More pathetic journalism from The Star, this time from David Olive. Seems Olive is another journalist who doesn't bother bother researching facts before writing complete tripe. I won't even bother linking to his article, as it's not worthy of an Internet hit on the counter.
Suffice it to say, The Star and it's completely inept editorial staff are completely out to lunch, with Tim Harper also writing the same crap about about Caterpillar is all Harper's fault. Olive wants to play hardball with Caterpillar, placing tariffs on all their products coming into Canada. Tim Harper thinks Caterpillar should pay back tax breaks, all the while being too stupid to realize the tax incentives went to companies purchasing rail machinery, like CN, and were anounced in 2008, two years before Caterpillar bought EMD.
All this in itself is enough to show the Star as a leftist partisan propaganda machine that doesn't care about actual facts, and is completely comfortable printing misleading or what many would allege are false statements as fact. So if anyone at the Star cares to play hardball with companies producing locomotives outside Canada, that have received countless millions of taxpayer dollars, millions doled out by Chretien and Martin by the way, perhaps they might want to look at that Quebec media darling Bombardier.
" Bombardier Transportation has also acted as subcontractor, manufacturing units at its plant in Sahagun, Mexico since 1998; with over one thousand locomotives completed by 2007. The manufacturing agreement continued under Progress Rail ownership."
Over one thousand locomotives manufactured in Mexico, for EMD, owned by Progress Rail, which is owned by Caterpillar. Hey wait, aren't workers at Bombardier represented by the CAW? By Ken Lewenza? Funny, I don't remember Lewenza ever uttering a peep about that. I guess we all know what my next blog post will be about:0)
This is just like one of those old radio serial mysteries that were so popular in the 40's and 50's,only thing missing is the melodramatic organ music.
ReplyDeleteTo recap: the MSM claims Cat locked out the CAW after they refused a 50% cut of wages and devastation of the benefits package. Further,the Harper government gave CAT 5-6 million in tax breaks.
What I've found elsewhere so far: the tax breaks went to the customers of CAT,the wage cut was 50% only for non-trades workers during their training period,while the trades got a 17% wage cut. The contract offer was never even shown to the workers,the Union just refused it.
The benefits package was reduced a lot,but it was the most extensive BP I've ever seen,unrealistic in this market.
So far,the Left has used what is essentially a serious miscalculation of the labor market by the Union, as another reason to bash Harper.
Although they don't state it outright,since the Union refused to move on their demands, Harper's only option would be to subsidize the employees with a multi-million dollar subsidy.
The MSM and the CAW apparently wants all us non-Union peasants to support the fat cats in the CAW.
Sorry, NO. Harper has done the right thing,nothing.