January 22, 1999
NAFTA shocks being felt in Willard
By Malinda Ruble
Staff Writer
SIAM -- Willard's Mapa Pioneer plant is to close this year, but one union member refuses to let the plant die quietly.
Mary Fleure, president of United Steel Workers of America Local 804L, spoke out this week on behalf of the 78 union members about to lose their jobs at the glove-making plant. Although the closing is a ''done deal,'' Fleure wants the world to know the North American Free Trade Agreement -- and greed -- are to blame.
''We're trying to bring awareness that we're losing manufacturing jobs to third-world countries and that not only affects the employees, but it takes monies out of the communities. It affects everybody,'' she said.
Pioneer was founded in 1918 and remained in Attica until 1996, when the plant was closed and demolished. Before the Attica plant was destroyed, the best-selling Bluette glove line was relocated to the Willard plant. Many of the Attica workers also moved.
But on Feb. 8, lines at the Willard plant are to begin shutting down. The entire operation is to close by September, with production shifted to a plant near Tijuana, Mexico.
''They had 350 employees in '89 when Mapa took over. Now there are 78 union employees,'' Fleure said.
Although a closing agreement has been reached to help provide retraining for employees, Fleure knows there is no turning back.
''Our whole thing is this is happening because of NAFTA. The other countries don't have the same standards we do. How do we compete with that? It wasn't the quality of workers in Attica,'' she said. ''Why would it be the workers, when they've been in Attica for 80 years?''
Bill Collins, key staff representative for USWA District 1, blames greed.
''The company is moving strictly out of greed and moving to Mexico so they can get cheap labor without paying duties. They're not saying they're not making a profit here. They're saying they're not making enough of a profit.
''During this time of closing, they bought another (similar) plant in Tennessee. It's not like this corporation is strapped for money,'' he said.
Collins quoted the president of USWA, George Becker, who claims more than 2,000 United States companies employing more than 420,000 workers have moved operations to Mexico. Some of the companies include RCA, Oshkosh and Fruit of the Loom.
But for Fleure, it's the workers who are suffering.
''The workers were so loyal to the company and they expected the company to be loyal to them. These people built this company and when they should be looking at retirement, they're looking at unemployment and retraining. It's just sad,'' she said.