PELICAN, RAPIDS, Minn. -- The sepsis of corruption infects too many and affects us all. What American Crystal Sugar Co. has done to its employees by locking good, hard-working people out is sick. It is neither professional, good policy or procedure, or responsible behavior.
The corporate world always seems to get away with their abuses because it is able to.
We need to support and keep justice in force so that fair, level playing fields, and the well-being of people's lives are not weakened or destroyed for the profit gains and control of others. The margin of wages and profit gains between workers and CEOs is a shame. It's wrong and unjustified. No margin ever should be that big, as everyone contributes to a business's success or failure. It is, and always should be, a team effort, and as fair as it can be to all involved. I realize there is always an exception to the rule.
Even though the existing contract was to be changed and replaced, the security of jobs and the well-being of human lives should not have been compromised.
The new contract needs to be worked out until an agreement can be found by both sides. There should never have been a lockout for anyone.
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For people whose lives depend on their jobs to live and have others to support the lockout is unjustified. These people did nothing wrong but disagree with great concern for their welfare. Locking out the workers is unjustified, and should be intolerable. It is an unfair playing field, and in my opinion, American Crystal Sugar's CEOs also should have been locked out.
Two sides
If one side is locked out for disagreeing on a new contract's content, then the other side should be locked out as well for doing the same thing -- disagreeing on a new contract's content.
While the people being locked out are losing so much, and the well-being of their lives is harmed, the CEO's gained thousands and even million-dollar profits in their own pockets. Those workers earned those profits just as much.
This, in my opinion, is very sick. The sepsis of corruption, its power and control, its greed and unjust profit margins, its shameful abuses constantly escaping law and justice is infecting too many and victimizing others as it is allowed to continue. And it does continue. It does affect us all directly in some way or another.
Editor's Note: Grahn is from Pelican Rapids, Minn.
