Mercury Marine union leader resigns

FOND DU LAC - The chief negotiator for Mercury Marine's local workers union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 1947), Dan Longsine, told FOX 11 he handed in his resignation Monday.

Longsine said he resigned because of a poor working relationship with IAMAW District 10 Business Representative, Russell Krings.

Longsine says Krings spread rumors that Longsine called union members at home and asked them to vote 'yes' to proposed contract changes by the company.

Longsine says there is no truth to the accusations and he is willing to show his phone records.

Longsine says his decision had nothing to do with the negotiating process with the company. He said it is disappointing when people on the same team work against one another.

FOX 11's repeated attempts to reach Krings for comment were unsuccessful.

Longsine and Krings had both been a part of the negotiating team in talks with Mercury Marine. The company wants to make more than 100 changes to the current contract which runs through 2012, including wage and benefits concessions. If the changes are not ratified by the union, the company says as many as 850 manufacturing jobs will be moved to a non-union plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

A third union vote on the changes is scheduled to start Thursday morning.  The union says members can vote from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. either Thursday or Friday at the IAMAW hall in Fond du Lac.

Union offcials say the ballots will be brought by police escort to the Fond du Lac Police Department. They will be kept there Thursday night.