Published: February 22, 2008 01:57 am            

DAY: Continental Steel not forgotten

Mill closed 22 years ago this month

This month, it has been 22 years since the day that we, at the steel mill, were told it was our last day. The mill was broke, and the people of Kokomo had no mill for steady work and to raise their families.

That day was one that we saw coming for a long time, not because of the money flow but because of improper top management. They needed a cash flow from somewhere, in order to keep their cement business in the east, above water. So Continental Steel was purchased by secretly buying stock until it had enough stock to control our mill.

Starting out, it wasn’t too bad because we seemed to be making the money and no departments were shut down. Orders continued to come in for rebar, wire, rods and nails, welded fab and chain-link fence.

At one time we made the best sheet metal, roofing and culvert stock sold all over the United States. Our product was one of the best in the steel-making business, and our nails did not bend. Our welded fab was used in the construction business, as was our rebar. Our product was the best.

As time went by, we found that concessions had to be made, money wise, in order to stay afloat. This was in a company that had been a profitable one for decades. Concessions were asked several times with stock ownership being the return. It turned out that our ownership of the stock was in name only, and we never got anything for those concessions.

Many of our supervisors were removed from their jobs and sent to the streets, even though they had been in the union prior to becoming a supervisor. It seems that they had signed their time away in order to keep their supervisor jobs. I was in supervision for 16 years after having 15 in the C&T Clerical Union. I never signed my time away, by throwing the letter that was sent to me in the waste basket to be burned up. I never thought for one moment that one day that would be a benefit for me, as one day I was told that I had better hit the street because I was asking too many questions about how the money was being spent.

I finished up my last five years as a traffic clerk, and one day we got the news that our mill was no more. No one can feel the hurt that 1,200-plus people felt when that news came. Even though we knew that one day it might, we couldn’t bring ourselves to admit it. On that day, the air was close and anger was in the air as we sought to find some relief from such a blow to our being.

Many families went broke while trying to find work. Many got bad sick because they couldn’t accept what happened. Many went back home to the South after spending most of their family life here in Kokomo, Indiana. There were jobs out there, but you needed the experience to get them.

I went to Sears to work when the sales manager of The Home Improvement Department let me know there was an opening. It was time to learn a new vocation, and get on with my life with my wife and two children. I was successful in the new job because of the training I got from quality salespeople that had many years of selling.

Life was a little better for me, although I sure missed the steel mill and those great friends I had there. The steel mill was the backbone of this city for many a year and should be remembered as such. Those were good people who worked there.

I want to say here that working as a steelworker was a blessing to me because regardless of nationality, they were good friends. The grounds where the mill sat are empty now, and it sure would be nice if Kokomo would honor those who worked there with some sort of a memorial on those grounds.

Long live the memory of Continental Steel Corp. More later.

Ray “Uncle Ray” Day of Kokomo is

a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune. E-mail him at uncleray@skyenet.net.

        

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