CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 14 – Page 4

February 18, 2026January 1, 1980 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 4 | Vol. 14, 1980

Equality

continued from page 2

The execution of the equal opportunity policy demands the involvement of all management personnel in identifying and attracting minority, female, disabled veteran and Vietnam Era Veteran, and handicapped applicants qualified for consideration in all job classifications, as job openings in such classifications occur. The plant will make monthly audits of its recruiting efforts, hiring, promotional, and termination activities, and the minority, female, disabled veteran and Vietnam Era Veteran, and handicapped situation on the payroll. Additionally, our Affirmative Action Plans are audited on a regular basis by Federal Government and Corporate office Personnel.

J.R. Douglas, Industrial Relations Manager, has appointed C.D. Hilton, Personnel Manager, as the EEO Administrator for the Naugatuck Plant. Feel free to contact them regarding any facet of the EEO policy.

Williams Heads Toastmasters Club

Bob Williams, International Marketing Specialist for Vibrathane and Speciality Chemicals, has been elected President of the Preston Hill Toastmasters Club for 1980.

The club meets every other Friday at Uniroyal’s Preston Hill Inn in Oxford is dedicated to help people improve their communication and leadership skills.

For more information call Bob at 723-3791. Other club members from EMIC and the plant are Joe Calaghan, George Lapp and Jim Marshall.

“On the Road”

By Joe Bucciaglia

The Chemicals and Polymers Sales Force

An important member of the team, but often a “distant” one, is the field sales representative who is “On-the-Road”. I hope to run a series of articles about our Chemicals and Polymers sales group and tell you a little about the people and what they do.

To start with, this sales force is led by a General Sales Manager, Joe Callaghan. Reporting to Joe is a Specialty Chemicals National Sales Manager, governing Specialty Chemicals and three Regional managers covering the Rubber Chemicals and Polymers. Also reporting to Joe are two Operations Managers, Pete Cookson for Polymers, and myself for Chemicals.

The Central Office for the Midwest Region (better known as District 4) is located in Akron, Ohio, “The Rubber Capital of the World”. Out of this office, the Chemicals and Polymers field Sales Force are responsible for selling Rubber and Heavy Chemicals, ROYALENE®, PARACRIL®, Natural Latex and VIBRATHANE® Gums.

The Sales Force in the Midwest is:

Vin Russo	Regional Manager
Bill Galwardy	Sr. Sales Associate with sales responsibilities in parts of Ohio Plus all the major Akron based Rubber Companies.
Wes Curtis	Technical Representative with sales responsibilities in Ohio, West Virginia, and parts of New York and Pennsylvania.
Bill Stephenson	Technical Representative with sales responsibilities in Indiana and half of Michigan.
Wayne Churchill	Technical Representative with sales responsibilities in Illinois and half of Michigan.
Leo Pranitis	Technical Representative with sales responsibilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The Akron Office is staffed by Leo Foley and Ruth Hoak.

Next issue, more on the other District Offices and the people staffing them. In the meanwhile, if your interested in anything else about Sales, drop me a line.

Become Hearing Experts

In the photo from left are Eric Johnson, Factory Manager, who presented the certificates; Ann McAllister RN; Patricia Grzywacz RN; and James Loman, Safety Supervisor.

Three members of the Safety and Medical Department have been awarded Certificates of Accreditation by the Council for Accreditation Occupational Hearing Conservation. The accreditation qualifies them to give industrial audiometric tests. As part of its continuing medical program the group wil give hearing tests to all employees to insure proper care of their hearing. Ann and Patricia received their certification from the University of Bridgeport and Jim from Kutztown State University, Pa. Loman is also a Certified First Aid and CPR Instructor while Pat recently received certification as a CPR Instructor.

55 MPH

Give it a chance to work. To save gasoline. To save lives, too.

Local 218…

continued from page 3

growth.”

Joe Rzeszutek recognized the need to make certain changes in the Contract in order to make the plant competitive with other chemical companies and to help improve its productivity in order to maintain job security in a highly competitive market area.

As a result of this mutual interest, Douglas reported that the parties were able to negotiate contractual changes that will provide potential improvements in productivity, reduced down-time, and cost reductions that can amount to substantial savings per year to the Naugatuck Plant. Both Douglas and Rzeszutek stated that this was the type of joint Company-Union effort that the parties are striving for in order to improve our operations, help secure jobs, and provide growth for the Naugatuck Chemical plant’s future.

Old Timers Corner

A group of “old timers” enjoy a barbecue at the home of Paul Benson in the warm Florida sun. The photo was sent in by George Allen, front row, left, who recently retired from the Industrial Relations Dept. Next to him is Ed Weaving who headed up the Plant Protection Dept. for many years. another picnic is scheduled at the home of Paul Benson on Feb. 17th, 1981.

