UE Local 204 Members, Supporters March to Save Jobs at Haskon

Taunton, MA

No Retreat, No Surrender: UE Local 274 members are fighting to keep their jobs at the Haskon Aerospace plant in Taunton, MA. The company wants to "consolidate" its operations in Mexico and California.

UE Local 204 members and supporters marched through the streets of Taunton, MA on April 12, demanding that the Haskon Aerospace plant remain open. Carrying the banner, along with Local 204 Chief Steward John Vasconcelos and other members, were Taunton Mayor Charles Crowley, Congressman Barney Frank, and State Sen. Marc Pacheco. Haskon’s parent company, Esterline Technologies Corp., announced it will “consolidate” its operations in California and Mexico, wiping out 85 jobs in Taunton. The Taunton plant makes silicone rubber seals used in the manufacture of aircraft.  But Local 204 members are not accepting that decision without a fight. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said he will speak to “defense spending associates” in Washington and ask them to meet with UE to find a way to keep the plant open. He pledged his help in efforts to find a buyer for the plant who would keep it operating, as did Mayor Crowley, the city council president and others.

Local 204 President Scott Marques said that for Haskon workers, the rally was the beginning, not the end. “We don’t know what the future holds for us but we do know that if we stick together we have a better chance of getting what we deserve – jobs or, if anyone gets laid off, a severance that respects the years they gave to Esterline and all the owners before them.”

Thus far, Esterline has offered a maximum of eight weeks severance pay, an insult to Local 204 members who have given the company many years of service. More than one-third of them have been at the plant 35 years or more, and two have over 50 years service. In contrast, when Esterline severs its executives, it pays them three times their annual salary, and the ex-president of the company received a severance package of over $10 million.

Other speakers included UE Director of Organization Bob Kingsley; Massachusetts AFL-CIO Pres. Robert Haynes; State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton), Jennifer Doe of Jobs with Justice; and Rev. Mark T. Cregan, president of Stonehill College.

BREAKING THE SILENCE

Kingsley expressed UE’s pride in Local 204 members “for standing up and fighting back,” adding, “There are too many Tauntons in America today, too many Haskons, too many economic tragedies hurting working people – and too many people have been silent for too long.”

“Your fight is more than just about 85 jobs,” said State AFL-CIO Pres. Haynes. “You have families who will be impacted by this and your families live in neighborhoods that will be affected by this. And those neighborhoods impact our commonwealth.You are not just fighting for yourselves – your fight to save jobs at Haskon is for all of us. Keep up the fight!”

Sen. Pacheco spoke passionately and pointed out his 81-year-old father Dick, who retired from Haskon in 1992 with 41 years service, who was present in the crowd. Pacheco said the threatened closing was not the fault of Haskon workers, but of Esterline’s greed. The plant has remained profitable, he said.

UE Northeast Region President Peter Knowlton told local news media that a $25,000 grant from Bristol County Workforce Investment Board will produce a feasibility study on the possibilities of either keeping the plant open either through an arrangement with a firm like Boeing or another major aircraft builder, or with the plant operating under worker ownership.