WUWM has an update on the looming negotiations between the United Steel Workers and Caterpillar in South Milwaukee.
In less than a week, contract negotiations will begin at Caterpillar in South Milwaukee. The talks will be the first since the company took over former Bucyrus International in 2010.
Caterpillar is a major manufacturer of mining equipment.
About 800 members of the United Steel Workers make two different mining shovels at Caterpillar’s South Milwaukee plant.
Local 1343 spokesman Ross Winklbauer will be a member of its bargaining team. He says he’s hoping for “good faith” negotiations, because union workers have enabled Caterpillar to succeed.
“This is a multibillion dollar company that makes record profits, has been making record profits. We are hoping that when the company comes in, it’s with a fair contract,” Winklbauer says.
Read the full story here. And check out these South Shore headlines …
- Driver Flees OC Police, Nabbed In Cudahy (Oak Creek Patch)
- Oak Creek Teachers Object To Possible Retirement Cuts (Patch)
- Development Of Wispark’s Oak Creek Business Park To Begin Later This Year (Business Journal)
- O.C. Business Evacuated After Chemical Spill (Patch)
- Former Oak Creek Football Coach Inducted Into Hall Of Fame (Patch)
Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.
South Milwaukee Blog 
Eric,
Another one sided article about manufacturing? First link to the JS article about steel workers union asking MATC to stop teaching welding that conveniently excluded the economics teachers comments supporting the unions position (this teacher is the union rep). Then the link to the very irresponsible UW professors paper indicating that there isn’t a skills gap and now this?
Maybe you should include some links to the business journal about the skills gap or some real facts about Caterpillar. Did you know they haven’t sold a drag line in two years?
This company just had a 3 month strike in Illinois and what was the outcome of this work stoppage? How about a link to this information?
What about a link to the strike at Electro-Motive in Canada where CAT subsequently shut down operations of the second largest locomotive manufacturing facility in North America?
Eric there is a skills gap and customers who placed orders a CAT need there equipment so they can continue operations. Why shouldn’t Cat make sure they follow-up with what they promised their customers? This isn’t an aggressive stance before a strike it’s a commitment to it’s customers…
Al: There is no bias here. Do I have a viewpoint? Yes. But I try not to let it influence what stories I’m linking to in my headline roundups.
Simply, I post links to nearly every story I come across about South Milwaukee, including regular links to stories in the Business Journal. I’ve also written about/linked to stories about the Peoria strike in the past, as well as other global Caterpillar news that is of interest to South Milwaukee. And I’ve posted plenty of stories about the skills gap — not just that recent Urban Milwaukee piece.
I don’t pick and choose stories based on their topics — I prefer to put it all out there let my readers decide what they think of the reporting.