On Friday Jan. 26, a USW delegation led by District 11 Director Cathy Drummond, met with Mike Ballweber, president of Doosan Bobcat North America, regarding the company’s plans to move the M-Series production to Monterey, Mexico.
Should Bobcat move forward with these plans, the result could ultimately impact us all, which is why all three Bobcat locals, Locals 566, 9011 and 560, sent representatives to the meeting to show our solidarity and strength.
The company had very few new details to share with us at the meeting. Bobcat is forecasting substantial growth in the Skid Steer and CTL markets in its long-term plan, and it claims that the single largest issue is attracting and maintaining a workforce to meet future build numbers.
The union expressed our desire to grow and expand our facilities in Gwinner, Bismark and Rogers, or at the bare minimum, maintain our current employment levels to provide continued opportunities for everyone presently working for Bobcat. We additionally presented ideas to recruit and hire more workers, as well as retain current USW members.
The company told us again the M-Series move is still planned for some time in 2026 but also said it currently has no intention of reducing the size of the workforce in Gwinner, Bismarck, and Rogers.
We plan to request additional information so we can bargain over the possible effects this plan could have in all three locations.
We will keep you informed as we learn new details.
Thank you.