Randy Gordon

Randy Gordon , vice president of the Bridgestone United Rubber Workers Local 713 , says morale among the union workers is terrible.Gordon has just arrived at the union office after finishing his shift at Firestone , and he sounds beat.The 12-hour rotating shift has been real tough , he says wearily.

It's causing a lot of stress , he says.Your body clock just can't adjust.You don't have an outside life ; you're just not involved in the community.You spend all your time trying to organize your life around your work schedule and the plant.That's just not the way it's supposed to be.

They took away [ holidays for ] Thanksgiving ; they took away the Fourth of July ; they took away Labor Day.
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Gordon is referring to the hundreds of replacement workers who have assumed permanent positions at Firestone during the months of the strike.They outnumber us ; it's terrible.There's a very bad atmosphere in there..Gordon says that the lower-paid replacement workers get preferential treatment from management.He views these daily slights as subtle-to-obvious attempts to prod the union workers slowly off the job.

But bumping elbows with people he previously dismissed as scabs is only part of the unpleasantness on the line at Firestone.Gordon and the other union holdouts also have to work next to the crossovers who used to be friends , who still are their neighbors , or who may be members of their own families.There are three factions there , and everyone pretty much keeps to themselves ; it's not pleasant..

Negotiations for a new contract are just beginning , and Gordon says he's hopeful but not optimistic.He expects Bridgestone to push even harder this year against the weakened local union.We're not fighting for anything more [ in terms of salaries or benefits ] ; we're just trying to maintain where we're at..He doesn't expect to see wages increase no matter how well the company does this year.Gordon has almost seven more years to go before he reaches retirement.Something's got to change , he grumbles.

What kind of legacy are we leaving for the next generation?.

Randy Gordon, vice president of the Bridgestone United Rubber Workers Local 713, says morale among the union workers is terrible.Gordon has just arrived at the union office after finishing his shift at Firestone, and he sounds beat."The 12-hour rotating shift has been real tough," he says wearily.

"It's causing a lot of stress," he says.
...
Gordon is referring to the hundreds of replacement workers who have assumed permanent positions at Firestone during the months of the strike."They outnumber us; it's terrible.There's a very bad atmosphere in there."Gordon says that the lower-paid replacement workers get preferential treatment from management.He views these daily slights as subtle-to-obvious attempts to prod the union workers slowly off the job.

But bumping elbows with people he previously dismissed as scabs is only part of the unpleasantness on the line at Firestone.Gordon and the other union holdouts also have to work next to the "crossovers" who used to be friends, who still are their neighbors, or who may be members of their own families."There are three factions there, and everyone pretty much keeps to themselves; it's not pleasant."

Negotiations for a new contract are just beginning, and Gordon says he's hopeful but not optimistic.He expects Bridgestone to push even harder this year against the weakened local union."We're not fighting for anything more [in terms of salaries or benefits]; we're just trying to maintain where we're at."He doesn't expect to see wages increase no matter how well the company does this year.Gordon has almost seven more years to go before he reaches retirement."Something's got to change," he grumbles.

"We agreed to go back so that we can vote [in any future decertification election] to salvage the union and live to fight another day," said Randy Gordon, vice president of Local 713.