I’ve been pro-union since around the First Battle of Bull Run. If Curt Flood, the Pullman Strike and a bearded Conan O’Brien taught us anything, it’s that fighting for workers rights is both ugly and absolutely necessary. Over in Fond du Lac, workers at Mercury Marine are experiencing a crash course in Unions 101, with the company threatening to motor to Oklahoma if the union won’t accept concessions in pay and benefits. The situation looks to be rushing toward the 11th hour without any type of agreement, and while the principalist in me hopes to see the union and its workers stand firm like soldiers against a Normandy sea wall, one fears they’re simply playing the same, tired tune as their boat beings to sink.

Wisconsin’s unemployment numbers should be your prime motivator for considering graduate school. Based on July unemployment data from the Department of Workforce Development, 8.7 percent of Wisconsinites are without work, a surprising .5 percent decrease from June’s 9.2 percent (all data reflect unadjusted numbers). Still, it goes without saying these numbers are alarmingly high.

Of the industries hit hardest by this wave of joblessness, none stands out more than manufacturing, which has seen a decrease of 57,800 jobs in the 12 months since July 2008. Epitomizing these losses is southeastern Wisconsin’s auto production, with the Janesville and Kenosha workforce finding itself with more free time than a childless stay-at-home mom. Few manufacturing outlets have come through unscathed, although chemical manufacturing continues to weather the storm.

So much unemployment carnage begs the question whether the state needs 850 more out-of-work residents thanks to the Mercury Marine plant and the workers’ union. For some, the whole situation boils down to one query: Is it better to have a poor job or no job at all? Surely, a few of Wisconsin’s 57,800 recently unemployed workers know how to assemble a boat engine, and it’s not like they’re too busy right now. But as any young adult looking for a summer job would say, most people are more than willing to find another Target to turn them down when McDonalds is flashing its “Help Wanted” sign.

While the union shouldn’t be asking for martyrdom, they’re dealing from a position with very little leverage. For Mercury Marine, the options are simple: stay in Wisconsin, and let their union workers take cuts, or move to Oklahoma, hire non-unionized workers, and never deal with this problem again. The biggest obstacle for Mercury is making sure they have enough U-Hauls to make the trip. A company with no loyalty to Wisconsin, especially when our state needs to keep what jobs it can these days, is hardly a company to be proud of. Business is hardly ethical, but this can’t be a good way to acquire karma points.

Naturally, like any good dramatic issue, there is a third actor in our bizarro-divorce hearing: the state. Wisconsin recently offered Mercury an incentive package, likely comprised of tax breaks, grants and other indirect forms of cash, to keep the plant in Fond du Lac. This is a risky move, as Wisconsin already ranks second (according to USA Today) in percentage of federal stimulus money used. Moreover, much of the public assumes any government negotiation with business necessarily involves a “bailout.” To a degree, this is true, but it’s not Mercury that needs to be bailed; it’s Wisconsin. The state is acting not only because it can provide incentives, but also because it needs to save face. It’s not easy to spin high unemployment rates when you don’t live in Cancun.

I fear this won’t end well. Businesses ditching Wisconsin have become as common as Brett Favre retirement announcements, and Mercury Marine’s long term plans probably favor an employee base of 850 non-unionized Okies. While the workers’ union may look foolish and headstrong for defending a few jobs when so many are unemployed, unions are principled entities, and they stand for strong ideals. After all, had the unknown rebel stepped aside when those Chinese tanks barreled into Tiananmen Square, no one would’ve bothered taking a picture. And so the trail of tears once again leads us to Oklahoma. Good luck, Mercury. We hope you do better than the auto company of the same name.

Sean Kittridge ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and history.