Mercury will allow union to vote again
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Officials from Mercury Marine and the union that represents the company’s manufacturing employees agreed Tuesday to allow workers to vote again on a proposed labor contract originally offered by the company on Aug. 19, according to a release from Mercury.
“Hundreds of employees expressed a desire to voice their true feelings, and that’s something we can’t ignore,” Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine, said in the release. “Obviously, this is a difficult situation for all employees in Fond du Lac and Stillwater.”
Union members can vote Thursday and Friday on exactly the same contract proposal that was rejected by voters on Aug. 23. Union members will be able to vote from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. either day.
Mercury said state and local officials encouraged the company and union over the past several days to meet and discuss a process for a revote.
Mercury had set a deadline of midnight last Saturday for acceptance of the company’s final offer. However, the company said it is extending that deadline due to questions surrounding the voting process.
“If results from the Aug. 23 vote would have stood, work from Fond du Lac would have moved to the company’s plant in Stillwater,” Mercury said in the release. “However, the vote scheduled for this week will take precedence.”
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