UE Fights To Keep MA Plant Open As Auction Of Equipment Looms

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1345140

1/17/2011

By Doug Cunningham

The United Electrical workers are continuing to mobilize in the small Massachusetts town of Staunton in a fight to save a factory. An auction of the factory’s machinery is scheduled for Wednesday and the union intends to try to stop it if it happens as planned. UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend says workers are trying to retain the equipment so they can keep the factory open to serve the small business segment of the aircraft seal market. Townsend says recent developments indicate that UE worker action could resolve this factory closing in a way that’s acceptable to the workers.

: “There may or may not be a solution or some kind of a solution that may or may not be satisfactory to our members in the works. We don’t know that. We’re actually conducting a local meeting with our membership as I speak to you. So we’re optimistic that perhaps something will be worked out. But on the other hand we only realize that we’ve got this far – we’re only at this juncture – because of the pressure that we continue to mount on the company.”