How valid is this contention that the current strike is ULP rather than economic in nature?
I do know that there have been some Caterpillar workers terminated when they could have just received some time off, but I also understand why it was done. I can understand the UAW’s contention that some of the unfair labor practice charges may need to be settled prior to negotiations, but I can’t imagine nearly a hundred charges. For the union to continue to say that they aren’t going to move until they get 95 unfair labor practice charges settle, while Caterpillar is continuing to build products and continuing to remain profitable, is not a smart strategy. Caterpillar is continuing to eliminate jobs because of this strike. They are finding ways to perform jobs with two or three guys, when it used to take five. When the UAW doesn’t want to come back, Caterpillar is going to say, “Wait a minute. We don’t need all of you back. We’ve eliminated 20 percent of the jobs because we have found more efficient ways to produce.” The local UAW leadership can call this scare tactics or whatever th
