End of an era in Lavington

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 31, 2008

Emotions ran high as the last bottle rolled off the production line at Lavington’s glass plant Friday and the tightly-knit workforce faced an uncertain future. For those working the last 12-hour shift, it was a day many of them never anticipated would come. “It was just terrible. It was a sad way to go,” said Mike Tuyttens, a 35-year plant veteran, of Owens-Illinois’ decision to cease operations and throw 300 people out of work. “I figured on another five years and then I’d pull the pin myself.” The final shift, which ran from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday, was hell for John Figley, a foreman supervisor who had 20 years under his belt. “It was like a slow death,” he said, adding that he will miss his co-workers, many of whom he calls friends.“It was like going to school every day. You never knew what to expect.”

But while many friendships will continue, there is no question things will never be the same. Employees who have mortgages to pay and families to feed are now scrambling to find new careers. For Tuyttens, he is learning to drive large truck, while Tim Werry, who had been at the plant for 16 years, is taking up new duties with the Interior Health Authority. “Starting a new job doesn’t make it any easier. It’s been heart-wrenching,” said Werry of the closure.But not everyone is pessimistic about pursuing re-training. “It’s a good opportunity because I had been wondering over the last few years if I should quit and go to something else,” said Bruce Chomcey, who had been there for 19 years.

Many workers are bitter towards Owens-Illinois, which purchased the facility from Consumers Glass in 2001. They insist there was no need for the closure. “We did the so-called impossible, with sometimes worn-out equipment, to do the jobs no one else could produce,” said Dave Holton, an employee for 28 years. “We produced beyond anyone’s expectations. We were told that we were a stand-alone plant and in many ways we did stand alone, but we also stood above.” Ohio-based O-I has stated that the closure is necessary to reduce company costs and create utilization efficiencies, but Werry says the plant set production records. “We were turning a profit right to the last,” he said. Teamsters local 213, which represents the unionized staff, has not been satisfied with O-I’s reasons for the closure. “They (workers) were the best at what they do. The plant has been productive for the most part,” said Gene Wirch, the union’s business representative.Retirement and severance packages have been a priority for the union.“They’ve done everything they are obligated to do but beyond that, nothing,” said Wirch, of the company.

While he won’t get into the issues of the closure itself, plant manager Tom Herger is willing to talk about the employees. “From the first day I walked into the plant and began getting to know the people, I felt there was something special about them. It didn’t take long for me to figure out what that something special was,” he said. “The men and the women that came to work every day brought with them a sense of dedication and commitment that I had not seen in any workforce in my previous 17 years in the business.” Herger has been at the Lavington facility for 12 years. “It has been an honour and a privilege for me to have been associated with these men and women,” he said.

A major question now is what will happen with the sprawling site on Hill Road, but any hopes that another glass manufacturer will move in are unlikely. One furnace was shut down Sept. 28 and the second one was extinguished Friday. “They can’t be restarted,” said Werry, referring to the aging condition of the furnaces. A skeleton crew will now be on site until March or April securing the property and powering-down energy sources in some areas. “They will be pulling out equipment for decommissioning or shipping to other O-I plants,” said Herger. Officials with O-I in Ohio confirm the property will be put up for sale, but no other details about that process are available.

With 300 people out of work, the implications from the closure are substantial for the surrounding community. Property taxes are paid in Coldstream, Vernon, and Lumby, and merchants, restaurants and other businesses benefitted from those wages being spent.“We are trying to work with O-I on their timelines and to find someone to move into that plant,” said Wayne Lippert, Vernon’s mayor. “There are a couple of prospects interested and we want to get someone in there to use the plant.” Many employees are frustrated with government officials at all levels, saying there wasn’t an adequate response to the closure announcement in August and no attempts to keep it open. “It’s not clear what they could have done but some show of support would have made us happier,” said Werry. A number of politicians were invited to gather outside the plant as the last shift wrapped up, but the only one that showed up was Mary Malerby, a Coldstream councillor. She thought contact was made with O-I in August, but she admits now that local politicians let the employees and their families down. “Looking at it now, I shouldn’t have been as quiet as I was. I should have been screaming about it. I apologize. I should have been more on the ball,” she said.

Morning Star Editorial: Oct. 31 Officials dropped ball on O-I plant

One would hope that local politicians have learned something from the closure of Lavington's glass plant and the loss of 300 well-paying jobs. When Owens-Illinois first announced in August the plant was closing Oct. 31, there should have been immediate attempts by our MP, MLA, Vernon and Coldstream councils and regional district to meet with the company. And perhaps there were, but they've never been disclosed. Granted any demands to keep the plant open would have likely fallen on deaf ears with the Ohio corporation, but at least our elected officials could have said they tried and had the interests of the workers and the community at heart. Their silence was especially unfortunate when you consider that all politicians cite the need to not only draw new businesses here, but to retain the ones we have. And Vernon's move last Monday — just four days before the closure — to campaign to keep the plant open just added insult to injury as far as the workers were concerned.Even on Friday as the last of the production crew left the site, only one politician was there in solidarity — Coldstream Coun. Mary Malerby. That despite most of them being invited to attend.

The lesson out of this entire situation is our elected officials must try harder when it comes to representing their residents. It's not good enough to just accept the edict of some far-off corporation without ensuring the needs of the region come first. And even if a business decision can't be derailed, the workers and families involved must know the politicians and community stand behind them. With so much riding on a new employer being found for the O-I plant, all eyes will be on the politicians to see what their next move is.