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The following is a Counterpoint:

By William K. Sparks

I have read with fascination the statements of TIMCO’s CEO John Cawthron and his view of the American free-enterprise system and the employer-employee relationship. Are we to believe TIMCO has never hired employees from other companies? Has Cawthron done an internal examination as to why these employees wanted to leave TIMCO? American employees are not indentured servants.

In my opinion, Cawthron is trying to restrain the right of every American to work for whomever they want, wherever they want.

Companies across our country lose key employees every day to competitive forces. Any company that went into competition with TIMCO should try to hire every TIMCO employee it can get its hands on.

HondaJet put out a “help wanted” sign. Cawthron should have responded by giving his engineers a huge raise. The way you keep great people is to pay them what the market will bear.

TIMCO could try to chain free people to their desks. Evidently the people who left TIMCO did so because they saw the grass as greener at HondaJet. The reaction from TIMCO’s CEO tells me they were smart to leave because they were working for a man who has the bizarre idea that because he invested training dollars in them, they belong to TIMCO like the wrenches their mechanics turn bolts with.

I laugh at TIMCO’s threats to cease expansion in the Triad. I suggest it move with all speed to the nearest communist country and forge a deal with the leaders there that prohibits the free movement of employees to other firms.

Where do you think John Cawthron would be working if HondaJet offered him $100 million a year to run its North American jet business? I cannot stop laughing.

The writer lives in Greensboro.