On Friday, Caterpillar announced the closing of a locomotive plant in Ontario, Canada. The plant had been the site of a weeks long lockout over wages and benefits. To remain competitive with the likes of General Electric, Caterpillar wanted concessions, but the Canadian Auto Workers union refused. Read more
Uh Oh … remember when President Obama touted his stimulus package as a job saver He even traveled to East Peoria to make Caterpillar the poster child of saved or retained jobs … remember?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEHnc88OH6M
Now we get this from Reuters …
Caterpillar Inc, the world’s largest maker of construction and mining equipment, notified an additional 2,454 workers in three states on Tuesday that they were losing their jobs as the company continues to try to bring production in line with plummeting demand.
The bulk of the job cuts — nearly 1,600 in all — will come in Illinois at the company’s plants in East Peoria, which makes track-type tractors and pipe layers, and Aurora, where it makes hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders.
Now, Reuters doesn’t mention it, neither does Bloomberg, neither does the AP or the Chicago Tribune. But, yup … the same East Peoria. There’s some votes the Messiah’s lost. As Dr. Maddow would say … awkward!
It began with a statement by Obama yesterday, when he told reporters that the CEO of Caterpillar would hire back laid off workers as soon as the stimulus passed … and followed with a statement by the CEO of Caterpillar that … well no … he still would likely have to layoff more people. It’s a beautiful thing, from Hannity’s America.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEHnc88OH6M
Today ABC’s Jake Tapper followed up on that exchange with Robert Gibbs. Gibbs tries to spin around it. But the Best part comes at the end of this 5 minute exchange when Tapper. Hot Air picks it up so much better than I could.
Yes, it’s Tapper again, mining more comedy gold from that clusterfark of a stimulus “rally” Obama held yesterday at Caterpillar’s plant in Illinois. Sensing his chance to squeeze one measly vote out of the House GOP caucus and thereby sanctify the bill as “bipartisan,” The One tried leaning on new Republican congressman Aaron Schock by putting him on the spot in front of the plant’s employees. Big mistake.
Here’s the Tapper presser:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOTXWF1H3Wk