HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-11-05, Page 9228BOM�
80 years of
experience
GSS/Wednesday, Nov 5, 1986
"I kept coming to the plant and I
hung around for a whole week
looking for work," he explained.
"One day a guy -asked me what I
was doing and after I told him, he
said he had an interview at 9 o'clock
and that if the applicant didn't show,
he would talk to me. At 9:05 he
called me in and I got a job."
The 'job' as Elgin remembers was
with the Bull Gang, a term applied'
to a group of alien wuu cluaiicu :3y
the yard, loaded graders and even
dug a sewer line to Oxford Street.
His first task, however, on a hot,
humid July day, was to clean the
cesspool. "What was required was a
strong back and weak mind."
The work may have been
demanding, but jobs weren't that
plentiful and both Bob and Elgin
recall that worklife at Dominion
Roads was arduous.
"I can remember we were making
about 54 cents an hour at that time
and the top guy was earning around
98 cents. And we were pleased as
hell to get that," Allen said. "But the
labour pool was a little more fluid in
those days and moved around. We
were working 9 hour days, five and a
half days a week. We got off at noon
on Saturday."
Elgin remembers that raises in the
early 1950s ranged from 3 cents an
hour to 5 cents at the top end.
"Things were tough -and when you
hit $1 an hour, well, then you were
really flying."
Both men were active in the union,
Local 1863 of the International
Association of Machinists and
Aerospace Workers, and rose
through the executive ranks before
serving terms as president. They
had also been involved in
orchestrating a comprehensive
company pension plan in the early
1960s.
szin's talent. uidd drive rnwant
that his stint with the Bull Gang was
short lived. He was the machine
shop superintendent for eight years,
was the company's first Quality
Circles facilitator for three years
and then served as the production
superintendent of manufacturing in
the company's Columbia, S.C. plant
before being named director of
Quality Assurance in Goderich.
While Elgin has watched the
labour pool of the company grow
twenty fold over the years, he
believes that programs like quality
circles, the suggestion program and
a general commitment to excellence,
keeps the employees integrally
involved in the day to day operation.
"You get input from people here
on a voluntary basis. These
programs have saved the company a
lot of money," he said. "And for the
employees, it means they have to
bring their brains to work. I think
now that our machine shop is second
to none."
Allen has gone through a similar
type of progression in the company
over the years and is now
Champion's maintenance
superintendent with responsibility
for maintenance and security
systems. His is also on the
company's acquisition and
machinery placement team.
GOAL: That all people live
in a state of dignity, share
in all elements of living in
the community°and have
the opportunity to par-
ticipate effectively.
"The philosophy here has always
been to develop the people," he
explained. "We have a good staff
here. We're really fortunate and
they have all basically been trained
by the company. When you look at
the company and what we've gone
through over the years, it's just
fantastic to still be leading the
heap."
Employees like Allen and Fisher
never imagined that their efforts in
the '40s and 50's would launch
Champion onto the top of the grader
heap or that J.A. Sully was anything
more than an idle dreamer.
Congratulations on 100 Years of Champions!
COMMUNITY LIVING-CENTRAI,,,HURON
60 Lighthouse St.,
P.O. Box 527 524-7362
Goderich, Ontario
N7A4C7
Serving Goderich and Area for 10 Years
TAXI
524-9052
Service 6 am -11 pm...7 Days a Week
WORSELL
BROS.Ltd.
Plumbing and Heating
40 Victoria Street N.,
G,ODERICH 524-7952