Briggs had actually flirted with an alternative strategy. .td-pulldown-syle-2 .td-subcat-dropdown:hover .td-subcat-more i, .td_wrapper_video_playlist .td_video_controls_playlist_wrapper, color: #dd9933; called it a management “victory with a contract tipped by an unsheathed bayonet — the threat of firing 7,600 workers…”  Even with all the concessions the union made to keep the plant open, Briggs still announced that it would open a new non-union facility in Murray, Ky., in a plant given to the company by the city. flex-direction: inherit; Company News, Press Releases, Awards } .page-nav .current, #bbpress-forums .bbp-forums-list li a:hover, position: absolute; .tdm-social-item i { A Lowes department store now sits where workers used to make small engines. } .td-category-siblings .td-subcat-dropdown a:hover, .sf-menu > .current-category-ancestor > a:after, Your order is not eligible for free shipping as it contains an item that must ship freight. .widget_display_replies .bbp-author-name, Arthur covers manufacturing for BizTimes. Yet Briggs and Stratton continued to relocate production out of Milwaukee to non-union southern states, Mexico and China. In the early 1990s there was a growing consciousness of environmental damage done by emissions from even small gasoline-powered engines, and a growing interest in the industry to respond to that by developing battery-powered lawnmowers or less polluting engines. var tdBlocksArray = []; //here we store all the items for the current page .td-header-wrap .black-menu .sf-menu > .current-category-ancestor > a, var td_email_user_incorrect="Email or username incorrect! a, Briggs & Stratton has been making small engines of various displacements and configurations since 1908, but their most famous model is the … Its products are sold in more than 100 countries. "@type": "ListItem", .td-header-top-menu .td-drop-down-search .td_module_wrap:hover .entry-title a, border-color: #1e73be; } Both CEO Fred Stratton and John Shiely, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Corporate Counsel (and later Stratton’s successor as President and CEO), came from finance backgrounds. .td-404-sub-sub-title a:hover, a.vc_btn-black:hover, .tdm_block_pricing.tdm-pricing-featured:before, } } .td_module_wrap:hover .entry-title a, .td-post-category:hover, .sf-menu > li:hover > a:after, Shipped with USPS First Class. .td-grid-style-5.td-hover-1 .td-big-grid-post:hover .td-post-category, .td_wp_recentcomments a:hover, Charlie Dee taught American Studies at MATC for 33 years. For any other uses, you must seek permission from us at [email protected]. .td-theme-wrap .td-aj-search-results .td_module_wrap:hover .entry-title a, }; Briggs & Stratton completes sale to KPS Capital Group, Milwaukee Tool plans to nearly double space in Menomonee Falls technology center, Badger Meter continues expansion into water quality with $44 million acquisition, Rexnord Corp. gives $1 million to expand Marquette’s Bridge to Business program, Wisconsin exports are now down $1.4 billion from 2019, before counting December. This strategy minimizes long-range planning and ignores workers’ expertise, treating them as nothing but numbers. .td_shadow_btn, } var htmlTag = document.getElementsByTagName("html")[0]; #bbpress-forums button:hover, But the combination of greed, “bargaining environment” opportunism, and hubris led Briggs to an all-out assault on its workforce in 1983. this.td_current_page = 1; // Instead of generosity, there was only contempt. background-color: #749FD4 !important; Briggs’ management was so addicted to the model of low-cost, high-volume, standardized production with its low wages that company executives didn’t even consider it. Condition is "New". In mid-September a federal bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of Briggs & Stratton’s assets to KPS Capital Partners, a private equity firm. However, at that time, management accepted the walk-out as a legitimate, although undesirable, collective bargaining tactic. Despite obvious mismanagement, Briggs’ board of directors in July made “cash retention awards” of $1.2 million to CEO and Chairman Todd Teske, $600,000 to Senior VP Mark Schwertfeger and lesser amounts to other executives. ▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Wisconsin Examiner. var tds_theme_color_site_wide="#1e73be"; .td-rating-bar-wrap div, var tdLocalCache = {}; border-color: #749FD4 !important; .tds-button6:after, .tdm-menu-active-style5 .td-header-menu-wrap .sf-menu > .sfHover > a, htmlTag.className += ' ie10'; Lawnmowers using Briggs’ engines were once sold almost exclusively through high-priced dealers with well known brand names like Toro, Snapper, Jacobsen and Lawn Boy. Predictably, after ignoring the skill and knowledge of the workers on the shop floor, management bought the wrong machinery. .footer-social-wrap .block-title span { Instead they teamed up with Missouri Sen. } • List of BGG Competitors The Model F was the first Overhead Valve engine. padding: 5px 10px; this.ajax_pagination_infinite_stop = ''; //show load more at page x .td-right-smart-list:hover, A KPS spokesman … .td-post-small-box a:hover, .page-nav:first-child > div, A Briggs & Stratton® Model F engine. "; .header-search-wrap .td-drop-down-search:after, tdLocalCache = { var td_get_template_directory_uri="https:\/\/wisconsinexaminer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/Newspaper"; } function tdBlock() { website.. (“Briggs was the inventor and Stratton was the investor,” the company said.) 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