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Caterpillar workers in Illinois have been on strike for 12 weeks after the company demanded concessions from workers, including a six-year wage freeze and a pension freeze. The company says that the freezes are necessary for it to stay competitive. Last year Caterpillar earned a record profit of $4.9 billion and is expected to earn even more in 2012. The company has also raised the salaries of its executives. Last year the company locked out workers at a plant in Ontario and then closed the plant after workers refused a 55% wage cut. Experts say that Caterpillar is attempting to push down wages and benefits as far as they can go. Workers say that the company's demands are unreasonable, and that they had to strike to defend their wages and jobs. The company says that they plan to continue running the plant with replacement workers for as long as the strike lasts, and that they do not see any more negotiations in the future.