--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In January 2012, Caterpillar locked out…" description: "\"In January 2012, Caterpillar locked out union workers at a locomotive factory in Ontario after they rejected a pay cut of about 50 percent; the company..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/mina-kimes-19878_business_in-january-2012-caterpillar-locked-out-u_1088424.jpg" --- # In January 2012, Caterpillar locked out union workers at a… ![“In January 2012, Caterpillar locked out union workers at a locomotive factory in Ontario after they rejected a pay cut of about 50 percent; the company shuttered the plant and moved production to Muncie, Ind., where workers accepted lower wages.” quote by Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/mina-kimes-19878_business_in-january-2012-caterpillar-locked-out-u_1088424.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/mina-kimes-19878_business_in-january-2012-caterpillar-locked-out-u_1088424.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/mina-kimes-19878_business_in-january-2012-caterpillar-locked-out-u_1088424.jpg) > “In January 2012, Caterpillar locked out union workers at a locomotive factory in Ontario after they rejected a pay cut of about 50 percent; the company shuttered the plant and moved production to Muncie, Ind., where workers accepted lower wages.” [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporations may relocate labor to cut costs, forcing workers to accept lower wages or lose jobs. **In simple terms:** Companies move to cheaper labor, hurting workers. Key Takeaway Consider the human cost of cost‑cutting decisions. Themes labor economics corporate strategy workers' rights Mood critical analytical Type economic journalistic When to use this quote - manufacturing - transportation - industrial policy - employment law Key Concepts Outsourcing union negotiations globalization Questions to Reflect On - How should companies balance profit with employee welfare? - What alternatives exist to layoffs? A Different Perspective Cost savings can damage brand reputation and employee morale. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Caterpillar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caterpillar/) [Locomotive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locomotive/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) ## Related quotes > [Caterpillar has become a symbol of the growing divergence in corporate America between profits and wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/caterpillar-has-become-a-symbol-of-the-growing-divergence-in/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [Although Caterpillar has fought vigorously against writing guaranteed pay increases into its contracts - and won, every time - it does offer market-based wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/although-caterpillar-has-fought-vigorously-against-writing-guaranteed/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [The best way to see a country is from the footplate of a locomotive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dow/the-best-way-to-see-a-country-is-from-the-footplate-of-a-locomotive/) George Dow > [We used to take a used locomotive engine, tear it down, rebuild it, and put it back out there. We treated all the engines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-s-miller/we-used-to-take-a-used-locomotive-engine-tear-it-down-rebuild-it-and/) [Jamie S. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-s-miller/) > [When I came on 'The West Wing,' I jumped onto something that was already a steaming locomotive of a hit. It was very exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-malina/when-i-came-on-the-west-wing-i-jumped-onto-something-that-was-already/) [Joshua Malina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-malina/) > [Horses and mules, and even sail cars, made more rapid progress than did the earliest locomotive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moody/horses-and-mules-and-even-sail-cars-made-more-rapid-progress-than-did/) [John Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moody/) > [“I am fond of lovely old words like 'locomotive'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-am-fond-of-lovely-old-words-like-locomotive/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“A book is a machine to think with, but it need not, therefore, usurp the functions either of the bellows or the locomotive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-a-richards/a-book-is-a-machine-to-think-with-but-it-need-not-therefore-usurp-the/) [Ivor A. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-a-richards/) > [I am a runaway locomotive outta my one-track mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-a-runaway-locomotive-outta-my-one-track-mind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of my earliest memories of something that caught my attention was of a steam locomotive. I guess mainly because they have so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-peebles/one-of-my-earliest-memories-of-something-that-caught-my-attention-was/) [Jim Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-peebles/) > [To tell the truth, in Pacific 231 I was on the trail of a very abstract and quite ideal concept, by giving the impression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-honegger/to-tell-the-truth-in-pacific-231-i-was-on-the-trail-of-a-very/) [Arthur Honegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-honegger/) > [“The great trains are going out all over Europe, one by one, but still, three times a week, the Orient Express thunders superbly over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/the-great-trains-are-going-out-all-over-europe-one-by-one-but-still/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [I would love to do much more singing; it's just one of those things where I can't quite describe what it feels like when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-would-love-to-do-much-more-singing-it-s-just-one-of-those-things/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## More by Mina Kimes > [Investigative pieces tend to be great stories because they haven't been told before. The process can be frustrating and stressful, but the result is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/investigative-pieces-tend-to-be-great-stories-because-they-haven-t/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [I never really intended to get into sports. It was my hobby and my passion, and I kind of lucked out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/i-never-really-intended-to-get-into-sports-it-was-my-hobby-and-my/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [Although Caterpillar has fought vigorously against writing guaranteed pay increases into its contracts - and won, every time - it does offer market-based wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/although-caterpillar-has-fought-vigorously-against-writing-guaranteed/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [If I didn't work at ESPN, which I didn't until 2014, I would still be watching a psychotic amount of football for someone that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/if-i-didn-t-work-at-espn-which-i-didn-t-until-2014-i-would-still-be/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [Though dozens of siblings have made it to the NFL, it's rare for two brothers to play at an elite level. The Barbers did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/though-dozens-of-siblings-have-made-it-to-the-nfl-it-s-rare-for-two/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [No one drives through life with blackout windows; most of us are affected, in some way or another, by the love and hate we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/no-one-drives-through-life-with-blackout-windows-most-of-us-are/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [My process varies, but I usually start by reading everything I can, especially financial and legal filings. Then I build a list of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/my-process-varies-but-i-usually-start-by-reading-everything-i-can/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [I have always found that if I came in excessively prepared, emphasis on excessively, that was sort of the best case I could make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/i-have-always-found-that-if-i-came-in-excessively-prepared-emphasis/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [One of the most powerful weapons in the Food and Drug Administration's arsenal is its ability to censure companies that promote drugs for unapproved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/one-of-the-most-powerful-weapons-in-the-food-and-drug-administration/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [I am interested in everything, which sounds like a cop out. Having been a magazine writer, I do not have a beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/i-am-interested-in-everything-which-sounds-like-a-cop-out-having-been/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [Typically, writers meet their subjects at a neutral location - somewhere a publicist has chosen to reveal something about the celebrity, like his taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/typically-writers-meet-their-subjects-at-a-neutral-location-somewhere/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [I've only been living in Los Angeles for three years, but I've already become a huge baby about the cold. The temperature in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/i-ve-only-been-living-in-los-angeles-for-three-years-but-i-ve-already/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [I find my ideas in a number of places - tips, lawsuits, other news stories that raise interesting questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/i-find-my-ideas-in-a-number-of-places-tips-lawsuits-other-news/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [While American ballplayers from Mickey Mantle to David Ortiz have flipped their bats, the act is still perceived as a great offense here -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/while-american-ballplayers-from-mickey-mantle-to-david-ortiz-have/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) > [Caterpillar has become a symbol of the growing divergence in corporate America between profits and wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-kimes/caterpillar-has-become-a-symbol-of-the-growing-divergence-in/) [Mina Kimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) [Explore all 32 Mina Kimes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-kimes/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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