Since that first September recap, where we dug into sex tapes, alleged forced labour hell, and war-profiteering friends, TCAP has kept the pressure on Cummins. We’ve pushed out another hundred-plus pieces, probing the shareholders funding the operation, the suppliers oiling its dirty works, the customers along for the ride in the mess, and the executives churning the publicity mill. This isn’t the end; it’s a marker on the path to answers, building on our first summary’s wry takes, stark revelations, and the raw damage to people. And now we’ve got Willy Workhorse in the mix, our mocking echo of those Cummins employee tales they parade like sales props – forever grinning, forever toiling, never pushing back for a proper rest or fair pay. He’s the flip side to their “people matter” line, showing the daily slog they airbrush away. From business blunders to legal snarls and bodies broken in the grind, here’s the TCAP tale picking up speed.
The Lighter Side: Publicity Stunts, Podcast Drivel, and Willy’s Weekend Drags
Start with the bits that made us smirk through the fumes – company slips and spin jobs that reek of last-ditch efforts. Cummins’ “Power Onward” podcast run, with slots on mining power or data centre reliability, sounded like rehearsed lectures, touting ideals while sidestepping diesel’s chokehold. “From Trash to Torque” sold cow-fuelled RNG as some breakthrough, but it’s just farm waste dressed up – more vapour to mask the pollution problem. Their “Life at Cummins” profiles, from Collins N.’s “seeing my work live” story to Tom B.’s values-driven path, recycled the same jargon loop: inclusion, integrity, innovation. But the real groaner? The November 11th “HOUSE” inclusivity drive, turning Remembrance Day into a checklist with a Black female veteran as the centrepiece – straight-up borrowing pain for a publicity boost.
Enter Willy Workhorse, our satirical jab at Cummins’ staff highlights. From “Warrior Willy Works Weekends” (pitching in exhausted) to “Sick Call Blues” (phoning in unwell, met with robot HR nonsense), and “EEEC: The Canine Clean-Up” (polishing dog teeth for charity show while the motor runs idle), Willy’s weekly gripes skewered the routine: recovery means more than a form, but Cummins handles it like paperwork. These poked at the nonsense – Willy’s the ideal worker who plugs on, much like those polished accounts that skip the exhaustion and harassment. Toss in highlights like the “10-Second Lie” clip (diesel as hero, ignoring the toxic fallout) and methanol nonsense (pure bluster, zero substance), and it’s obvious: Cummins’ publicity engine coughs worse than their kit, yet they persist.
The Shocking Scandals: Legal Twists, Data Spills, and Fraud Fiascos
Shift to the revelations that forced a second look at the sheer nerve. Inside Cummins, scandals brewed thick, like the “Cooked Grievance Process” where HR figures such as Natalie Morton and Nicola Teasdale reportedly altered records and stacked appeals, or Wendy Miller KC’s courtroom moves hitting the vulnerable in courtroom fights. Gemma Penk’s extended series – from Cummins fabricator to Kellanova HR role – unpacked her fresh gig amid Kellogg’s walkouts, child labour ties, and product pulls, a bold leap from one tangle to the next. And the disability inclusion sham? Prizes purchased as lives fractured, with hearings laying bare the deceit.
Shareholders grabbed attention with their own muck: Hancock Whitney’s record of deceit and scams, UniSuper’s piled-up rows (parts one and two), CalSTRS mired in doubts, and Nomura’s murder link amid trading dodges. Suppliers like Business Wire (corporate mouthpiece, twice featured), Chevron’s poisonous partnership, and NGK’s grimy parts backed the decay with cartel pricing, eco disdain, and faked emissions stats. Customers? Hyundai’s corrupt kit, King Long’s grant swindles and buses prone to flames, Shacman’s mobile wrecks, and Kobelco’s brew of lies – each a mix of fixed contracts, vehicles igniting, and cheated tests.
Court threads knotted further with BSB checks on Miller grievances, portable foods’ bias claims, and endless shareholder disputes over avarice and errors. Leaks at Corebridge haunted the network, while blasts at Tyczka Hydrogen and cost jumps at Jasper Rubber (parent firm hitting Chapter 11) fired up the supplier front. These weren’t accidents; they were baked in – doctored figures, bent tenders, and rigged ledgers signalling control gone rotten.
The Horrific Human Toll: Abuse, Blasts, and Shattered Workers
Here’s where it lands heavy – the accounts that cut through the gloss to show the ruin. Labour abuse spread wide: Cummins devouring Memphis workers for margins (though note the 611 cuts hit Fedex staff tied to their ops), bosses brushing off human rights queries, and a mental health trend buried deep. Komatsu’s harassment cases and penalties for fatalities, Kubota’s factories stripped of decency, and Kuehne+Nagel’s tainted haul of plunder and falsehoods crushed people for transport gains. EVE Energy’s batteries on blood (parts one and two) allegedly locked Uyghurs and Tibetans in forced schemes, while XCMG’s worldwide churn added political poison.
Hazard horrors erupted: Bus infernos at Okotar and Alexander Dennis, crane failures at Manitowoc, and detonations at Tyczka Hydrogen’s site – each a stark blow. Bias hearings at Cummins (disability mocks, rigged complaints) and suppliers like Jasper Rubber (avarice and oversight) discarded dedicated types like junk. Layoffs at CNH Industrial, disputes at Wabtec, and historical ex-soldier sackings gutted us – existences worn down as chiefs gripped power like Rumsey holding firm.
Shareholders stayed soiled: NYSTRS funds fading in scandals, Envestnet’s tech leeching, and Aviva’s principles ditched amid cons. Suppliers like Daido Metal held up foul machines with tainted bearings, while customers such as Pauny stewed in odours from grant frauds and flame-risk fleets. These narratives weigh heavy; glad to air them, but the price anchors us.
The Fight Goes On
From diesel aspirations to data breaches, court mazes to Willy’s worn-out weeks, TCAP has held the glare on Cummins’ foul domain. We’ve pinned shareholders like State Street’s influence buys and CalSTRS’ epic betrayals, suppliers like Siemens’ crooked payoffs and Komatsu’s slaughterhouse runs, customers mired in chaos from Yutong’s rot to Kobelco’s fraud. And Willy? He’s our wry spark, reflecting the overlooked toil as we press ahead. Cummins and their lot – Claas, Komatsu, EVE, XCMG, Siemens, PACCAR, Navistar, Baird, and beyond – won’t vanish into shadow. Not with me, Oscar (greying but fierce), and the TCAP team cutting through the haze. The narrative builds – watch this space, as this blog and hound press on.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project