Events Calendar
In This Section
Reports on consumer confidence, GDP tug at stocks
Facebook creates dual-class stock structure
Consumer group warns about toy hazards
Americans gloomy on economy heading into holidays
Banks earn $2.8 billion in third quarter; insurance fund in the red
Akron, Summit County jobless rates increase
Home prices rise for fourth month in a row
Most Read Stories
2 men shot during party in Fairlawn
Cancellation of Christmas not an option
Akron man killed in crash on his street
Several people hurt in Akron crash
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Akron Children's Hospital CEO, wife announce $1 million gift to support research
Police: Pennsylvania man killed misbehaving puppy before Steelers game
Akron Circle K store robbed for second time this month
KSU suspends basketball player
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Blogs:
Pets:
A Dog Named Christmas – Pet for the Holidays
The Heldenfiles:
Viewing Notes
Patrick McManamon:
Of pass interference and alleged "fake" injuries
Akron Zips:
No. 1 Akron to play Stanford next
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Audio: Mangini disputes Poteat call, accuses Lions of faking injuries
Kent State Sports:
Flashes travel to Florida Atlantic
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeye Football – Present and Future
Varsity Letters:
Gulley to visit Central Michigan in December
All Da King's Men:
The Onion, By Any Other Name…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Glaring Contradictions
Akron Law Café:
Don't Try to Have Fun if you are Depressed
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
What Automotive Thing Are You Thankful For?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why I am Glad I live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Summit workers say business was booming
By Jim Mackinnon
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 29, 2007
Workers at Manchester Tool Co. said Wednesday they never anticipated the small manufacturer's new owner would want to shut the place down.
Orders were strong for steel and carbide products made at the metal-cutting toolmaking company, they said. About 67 members of the United Steelworkers have been working an extra hour two days a week, a half-day on Saturdays and sometimes Sunday work, too.
Plant management hired two supervisors in the past seven weeks. The union said plans were being made to hire eight more workers for a third shift at the New Franklin facility.
And then executives from parent company Kennametal came in Monday and told union leaders they needed to close the 100-employee company on Manchester Road to save $3.4 million annually, say two USW local officials who are also longtime employees at Manchester Tool. Plans are to shift steel products to a Kennametal factory in Virginia and carbine products to one in Tennessee, they said.
When Kennametal of Latrobe, Pa., bought Manchester Tool early this year, ''we
thought that was great,'' said John DeVaughn, a 29-year Manchester Tool worker and president of USW Local 1761 Amalgamated.
The local represents Steelworkers at Manchester Tool and other companies. Kennametal, a $2.5 billion-a-year company with about 14,000 employees, had been a customer of Manchester Tool before becoming its owner.
Kennametal, a tooling, engineered-product and materials maker, said it needs to close Manchester Tool because it has too much overall production capacity.
''Kennametal has strong roots in Ohio and is home to six facilities, employing more than 1,000 people,'' said company spokeswoman Christina Reitano. ''Our plan deals directly with the need to address excess capacity, which will generate nearly $3.4 million in annual savings, and is not a reflection on the hard-working individuals of the Manchester Tool work force.''
Unexpected news
A lot of people at Manchester Tool appear to be in shock this week, DeVaughn said.
''We didn't see this coming at all,'' said DeVaughn, 53, who starts work at 3:30 p.m. for the second shift at the plant. ''We've never been a militant union. Management and union worked together. We all survived. Until now. . . . Whatever they asked of us, we did. Management has never been unreasonable to us.''
Gary Rhoades, the USW unit chairman at Manchester Tool and a 15-year employee, said the union was told Kennametal tentatively wants to have the plant shut down by the end of March.
''There are a lot of people here who have worked many years and they're taking it hard,'' he said.
Rhoades said he went into Monday's meeting with Kennametal thinking executives wanted early discussions over the local's contract, which expires in May.
Many of the Steelworkers are men age 50 and up who will now have to go out and start over, he said. The company's operations date to 1951, union officials said.
''Hopefully, we can pull together some kind of severance package,'' Rhoades said.
If there is a chance to keep Manchester Tool open, ''we want to keep that chance,'' he said.
The Steelworkers will try to keep the plant open, said Craig Hemsley, the United Steelworkers staff representative helping the local.
''We just got a problem with this. We're not done yet,'' he said. ''(We) never had an inkling — an inkling — that this plant would be shut down. They just told me it was over capacity.''
Things were going well
After Kennametal bought Manchester Tool, there appeared to be nothing but good news happening at the Akron-area plant, Rhoades said. For one, productivity went up, he said.
''We were doing better than we've ever done,'' Rhoades said. ''We were on board. We wanted to make it work. We weren't fighting them. As workers, we were very flexible. It's been a good company, and a good union company.''
Manchester Tool has been an excellent place to work, providing good wages and benefits, Rhoades said.
''It would have been a decent place to retire from,'' he said.
Instead, Rhoades, who is 43, said he has prepared a resume and will look for a new job.
''I've got bills to pay,'' he said. ''I'm going to put myself out there and see what I can come up with. . . . We're still on overtime. It's hard to believe we're shutting down.''
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Workers at Manchester Tool Co. said Wednesday they never anticipated the small manufacturer's new owner would want to shut the place down.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
