Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1954-08-20
STEVE ]. NovAK, PRES.
LOCAL 497, uAW-Cl0

It's good to be able to report or
one Company that has taken
significant step in the right direc
tion in helping their workers who
are faced with unemployment. A
plant of the Westinghouse Electric
Company located in Sunbury, Pa
is doing just this and is setting a
fine example for other Companies
Too often industry has failed to
consider the hurt done to workers
and the community when the in
dustry moves away or takes good
part of their JOBS away to other
plants. We have seen this happen
locally, so we we'll know the eff
fectS.
But Westinghouse has gone to
the trouble and expense to hire a
firm of consultants to advise Sun
bury on the problems their com
pany's move will cause workers
and the town. One out of every
seven residents of Sunbury will
be affected by the Westinghouse
move to shift Sunbury operations
to another plant.
The Company is offering its
plant rent-free to any firm able to
provide minimum of one thou
sand Jobs for Sunbury workers
after Westinghouse moves.
AS far as we know this is the
first time an industry has helped
to plan and provide jobs for the
people and town being left be-
hind, II would be fine if the idea
would spread.
When Standard Products work
ers who are now laid-off go out to
apply for available jobs they are
being asked to sign waivers sep
arating them from Standard Prod
ucts, cancelling all their seniority
and pension rights. Otherwise.
they don't get the job. Even
then these employers do not
promise permanent Job. / have
talked with dozens of workers who
haveabeen faced with this waiver
decision" and I have in my posses
sion signed letters protesting this
unfair practice, This seems as a
deliberate. block to workers who
desperately need work. The atti-
tude of these employers is quite
different to that displayed by Sun
bury Westinghouse.
The farmers took much better
care of their work horses than
most employers today care for
their human workers When the
farmer had no present work for
his horses, did he turn them off
his property to shift for them
selves until time for spring work
to begin? mol A good farmer fed
his horses and kept them in a
warm barn. But employers today
send their workers out of their
plants with vague promises of flu
ture work. With waiver in hand
employers block workers chances
for employment elsewhere.
Little wonder then that local
workers look more and more to
the Guaranteed Annual Wage as
the only answer. The employers
don't Care" attitude and these un-
fair waivers are bringing the Guar
anteed Annual Wage TO the minds
of workers as an absolute neceS-
sity and the best solution to our
employment problems.
Employers would be smart to
offer more help to laid-off workers.
If all employers used the same
good sense and fairness that Sun
bury Westinghouse displays - we
would not be faced with such an
urgent need of the Guaranteed An
nual Wage.
Ella Mazurik has returned to
work after long illness. She sim
cnrely appreciates all the nice
gifts and cards she has received.
It's a bit difficult to keep up
with Alvin Faus these days. Last
week we reported his trip to Wash
ington. Now we understand that he
met his daughter there then flew
with her to Alaska. Guess he de-
serves good vacation since its
naans