[UPDATE; REWRITE] A Tale Of Two (Diverging?) Cities...

Updated: The Irish Times now indicates that the German Merck created the 70 new jobs in Cork. The Irish paper's early morning copy had it as New Jersey (i.e., "our") Merck. I'll run this to ground in a bit -- and correct mine, shortly.

I'll leave the material below the line, as an errant footnote, really. It seems that the Irish papers "mixed up their Mercks", this morning. [And so did I, then.]

What remains true is that the high skill USW workers -- at "our" Merck's West Point facility -- are coming up on the end of their collective bargaining agreement, and they are rallying tomorrow, in support of a "no concessions" new contract. They deserve our support. And so, that is what this post is NOW about.

End, update.

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It has been quite a while since we mentioned the West Point, Pennsylvania facility -- and its USW Local #10-86 collective bargaining agreement status.

As our commenters have correctly pointed out, that contract is set to expire at the end of this month, and while the skilled workers there have, from time to time, in the past worked long stretches without a contract -- we think Merck should step right up, and renew a fair collective bargaining agreement there -- with the USW Local #10-86.

I couldn't help but notice that overnight, German Merck Kenilworth announced the creation of 70 more high-skill, high-pay jobs in Cork, Ireland -- at Carrigtwohill. And that is decidedly good news, for my now rather distant cousins -- who still live in Cork. That said, given that Merck is continuing to enjoy quite a bull-run, for at least the last two years, it might seem just a bit ironic to be creating jobs in tax haven Ireleand (on the very morning after most US workers dutifully paid their own personal income taxes), while beating the United Steel Workers down, essentially on nickels and dimes. But that is just one (Irish) man's opinion.

Do go read about it -- here, for the USW -- and here The Irish Times, for Ireland:

. . . .Up to 70 new jobs are to be created at medical science and technology company Merck. The positions have become available following the official opening on Tuesday of manufacturing and R&D facilities at their key strategic site in Carrigtwohill, County Cork. . . .

Thanks go to my anonymous morning office-lurker, for pointing me toward linking these two cities' tales! Onward, ever grinning. . . . I guess we all tend to mix our Mercks up, huh? I'll leave this with the strikeouts, since clearly the USW deserves our support in its contract renewal talks. Onward.