Touching nerves in the Silver Valley
It doesn’t take much of an article in the News Press or an editorial from you to touch a nerve and raise emotions from not only the work force at the Lucky Friday but, also a lot of the community who have lived and breathed mining culture for their whole lives.
You gave us your opinion in your editorial "Don’t strike a blow to North Idaho," and I respect your opinion and I agree that a strike would be devastating to this area.
Now let me give you my opinion. First, I must tell you that I am a “Proud Union Member” of Local 5114. I started mining for “Mother Hecla” in 1979 at the Star Mine and been a miner ever since. We called her “Mother Hecla” because she was a driving force in this community and truly cared for the Silver Valley. She actually gave interest free loans for mortgages to her employees. Have you ever heard of anything like that before? When you went downtown Wallace to the Hecla office, Gus Voltolini would come out and shake your hand, look you in the eye and ask you how the wife and kids were and meant it, he truly wanted to know how they were, and that meant everything to all of us.
I tell you this story because you wrote in your editorial that Hecla “CEO Phil Baker prizes its work forces” and never misses an opportunity to praise the company’s employees.
First, of all, I challenge you to come up with anything in your paper that Phil Baker has ever said complimenting the work force at the Lucky Friday. I’ve read the News Press for years and I remember once, he said something about the experienced workers. Other than that nothing about hourly workers, only salaried management. You say “corporate respect is far from lacking” so let me give you an example of corporate respect.
In late 2011, several men were buried in a rock burst and when we pulled them out and got them to the top, we found out our CEO was in the manager’s office talking to the Sheriff’s Office, and doing damage control. Making sure that no one (media, in my opinion) made it into the hospital. In his world, I’m sure he thought he was doing the right thing protecting his company. In my world, he had but one place to be, and that was at the top of the shaft checking and talking to those men and making sure they know they were going to be taken care of. Is this the kind of corporate respect you’re talking about?
Earlier in 2011 a good friend and work partner of mine, Larry Marek, was crushed under a catastrophic ground failure. Larry was not only one of the best and most respected miners the Silver Valley has ever produced, but one of the finest men I’ve ever known. Hecla has chosen to go to court, drag his name in the mud, and try to pin blame on him for being “partially responsible” for his own death, which is an outright lie and the whole mine knows it. Maybe this is the kind of respect you are talking about.
So please don’t tell me about the respect that this company has for the workforce. You truly don’t know unless you have lived it.
As far as the contract proposal is concerned, the company contends that we must slice up our medical benefits, give up our bid systems, give them the ability to tell us where to work, who to work with, and how much we make, all of which may change from day to day. End bonus programs, end certain overtime pay, adjust work schedules, to whatever suits them. No more “banking” of vacations, etc. etc. etc. This is all needed, the company contends under the guise of modernizing the mine. This mine has been in a constant state of modernizing since I started working here in the early 80’s.
They act like this is all new, and we must concede everything for they can have total and complete power. This is the biggest load of crap, I have ever seen this company try to get away with. I have a news flash for you, most mines (if they are active long enough) go deep. The mines get hot so, you cool them down. They get wet so, you pump them. Tougher Federal regulations are nothing new, you deal with them.
They talk of needing a highly trained work force. They have one that has been evolving and changing with the mine, all along. We have innovative ideas and skill sets that have helped this mine grow and stay viable for years. Our bid system has reached and exceeded production and safety goals time and time again. And it will do the same thing in the future. This is nothing more than a union breaking power grab by arrogant people who think this workforce is too stupid to make good decisions to help move this new era of mining along. We are not afraid of change, we are used to it. This is what we do. We are problem solvers. We look forward to working with the company and taking on all challenges. But we are not puppets on this company’s string and we will always have a voice for fairness in the workplace.
One last thing Mr. Editor — You put in your editorial, that many employees earn six-figure wages. I’m uncomfortable talking income with you because quite frankly, I don’t think it is anyone’s business, what I make. But I will tell you that statement is false, unless someone works A LOT and I mean A LOT of overtime.
Rick Norman
36 years Mine
Union Strong Local 5114