**Date:** 1967 MAY 22
**Source:** Unknown
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NAUGATUCK — Efforts by management personnel to produce what were termed defense sub-contract items at the Uniroyal Chemical Plant Thurs-day touched off a controversy with UEW Local 218 over the question of safety. An announcement by management Wednesday that it planned to produce the items also resulted in an effort by about 30 members of the local to bar management personnel from entering the plant Thursday morning. After the management personnel entered the plant to be-gin production, members of the striking Local circulated hand-bills around the borough question-ing the decision to produce. The handbills claimed that the personnel were “unfamiliar with the operating procedures and safety hazards involved” in the machines. It was further added that “serious accidents have oc-curred with experienced opera-tors in control of the equipment, and a full compliment of people who were fortunate enough to contain these hazards.” John D. Evans, manager of the chemical plant, answered the safety charges with a state-ment that “at present, opera-tions are limited in scope and are being achieved by crews completely familiar with all operating procedures and safety practices. “In fact,” added Evans, “these [management] personnel are normally responsible for the training and direction of the regular operators.” Local 218 hinged its complaint on the claim that “the operat-ing of process equipment with inexperienced personnel and only a skeleton crew present a definite hazard to the towns-people . . . It exposes the citi-zens to the possibility of explo-sion or deadly gases being re-leased to the atmosphere.” Evans answered the charge that the safety of the borough was being jeopardized with the statement that “We consider the safety of all personnel in the plant as well as that of the resi-dents-to be the first considera-tion of management in all deci-sions regarding operations re-gardless of circumstance.” The early morning efforts to block the personnel from enter-ing the plant resulted in the ar-rest of eight members of the lo-cal, although there was no shov-ing or pushing in the incident and no injuries were reported. According to Evans, the pur-pose of the move to produce was to fulfill a sub-contract for a material which protects the plexiglass windshields of planes during shipment. The material, he added, would be used on planes destined for Vietnam.