We had a well attended union meeting today and I brought up a possible exploration of a
ESOP buyout of Evergreen pulp. Silence on the floor. No motions. Finally a comment was made about this not being the right time because of the economy. So there will be no
ESOP. Next idea?
Not that you take minutes or distribute them, but what was the purpose of meeting if not to explore ways to help reopen the mill?
ReplyDeleteDo the workers want to see the plant reopen or just get as much money as they can from the closing and then retire or move on?
There are a lot of investors looking over mills to see if there are any bargains. To be resurrected, a shuttered mill has to have a competitive advantage. An ESOP (and associated community support) is just the sort of competitive advantage to gain investor interest.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that there is so little interest on the part of the union workers. My impression is that most of the mill workers like living in Humboldt and would like to have a mill job.
The odds of the mill reopening under Lee & Man are speculative; the "sales" transaction recently announced is suspect at best, and there don't seem to be a lot of independent buyers beating a path to the mill.
My guess is that the mill is dead for the foreseeable future. At some point, probably after 6 months, it will never reopen (the experienced workforce will have dispersed or retired; the chip supply will have found other markets; and the mill itself will have deteriorated past economic repair).
Mr. Fleischer has said before that trust is very important in getting investors. People who have been at the Pulp Mill for a few years will understand how dificult it is to trust anyone.
ReplyDeleteTo have trust you need communication. With communication you need dialogue. With dialogue you need an exchange of ideas/thoughts. Without a soundboard nothing will be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteJust keep an eye on the mill something good is going to happen soon all the nay sayers should want it to work.
ReplyDeleteI'd say before trust, you first need to respect and believe the other person is sincere and capable.
ReplyDeleteBut around here the phrase "They're a good person" is code for someone who is trustworthy.
That sounds like a politically correct version of the much older expression "They're a good Christian".
So it seems to me that for many in Humboldt, having a particular religious faith is the basis for deserving trust.
I think that everyone is looking for some hope in the near future.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone out there that really thinks we are going to come out on top?
Has all of this been part of "The Plan"
If we don't have jobs, how can anything improve.
Hmmmm... For some reason, when not a native hears "_______ is a good person," nan ASSUMES that the speaker really means "______ is a good Christian."
ReplyDeleteTherefore n.a.n. concludes that "for many in Humboldt, having a particular religious faith is the basis for deserving trust."
I have a simpler explanation: When most people say that someone is "a good person," they mean just that, a person who generally means well, acts civilly, does good deeds, acts with consideration for others.
From my experience, "good" people and, let's call them "less-good" people, can be found in all religions, as well as among those who practice no religion.
Certainly when I say "he's a good guy" I don't mean "he's a good Christian guy."
My advice to you, n.a.n., is try to just hear what people are saying without adding so many of your assumptions and jumps-to-conclusions.
For one thing, you might enjoy life in Humboldt a whole lot better if you stop making so many negative assumptions about your neighbors. Try giving them the benefit of the doubt that when they say something, that's what they actually mean, rather than fishing for some hidden dark meaning behing their words.
If the person you are conversing with really is a hyper-religious judgemental type, believe me, you won't have to do so much contextual analysis to figure that out! They'll let you know in ways that are nowhere near as subtle as the imagined slights you perceive when someone says "she is a good person."
you people rely to much on the pulp mill
ReplyDelete. GIVE UP THE GHOST PASS GET ON WITH LIFE,IT'S OVER......