Thanks, James

[cheetahmike]

This is well organized Great effort.

Can we get the database section in here too ?

[James Cochran]

Yep...sure can. Just gotta figure out how to do it ;D

[Stewart Brown]

Wow this is nice! Thanks James! I used to work at AG in the early 70's, at the end of the line installing interiors, seats, trim, etc. The guys who worked with me, we had fun! We always had a competition among ourselves each day to see who could put out the most boats )))

The first summer I was there I remember some union came but we voted them down. That was fine with me and my crew, we were young kids and didn't want anyone telling us what to do.

That was a long time ago. I remember I walked in and one of the owners, a big guy, hired me and put me to work that very day.

Sorry to see now that the place closed up. I did not know they had 3 plants. I worked up on Firestone Blvd. I'll say this - we were kids but we had pride in our work and we built good boats.

[James Cochran]

WOW, Stewart. I worked at the Memphis plant at 931 Firestone from 1974 until that plant closed in 1979. Harry was the big guy. It was the United Rubber Workers Union that did come in and killed Arrow Glass of Memphis. Firestone across the street went on strike and the Union demanded that the Union members at Arrow Glass support them and strike against Arrow Glass which had nothing to do with Firestone at all. It was a Union power play with the innocent Arrow Glass and it's employees having to pay the ultimate price. The Union caused the loss of over 300 local jobs and the ripple effect in the industry was felt for decades. The strike lasted beyond the point that Arrow Glass resources could support. The Union destroyed Arrow Glass as leverage against Firestone, which failed.
I worked at Arrow Glass for 8 hours in the morning and then drove across the street and worked at Firestone for 8 hours each night. Since I was a salaried engineer at each place I was not in the Union and had to work the factory lines. Firestone had 43 acres of production plant under one roof and another 15 acres under another roof in the rubber reclaim building. During the strike I worked the production line at Arrow Glass and at Firestone in both the reclaim (the hottest, dirtiest, job ever) and also in the truck tire rim-liner division.

Today where the Arrow Glass Memphis plant was located is an overgrown concrete slab in a field. The Firestone plant was demolished also and is now a golf driving range. The Arrow Glass Waynesboro plant location is now a community center.

A few years ago I ran into your old boss, Bill Banks. Bill ran your department at Arrow Glass for a very long time.