The End of the Line: What Happens to a Factory Town When the Factory Shuts Down?
The New York Times Photo Essay and Interviews by LaToya Ruby Frazier
Louis Robinson Jr., 77
Recording secretary for Local 1714 of the United Auto Workers from 1999 to 2018
“One mistake the international unions in the United States made was when Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. When he did that, the unions could have brought this country to a standstill. All they had to do was shut down the truck drivers for a month, because then people would not have been able to get the goods they needed. So that was one of the mistakes they made. They didn’t come together as organized labor and say: “No. We aren’t going for this. Shut the country down.” That’s what made them weak. They let Reagan get away with what he did. A little while after that, I read an article that said labor is losing its clout, and I noticed over the years that it did. It happened. It doesn’t feel good.”
With the minutes from a meeting of his union’s retirees’ chapter.
Dave Green, 49
President of Local 1112 of the United Auto Workers
Unions aren’t just about making more money. It’s about having a seat at the table. It’s about having the ability to talk to your employer and be respected, having some dignity in work, having some dignity and respect in what you do.
People keep saying: “Well, I feel sorry for you. Your plant’s closed.” It ain’t closed! It’s unallocated! If the company would come out and tell us that the plant is closed, then I could process what I would think about my kids and where they’re going, and about my parents and how they’re feeling, and about what plant I could go to. But I can’t think that far ahead because I’m not in a position to leave. I can’t transfer out right now. I ran for this job 10 months ago, and I got elected. I’m going to leave now? I have to wait until all this plays out.
What the hell does “unallocated” even mean? I don’t know. We have specific language in our national agreement that talks about a “closed” plant status and an “idled” plant status, but there’s not any language that talks about “unallocated.” So they’ve come up with this word to put us in a situation where: A, the contractual language doesn’t fit for this specific situation, and B, they’re kind of skirting their obligations, right? If we were in closed-plant status, there would actually be more benefits for our members right now. But we’re not.
So I’m going to ride this out, and if the plant does close, I’ll figure it out then. If it doesn’t, then I’ll stay here and get to give good news to people. That’s the hope.
With his daughters, Alison and Cate, and parents, Elaine and Roger.
Courtesy of: The New York Times
