The Closing of Shain Solutions – Local 2539

For the past forty years tucked away in North Central Pennsylvania there has been a group of working men and women who manufacture furniture, mainly for Industrial Arts departments in education. They total a mere 25 employees but their quality product sets the industry standard. These dedicated people are the members of Carpenter’s Industrial Local 2539.

While discussing issues surrounding a plant shutdown in Indiana, PA, I received a call from Local 2539’s president, Nehemiah Butterworth, informing me that their employer had just announced that on December 4, 2009 the plant would close. This announcement came as a complete surprise to the members and to the Union.

As with all such situations, the Regional Council contacted federal, state and local officials for help in keeping the facility open. Representative Conklin (77th District, covering Philipsburg) came to our Regional Council office to meet with the employer and express the impact to the community if the employer pulled out of town. Although several meetings were held, many phone calls were made, and e-mails went back and forth, in the end the employer stated that their best interest would be served by leaving the Philipsburg facility and relocating their jobs to another state.

The Regional Council has been working with the employer to secure a severance package for the members in exchange for an employee waiver. At the time of this writing, no agreement has been reached. Due to current laws concerning COBRA eligibility and insurance carriers’ underwriting, the members of Local 2539 may not be eligible for medical coverage under COBRA. With the winter comes home heating oil tank fill-ups, and with the holiday season quickly approaching, these members are faced with major challenges to provide basic needs, let alone meet the expectations of their children.

Many are in this same situation due to the economy and corporate decisions. It seems unjust when such hard working people lose their source of income due to no fault of their own. People running these types of corporations hide behind corporate titles as if “it’s the Corporation, not ME” who decided you lose your job, attempting to try and shield themselves from all responsibilities to working men and women.

Peter J. McGuire, founder of the Carpenter’s Union, referred to these corporate leaders as the Capitalists, with all the economic resources (money) to wage against the worker. Perhaps the tide will change and corporate leaders will be held responsible for what they have sown. As for now, the proud men and women who are Local 2539 can only face each day as it comes and hold onto the hope of a better tomorrow.

By John Ambrogio, Council Representative