After finding out last week that the sources of their livelihoods were gone for good, former employees of the U.S. Repeating Arms Co. gathered Wednesday outside the plant at 344 Winchester Ave. to call for the city’s help in replacing the 186 lost jobs. City officials say they’re still at work: “The city has had interest from a potential user and discussions are ongoing.”
Wednesday’s rally was called after Olin Corp. announced last week it had sold the license to produce Winchester rifles to Browning in Utah, instead of to a buyer that would have produced them in New Haven.
“It’s a disgrace that corporate greed won out over integrity, tradition and loyalty to dedicated New Haven workers. But Winchester workers are still here, even if the company is not.” said Craig Gauthier (pictured above at right), chairman of the Winchester Citizens Ad Hoc Committee. He called on the city to help regain the 186 jobs that were lost when the plant closed in March after 140 years of manufacturing the Gun that Won the West.
“The city has had interest from a potential user and discussions are ongoing,” responded Kelly Murphy, the city’s director of economic development. Murphy said the city “exhausted efforts to try and draw a new arms manufacturer to the site and secure the licensure for the rifle’s manufacture from Olin. Those efforts produced two positive outcomes: Herstal made good on its financial obligations to the city, and a lengthy effort by a third-party consultant to attract a new buyer produced some good follow-up leads.”
Gauthier’s group called for a public hearing with the Board of Aldermen to discuss how to bring manufacturing jobs back to Newhallville. The request was granted: A meeting has been set for Sept. 8, announced Gauthier.
John Harrity of GrowJobsCT, a coalition working to keep manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, thanked the city for trying to find a buyer and keep the rifle production in the city. “The mayor of New Haven actually did a lot of work to try and come up with an innovative approach,” said Harrity. But “it didn’t work.”
Harrity and Gauthier want the city to find a new employer and to “distribute the $850,000 collected in back taxes from Herstal Group to Winchester workers, in partial payment of four months’ lost pay and benefits denied workers through lack of proper notice of the plant closing.” Aldermen have indicated that money has already been budgeted for other uses.
Speakers, including John Reynolds (at left), president of Winchester’s Local 609, focused on holding the city accountable for getting the 186 workers’ jobs back. Some of that pressure fell on the mayor. Some also fell on those seeking office, like Senate hopeful Ned Lamont, who has been endorsed by the machinist union that encompasses Local 609.
Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan showed up to pledge his candidate’s support by demanding federal support of universal health care and trade agreements that kept Connecticut jobs from being taken overseas. “We’re willing to stand here and continue to fight with you today, tomorrow and the next day.”
Newhallville Alderman Charles Blango pledged aldermanic support. “We’re still here for the long haul, for the fight. … I am committed; my colleagues are committed; we’re here to see what the end’s gonna be.” In response to the increased pressure on the city, mayoral spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo recalled the strides the city has taken to help Winchester workers.
“The City of New Haven took proactive steps that almost no other municipality has ever done to try to secure manufacturing jobs in the city. Staff at the city worked with a consultant, initially hired by the city but paid primarily by Herstal, to work to secure a new buyer for the facility and to acquire the license to produce Winchester rifles. In addition, Mayor DeStefano, working with Congresswoman DeLauro and Senator Dodd’s office, expedited Trade Adjustment Assistance Act benefits to USRAC workers.”