Knoxville SR plant down for 3 months

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KayKook

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Feb 19, 2008
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Mitten State
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89' 200CC Cuddy (Sold)
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175HP 4.3L V-6
Ouch! Doing what they have to to be here on a turn around. But that sure hurts those employees.
 
Looks to me like management gets a 2 week vacation and the workers get furloughed for a couple of months. Hmmm, no wonder there are hardships between the two.
Yea solid decision made by management. Furloughed meaning workers can't claim unemployment either. Why is it the workers are always the ones to have to pay for the bad decisions made by management. My opinion only, and doesn't count for much anyways.
 
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Who is going to buy an overpriced boat when there are thousands of barely used ones for sale at pennies on the dollar?

They are doing what they think they need to do to survive. This ecomony is hitting everyone hard.
 
This is never good news - I've been dealing with lots of companies doing the salary freeze and furlo bit rather then layoffs. An argument can be made - lay off 60 people or spread it around 240.

Actually one approach I heard was doing the random drug screening - he who fails is fired. Unemployment is not paid - sort of a a$$hole move, but clever none the less.

So this read that 240 employees for 3 months - I suspect a **savings** of ~2Mil. Times are tough, 25% of your salary missing - I hope a lot of the workers can find side gigs to pay the bills.
 
PMC said:
This is never good news - I've been dealing with lots of companies doing the salary freeze and furlo bit rather then layoffs. An argument can be made - lay off 60 people or spread it around 240.

Actually one approach I heard was doing the random drug screening - he who fails is fired. Unemployment is not paid - sort of a a$$hole move, but clever none the less.

So this read that 240 employees for 3 months - I suspect a **savings** of ~2Mil. Times are tough, 25% of your salary missing - I hope a lot of the workers can find side gigs to pay the bills.
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I actually like what one of the ceo's did for a company that needed to lay off some folks. I read it in a thread here on csr.
Find the folks whom voted for "change" (Obama) and lay them off. Then they can have the change they were looking for. No need to distinguish between workers or management.
 
Fishnut said:
Who is going to buy an overpriced boat when there are thousands of barely used ones for sale at pennies on the dollar?

They are doing what they think they need to do to survive. This ecomony is hitting everyone hard.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, but why does the worker always have to pay? It's not the workers fault Sea Ray didn't plan better. Management shouldn't get a free pass because they didn't plan ahead. Furlough all of their asses so they know what it feels like. At least drop their pay to what a typical "worker" makes and then lets see the loyalty.
Don't get me wrong, I'm for what's fair. I'd make a bet there were no represenatives for the working class at the big furlough meeting. And when golden parachutes are handed out, none will be available for the kiss asses either.
 
Islandhopper00. You don't know that there were no management furloughed, do you? There is an alternative as to what can be done here, the plant could keep running and producing boats that will sit in inventory and someone will have to pay for them to be produced and then the interest cost of caring them in inventory. In case you hadn't noticed boats are not selling right now. So let's keep the workers going and build inventory---you would consider that a good management decision. Of course the company will run out of cash and then forced to file bankruptcy and then the plant will be shut down for good. Sounds like a furlough is a better idea atleast there may be something out there in the future. Of course there is another solution YOU could go buy a new boat and if enough people did that then the plant will reopen and the people go back to work. After all the ecomony will only get going again when people start spending money. Companies will not hire to build inventory, they will hire when they have enough orders opeing production

We all have our views, you have yours and you have gotten mine
 
No I don't know for a fact management didn't get furloughed but I only made my assumption based upon the article that was posted and it clearly said management would be furloughed for two weeks.
No I'm not saying Sea Ray should keep building boats when they can't sell them.
I'm saying fairness never seems to be part of the equation when it comes to whom gets screwed.
There is a guy (business owner) on these pages who is selling his toys to keep his people working. Do you think any of the hot shots at Sea Ray are selling their boats or big houses to keep people working? I don't think so.
I just think it's chicken to furlough people instead of making the tough decisions. Furlough is a crappy way of a company keeping their people hooked for when business picks back up but not have to pay unemployment to them.

Question is, you have a big boat, would you sell your boat to keep people working if your business was in trouble? After all it was on their hard work that the money you made paid for it.

I'd sell all that I have to help thoes who helped me become sucessful. I guess that is what is bothering me.
 
Please educate me on unemployment since I have been fortunate enough to have never needed it. I have seen people at my business get unemployment benefits in spite of getting fired for stealing, quitting for no reason, and because we didn't give them enough hours even though they refused to work certain shifts. (i.e weekends, nights, holidays, etc.) Yet, they still collect. Now... you are telling me if someone gets furloughed by no fault of their own they can't collect?? Unreal! Brian
 
Brian, NJ unemployment is different than 'regular' unemployment...
 
