I feel like this story reflects the broader scope of the despair of people under 40. I'm adding part 1 to my title because it's late and I don't know how far I'll get here, there maybe gaps that inquiring minds will want filled…
Anyway:
In 1982, a factory opened in a small town in Canada. A little place called Port Colborne. They made high fructose corn syrup. The company was called CASCO, short for Canada Starch Corporation. All the new people bought local houses, cars, and started families. 1983 saw a flurry of babies. At least a dozen others that I can name, but will not to protect the innocent. We're talking about a factory of about 100 blue collars. 84 and 85 welcomed just as many kids. At least 30 kids over 5 years for a factory with 100 workers. Myself among them.
They were GREAT as an employer! Aside from paying their people enough to live comfortably, and raise a family. They did stuff for them.
Need to do a dump run and don't want to stink up your car? borrow the company truck! Need a tool for a DIY project? Sign it out!
and.. They held 2 Xmas parties every year!
One for the employees' kids that happened at the factory, in a big shed in the rail yard. Santa would ride in on the track mobile (thing for moving rail cars) and give every single kid a gift. It was a huge event. It went from youngest to oldest, and alphabetically, it took HOURS, but every single kid got up on Jack… er… Santa's lap and got a present until about 14.
The other party was at a hotel restaurant. Just for the workers and spouses. No michelin stars, but always at one of the nicest places around. The night was: All you could eat, open bar, live band. Cabs home were paid for, and there was a discount on rooms for the party goers. This was in the 80's when people were complaining about seatbelts like they were masks in a pandemic and thoughts on drunk driving were, meh.
Summer time through the 80's and 90's: There was always a big family day out to a theme park. Canada's Wonderland, Marineland, or even once or twice Darien Lake. It was another huge thing! They chartered busses, had pavilions booked with catered lunch and dinner. There was even an early and a late bus for departures so if someone wanted to go home early, they could, if you wanted to close the place out, you could do that too. All on the company dime, all were welcome, from the plant manager to the lady who mopped the office. Your job didn't matter, if you worked there, the day was for you and your family.
The workers who had to miss out on the day to keep the plant running that day… they got overtime… even if it was their regular shift.
As the kids grew up, the kids' party went away because all the kids got to old for Santa. No new kids came along because no new people started. Turnover was near zero in those days.
Nearly every one of the people who started in 82 held on until they retired or expired.
The summer trips continued on for a bit, eventually losing the catering/pavillion, then the buses, then it stopped.
Some time in that wind down of the social events, another factory was opening next door. It was going to take one of their byproducts and refine it into citric acid.
JBL. JungBunzLauer. They are Austrian, I think.
Right off the bat, everyone complained they were a shitty place to work. Low wages, high expectations, problems retaining staff.
A few months after the last guy from '82 retired, 10 years after the last summer trip to Wonderland, the CASCO factory (which had rebranded to Ingredion somewhere in there, that's a whole tangent that I can expand on if requested, but I digress),
When JBL bought the plant, the first thing they did was fire EVERYONE.
They told them they were welcome to re apply for their old job, they'd be given priority, but for less than 2/3 of what they were making the day before, for the same job.
Today, they still pay absolute shit for the work they expect, and surprise, surprise, they are calling the guys from '82 out of retirement with fat contracts to train new operators because all the guys they trained before that, they moved on after the pay cut. As does everyone they hire.
Not sure why the point of my story here is. Venting about what we've lost? Call to action to demand better?
Maybe I'm just drunk and barfing my thoughts onto the internet.
I'll leave that to the comments. Discuss.