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TABLE/VIDEO: Welch vs. His Unions
General Electric CEO Jack Welch is already sparring with the company's 14 unions, whose contracts expire on June 29. Here are some of the issues he addressed at a January meeting of 400 GE line managers in Boca Raton, Fla. For more information about each of these topics, we've included video clips of Welch's comments to his managers.
(Note: You'll need either an .avi (Video for Windows/ActiveMovie) or .mov (Apple QuickTime) player to run these clips. If you need either player, click the links below for download information.)
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PENSIONS: The unions want full pensions after 30 years. Says Welch: "Why would we send a 47- or 48-year-old... experienced employee home...and pay them not to come to work?"
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Video clips:
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JOB SECURITY: Labor thinks GE should guarantee employment levels, a la Detroit. Welch says these are "crazy demands that are noncompetitive."
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Video clips:
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NEUTRALITY: Labor says GE should not oppose union recruitment drives. Welch: "The issue of neutrality makes absolutely no sense to us."
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BE PREPARED: On the possibility of a strike, Welch says: "You better get prepared like you've never been prepared.... We'll show the world how we can operate in a strike and not flinch, if that's what happens."
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Video clips:
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DATA: GENERAL ELECTRIC CO., BUSINESS WEEK
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= AVI Video for Windows/ActiveMovie 
= Apple QuickTime Video 