Hey Brian, I shouldn't be painting with broad strokes, I know the people whom are getting furloughed from my work place are not. At least they are complaining that they are not. Something to do with not actually losing their jobs. They still have a job to go back to, so they are not available for employment otherwise, Once again, broad strokes.
Layoff means you might not be comming back, furlough, means Oct, 6th, Sea Ray plans to bring them back. You know...unless the economy is still bad.
 
When Sea Ray makes a hard decision to close a facility and eliminate toll free customer service lines you complain about poor customer service.

When they have excess capacity, they temporarily close a factory instead of trying to work an alternating schedule for the express purpose of allowing employees to collect unemployment insurance, not to screw the worker.

Wake up and read the news..........it is survival time in the boat business. And, by the way, if you don't know what you are talking about, its ok to sit out a thread.
 
Hey Frank, I did back up a bit and say I shouldn't use such broad strokes. I will defend that the folks who I work with will not be getting unemployment. I may have to quickly applied this to all situations to quickly. I am troubled by the events this country is going through, and it pains me to see the people who will pay for the mess.

I appologize that I can't be right all the time like you. But unlike you when someone points out I may be wrong I'll take it into consideration and admit it if I am or may be.

You however only intended to attack me and not contribute to the discussion. Opinions are everywhere Frank. Some wrong, some right. Unless you contribute something here worth reading maybe you should sit it out!
 
There always seems to be an unfairness in these types of situations but if you analize the business decision being made here it is likely the correct one. Brunswick and Sea Ray are literally trying to save the business so when times do get better the company will still be around to grow and prosper again. Management is being used to run things in the meantime (based on what I can tell in that article) and hopefully enough of them will still have their jobs when things do get better to help bring things back to prosperity. And none of us knows what other sacrifices that management has been asked to make either. Besides the two week furlough, maybe they have had to take pay cuts.

I have been on both ends of the stick during my years. I've been a worker-bee and a mangement-bee. I understand both sides. Sometimes things don't seem fair but what is right for the business has to take precedent or nobody works in the future.
 
Fellows. I am a business owner. I started with $500.00 and a converted patio as a office. I now have gross sales of over 7.5 million with 150 to 175 employees. I care for my guys and I see that they are paid above market (Helps with retention) BUT I made the sacrifice, fought the lawsuits, pushed to keep costs down and profit up. Offered careers to those who stuck with me. When it comes to MY business I did it extremely fair. No one talkes about me not getting a pay check during start up but everyone else was paid on Friday. No one complains when I take money out of MY pocket to help an employee out then THEY stiff me by quiting without ever making an attempt to pay ME back. I refused to blame failures on others, but reward others with bonuses for during thier job. I would beg to differ with ANYONE who says a business owner does not care for the folks that HELPED him grow. Always lay the blame on the wealthy guy, because he refused to accept failure.
 
sherman said:
Fellows. I am a business owner. I started with $500.00 and a converted patio as a office. I now have gross sales of over 7.5 million with 150 to 175 employees. I care for my guys and I see that they are paid above market (Helps with retention) BUT I made the sacrifice, fought the lawsuits, pushed to keep costs down and profit up. Offered careers to those who stuck with me. When it comes to MY business I did it extremely fair. No one talkes about me not getting a pay check during start up but everyone else was paid on Friday. No one complains when I take money out of MY pocket to help an employee out then THEY stiff me by quiting without ever making an attempt to pay ME back. I refused to blame failures on others, but reward others with bonuses for during thier job. I would beg to differ with ANYONE who says a business owner does not care for the folks that HELPED him grow. Always lay the blame on the wealthy guy, because he refused to accept failure.
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Amen.
 
sherman said:
Fellows. I am a business owner. I started with $500.00 and a converted patio as a office. I now have gross sales of over 7.5 million with 150 to 175 employees. I care for my guys and I see that they are paid above market (Helps with retention) BUT I made the sacrifice, fought the lawsuits, pushed to keep costs down and profit up. Offered careers to those who stuck with me. When it comes to MY business I did it extremely fair. No one talkes about me not getting a pay check during start up but everyone else was paid on Friday. No one complains when I take money out of MY pocket to help an employee out then THEY stiff me by quiting without ever making an attempt to pay ME back. I refused to blame failures on others, but reward others with bonuses for during thier job. I would beg to differ with ANYONE who says a business owner does not care for the folks that HELPED him grow. Always lay the blame on the wealthy guy, because he refused to accept failure.
Click to expand...

Very true. Ive seen a lo of people give a lot lately to help those around them, but Ive increasingly watched the "union attitude" of management is bad and haent done enough (ie in planning,giving up their benefits, kissing ass, whatever). Im sorry to say but if youre the blue collar worker and are tasked with only assembly vs the guy who is sales, in charge of hr, etc, youre going to be the first to get cut. Its just how it goes.
 
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