By Neal Pollack
Cathy stares into her beer glass. This is the first night her man has let her go out without him in three years. She doesn’t have much time to go out anyway; she’s got three kids, all under ten years old. Cathy knows this is the last time she’ll go out for a while, maybe forever.
After work on October 22, most of the company’s 165 union employees gathered at the Jay County courthouse, and they were angry. Some came in wearing sombreros. They wanted to know what they could do to save their jobs.
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The local Union of Needletrades Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) chapter wasn’t ready to accept the plant closing; Jay Garment was too important to Portland for the union to let it leave without a fight. A week later the same workers pooled together again in the courthouse. This time they clasped hands, sang “Solidarity Forever,” and chanted “Jobs in Jay.” They were joined by union representatives from regional headquarters in Chicago and by a congressional candidate. UNITE’s Chicago headquarters had made a decision, and the local agreed. They were going to try to convince Jay Garment to stay in Portland.
“The Jay Garment Company as you know has been an important part of the community in Jay County since 1921. During those years thousands of workers and their families have depended upon these jobs.
“In 1991 the company complained of more hard times and once again the workers came forward and made a huge sacrifice. The workers agreed to make changes in their pension plan and saved the company more than a million dollars…
The company announced that a scheduled December 22 shutdown date had been delayed until mid-January. Negotiations with Calvin Klein were proceeding. On December 18, Jay Garment officials met with Calvin Klein representatives in New York City and announced that a Calvin Klein inspector would be coming to Portland to inspect the factory. The Commercial Review named Jay Garment its “story of the year” for 1996. It looked like the pressure had worked. It looked like the union might win.
