decided to have Mr. Bush speak in Omaha to pressure Senator Ben Nelson, a Democrat, to support Mr. Bush's call for a $550 billion tax cut.
Mr. Crosby told The Associated Press that he had not spoken to any employees who disliked the options. "I think the overwhelming majority of our employees are just very excited about seeing the president," he said.
Gee, it sounds a bit like the Top Gun junket, forcing the ship to circle around until he could land--thus delaying the sailors' long-awaited return home.
Karl Rove had better do his homework better--this kind of story may do harm than good!
But I do give Bush credit for his determination to win the Tax Fight. He gives new meaning to the word "dogged." If Clinton had been half as insistent on getting his way, we might have universal health care!
Sounds like Robinhood in reverse.
Quote:They can work their regular shift in part of the plant that will remain open.
Doesn't sound like there is any problem for anyone. Period. They can work and get paid. The other options are just that; options.
Kind of funny that the author bothered to write about this, since that day will effectively be like any other day for the employees; they can work and get paid, they can take a vacation day, or they can take the day off without pay.
I fail to see the problem in that.
I think "Robin Hood in Reverse" is pretty much the basis for the entire Bush economic program, husker. Take services from the poor to pay for tax relief for the rich...
Actually, the owner said the plant would be closed, except for the 15 workers in the area where Bush would be talking. So there was no option. They would NOT be paid for that day. The only way they'd be paid would be if they came in on the week-end. And then, on tv, one of the workers interviewed said she thought it would have been nice if the audience weren't restricted - she would have liked to hear Bush. So, not only was the plant to be close, but the workers couldn't come hear Bush if they wanted to. Most of those interviewed thought it was a funny way to show the benefits of a tax cut.
However, there is a happy ending. This story received so much negative publicity, that the owner of the plant announced he had changed his mind, and the workers wouldn't be docked a day's pay.
With respect, mj, your citation does not agree with your claim. Nowhere does it state that the plant would be closed, nor does it show that a single employee will lose a single penny unless he or she chooses that option.
I am simply going by the information you have provided. If you are basing your comments on other information not in evidence here, please provide it as well. Thanks.
scrat - what is unclear?
They are unhappy because Airlite's chief executive, Brad Crosby, has announced that more than 300 hourly workers might lose all or part of a day's pay unless they work next Saturday to offset the time lost when the plant closes for the speech.
An Airlite spokesman said in a telephone interview last night that most workers would be given four options when the plant is partly closed for one and a half shifts during the speech: They can take an official day off whether or not they attend the speech and make up the work on Saturday to receive full pay. They can use a paid vacation day. They can work their regular shift in part of the plant that will remain open. Or they can take an unpaid day off.
1. The plant would be partly closed. The only part of the plant to be open would be that part in which the 15 designated workers would already be working, presumably to give Bush a background while he was making a speech. Otherwise, the plant would be closed. So where would the workers work?
2. They could work on Saturday to make up the pay. But their work week contract is Monday - Friday. So coming in on Saturday is out of the work week.
3. They can treat the day as a paid vacation day. This means that what would normally be a paid work day would then become a vacation day, taking away one day of vacation, not through choice.
Thus, a day's pay is lost.
4. How can you work a regular shift in a part of a plant that's open when the announcement is that the plant will be closed?
5. Or they can take an unpaid day off. Since this would not be by choice but by management decision, they still lose a days pay.
That is all based upon the reported story. No other source. And obviously somebody pointed out all these factors to Mr Crosby, because he rescinded the order. None of the workers interviewed thoguht they were being given any options. And since this is a non-union shop, there was nobody to speak up for them.
I thought this was pretty clear. And the speech by Bush was designed primarily to convince Senator nelson to vote for Bush's tax cut plan. It could have been given anywhere.
Here's another report on the same story. Perhaps it will clear up anything that was unclear in the NYTimes' report.
Quote:Bush's Speech Won't Hit Workers' Pay After All
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Workers at a plastics factory in Nebraska who heard President Bush deliver his scheduled speech at their plant Monday will be paid for their shift after all, the Associated Press reports.
Just a few hours before the president's speech, Airlite Plastics Co. of Omaha announced that all of the 510 workers would be paid even if they attended the speech or took the the day off, the AP reports.
Previously, Airlite gave employees four options during the president's visit, Airlite CEO Brad Crosby tells the AP.
Under the previous plan, the workers could have worked their regular shift at an adjacent building, taken the day off and made up the shift on Saturday, used a vacation day, or utilized an unpaid day off.
Bush's Speech Won't Hit Workers' Pay After All
This means the only people who would have lost pay would have
chosen to do so. (Now the company is going to pay everybody, no matter what.)
Sure they are. That's what I said. Crosby had a lot more negative publicity on this than he figured, which is why he weasled out. But the workers still couldn't come hear him speak, because the audience was, as usual, a small, selected crowd of Bush people, who were local politicos. Afterwards, acording to the local paper, one of them said it was no way to win votes among the people he needed. Neither did the plant or its owner get brownie points. There were complaints from the Bush people about the small, lukewarm crowd. Not so sure he got Nelson's vote either.
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