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Mott’s Corporate Greed: Rotten to the Core
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Dr. Pepper Snapple Group CEO Larry Young pocketed $6.5 million last year. But he thinks his employees at Mott’s applesauce plant in Williamson, N.Y., should make $20,000 a year. So, the corporate conglomerate has been trying to cut $1.50 an hour—$3,000 a year—from the salaries of the 350 skilled workers, while freezing pensions and health care.
But there’s no need to bring up CEO pay. Really. According to Dr. Pepper Snapple Senior Vice President Robert Callan:
Executive pay is completely irrelevant to the discussion.
Really. More from Callan in this great segment from PBS:
The Williamson employees have enjoyed wages that have exceeded 50 percent of the market for a very long time. The best example I can give you is one of our forklift drivers at the Williamson facility makes $20 an hour. Local market in the Williamson area a forklift driver will make about $9.90 an hour—about $20,000 a year.
The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group made $555 million in profits in 2009, another point that Thomas Culhane, a Mott’s forklift operator, says is not irrelevant:
I don’t think that’s fair that a multimillion-dollar company can tell us…you guys have to accept all these cuts, when they are making money hand over fist.
Workers at the Mott’s Williamson plant, who process half of the state’s apples into juice or sauce, have been on strike since May in opposition to the corporate-imposed $1.50 hourly pay cut. A pay cut that mostly likely will line the pockets of the Texas-based CEOs.
Northeastern University economist Andrew Sum says Mott’s, like most U.S. corporations, is keeping the profit.
It’s not been reinvested in new capital equipment. It’s not been used to help purchase new technology. So, this is the first time that we have ever had where basically all the gains in income went simply to corporate profits.
Take action to support Mott’s workers. Go to www.NoBadApples.org and click on the Facebook Actions box.
And join others who are tweeting their support of the strikers to Mott’s. Sign up to follow Mott’s on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Motts.
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24 Comments
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Logging in to show support is fine but where is the national boycott of all things Mott? Which “Labor Leader” will actually lead and oeganize the boycott?
There is nothing new about this disregard for working people. It has continued unabated by our corpoate cheiftans since Ronald Reagan fired the air traffice controllers.
We need to rise and shutdown the economy, then maybe they’ll realize labor is important to their bottm line.
BOYCOTT MOTT now, You AFL-CIO spread the word and do it now , we can make a change but we have to all stick together.
THE AFL-CIO should organize the boycott and MOTTS should be just the beginning
Okay folks, $20 hour to drive a Hi-Lo. Seriously, you can not really think that is a high skill job. That doesn’t even talk about a benifit package. You REALLY need to rethink your position. Expecting a high pay just because the company made money.
Next thing you know you will want $25 a hour to sweep the floors and take out the trash. Opps already there.
OK folks, $6.5 million to run an apple and drink company? Seriously, you can not think that selling applesause is a high skilled job. Not to mention the benefit package that the CEO and other executives receive. You REALLY need to rethink your position. Expecting $6.5 million because of the high productivity of the workers. The next thing you will want is millions in a golden parachute if you drive the company into the ground. Opps already there.
What a jerk
1) To suggest that operating a Hi-Lo ( fork Lift) is not skilled work,- is wrong. I’ve been around for many years, and worked in different industries. Workers who are “laborers” must be “skilled” at what they do.- And when they are productive, they are worth every nickle they earn. I’ve worked for employers who paid their workers “over” the union scale, just to keep them from leaving to work somewhere else. 2) I made over $20. an hr. operating a fork lift, and my boss and I, knew how important my ” skilled” work was. Yes, some of us have to think a little deeper.
Wait I know go on strike, I know of at least 4-5 million people that would love to work again.
There is no way that you are a union person. You far right anti-labor folks are willing to do anything to promote defeatism and division within our ranks. You are the lame voice of our class enemy.
Dear seriously, let’s turn the situation around that you seem to know so much about. Do you think any CEO is worth 6.5 million bucks a year? I would put money down that the CEO could not, on his best day, drive that “Hi-Lo”. Heck, let’s even do better than the CEO wants to do. Let’s bring back slavery so the company does not have to pay anyone. When you and your family have to suffer at the hands of unjustice, then you can mouth off. Until then, please do everyone a favor and keep on the sidelines. It is very evident, you have not ever been through anything these hard working folks are having to handle. Mike S. of TX
Mike can you run a Corp.? that large. He is worth as much as the board will pay him, last I checked thats America. Don’t like it don’t buy Mott’s.
Seriously- What about a salary of six and a half million dollars for ONE person in one year? That’s not applesauce! Also, we’re talking about a UNION job here. They may make minimum wages to drive a fork truck in Trent Lott’s Mississippi. A teacher in India may make fifty dollars a month but we’re talking about New York here. Do you have any idea what a home costs there or are they supposed to sleep in card board box?
@seriously
Are you really openly advocating the creation of an underclass?
Seriously?!
The officers and delegates of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council (Syracuse) will be taking a bus trip to walk the picket line with our Sisters and Brothers at the Mott’s Plant in Western New York this Sept. 16.
Afl-cio,we need to shut down the economy,we need as workers to stop working and buying from these hell-bound worshippers of greed.We need to demand these evil executives work in the place of the workers whose pay they begrudge AT THE SAME TIME THEY GET TO TAKE HOME MILLIONS INSIDE A YEAR!COME ON AFL-CIO WE NEED ACTION TO BE UNDERTAKEN AGAINST THESE MONSTERS OF SOCIETY!!!
I am advocating that we ger paid for a skill and not just for logging hours.
So you are saying that a Hi-lo dtiver can run a Corp. then I would suggest that you start one. Then start paying your workers and filing proper paper work, paying tax’s and insurance. And then lets not forget to find a way to disribute your product and still have enough left to pay all the bills.
And seriously, a underclass, at over $18 dollars a hour, not to mention your benifit package, spoiled maybe but underclass!!!!
BTW did you know as your union loses money, your leader Mr.Trumka has given himself a $78,000 dollar raise. Were is your outrage.
This is false. The salary for the AFL-CIO president has been the same since 2007: $272,250. All the salaries of all union staff are publicly available at the Labor Dept. website.
What was his salary in 2006?
Richard Trumka was AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer in 2006, not president.
THIS IS THE MAJOR PROBLEM IN AMERICA TODAY AND FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS ! TO MUCH GREED AT THE TOP ! CONGRESS AND THE U S SENATE WITH SPECIAL INTEREST AND LOBBYIST HAVE SOLD AMERICAN WORKING PEOPLE DOWN THE RIVER WITH OUT A PADDLE !
THE MAJOR CORPERATION ARE THE BIRTH PLACE IN AMERICA FOR CORRUPTION AND ITS HAND IS FULL OF CASH TO BY CONGRESS AND THE SENATE TO WRITE LAWS FOR THEM AGAINTS AMERICAN WORKING PEOPLE ! JUST LOOK AT THE LAST 30 YEARS , WHO WOULD EVER THINK TAX PAYERS MONEY WOULD BE GIVEN TO U S COMPANYS TO GO OVER SEAS TO OPEN FACTORY AND TRAINING FOR FORIEGNERS IN FOREIGN COUNTRYS ! SO THEY CAN MAKE 700% PROFIT , THEY ARE NEVER HAPPY ! TO MUCH GREED , THIS ONE REASON WHY WE OUR WITH A BAD ECONOMY , THIS WHOLE GROUP ARE BED PARTNERS OF GREED AND CORRUPTION !
THEY SHOULD HAMMER THIS COMPANY ALL THE WAY !
I think that they should have kept on working, with on going negotations, now they really are fired.