George Allen who retired from Industrial Relations in 1979 sent this photo of retirees who gathered at the home of Paul Benson for a picnic. Since George retired he and his wife, Kay, have travelled the forty-eight states and now spend the winters in Florida. Seated from left are George Allen, Ed Weaving, Ann (Smey) Rockwood, Anthony Marrello, Andrew Smey, Al Lanouette and John Quint.

Standing from left are Kazys Urbsaitis, Guy Elwood, Vic Stasonis, Dave Rappe, Larry Terra, Ed Bazenas and Paul Benson.

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CHEM-TEXTS

PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770

Equal Opportunity Employer

EDITOR: William F. Lavelle.

UNIROYAL

UNIROYAL CHEMICAL
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

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CHEM-TEXTS – 1980-v14-s290

February 18, 2026January 1, 1980 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 3 | Vol. 14, 1980

V. Calarco Looks at 1980

[PHOTO CAPTION:]
Vincent A. Calarco, center, President of the Uniroyal Chemical Company poses with the officers of the Uniroyal Chemical Management Club prior to his talk to the group. From left are Robert Smith, Treasurer; Ronald Lak, President; Calarco; Shirley Darling, Secretary; and Norman Boisseau, Vice President.

Vincent Calarco, President of the Uniroyal Chemical Company, in an address to the Uniroyal Chemical Management Club reviewed the division’s performance in 1979 and discussed the outlook for 1980. The following are highlights from his talk to the group at the Elks Club in Naugatuck.

1979 was the best year in the division’s history in terms of sales and profits.

Sales for the chemical Rubber and Plastic business segments of the Company – for which we are the major portion – were $448 million up from $442 million in 1978; and operating profits were 88 million, an increase of 24% over the $71 million in 1978.

4th quarter sales and profits for the Chemical Company set a record level in 1979.

These results are especially noteworthy since the Kralastic business which was sold in early 1979 accounted for over $90 million dollars in worldwide sales in 1978.

Agricultural Chemical sales had an exceptional year with sales 40% over 1978.

Specialty Chemical sales grew by nearly 35%. Improvements in Polywet alone resulted in 12% of this increase.

In February, Rovel, a new weatherable polymer was introduced to the market after two years of testing. Solid sales results are expected in 1981.

Rubber Chemicals, the division’s base business grew 25% worldwide. To continue this growth major new facilities in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Brazil and Taiwan are now under construction.

The International division generated a 21% increase in worldwide sales. Today the International division contributes over one-third of the Chemical Company’s total sales.

Looking ahead in 1980 growth is seen for Rovalene EPDM where the division is a technological leader.

TPR, a product manufactured in the Dispersions Bldg. presently has a 40% market share and looks forward to a 10% growth annually.

Rubber Chemicals is a mature market in the U.S. and dramatic domestic growth is not anticipated in 1980 but it does expect solid profit growth. The rubber chemicals growth is expected in the overseas market with the new plant under construction. Even with the slump in automobile sales there are very positive indicators for the rubber chemicals market to maintain its market position.

Agricultural Chemicals plans to bring a highly promising new product to the market several years ahead of time through an innovative technique. The product code is S-734.

Last year productivity in the U.S. declined in contrast to a 20% productivity increase at Uniroyal Chemical.

Productivity means getting more out of what you have in assets, like plants or machinery and making every machine or reactor or office equipment work more efficiently. In brief it means working smarter…using our minds to think and plan things out and to use new innovative approaches to the often traditional and time consuming ways of doing things.

In 1979 the Omite group increased production by 56% without any new investment other than in thinking about how to make the machinery do more.

In the past two years the productivity of TPR has doubled and in Geismar the production of Flexzone was increased by 30% without any new plant, new equipment or new people.

Productivity applies to office personnel as well. A group of secretaries at EMIC responded to the challenge and developed the Serendipity program which resulted in savings of $200,000.

Job Opening System—an Avenue to your Career Development

By Marge Woolfrey

The objectives of the Job Opportunity System are to provide employees with timely information about the availability of and requirements for open positions and another avenue for individual career development. Openings are communicated within the Naugatuck location by placing on bulletin boards the “Job Opening” notice. All non-exempt openings through Grade 24 will be communicated, except as noted below.

Exceptions to the System

Grade or title changes where the individual retains the same basic position but the grade or title is changed due to increased responsibilities. (e.g. Clerk Senior to Clerk Specialist)
Job placement for employees during reduction-in-force situations.
The establishment of temporary, Co-op or summer positions.
Reorganization changes by a manager within a department provided there is no increase in head count and no promotional opportunities created.
Placement of college-recruited trainee program graduates by Corporate or Division in their initial permanent positions.
Positions that are being held until the return of an employee from maternity leave or other approved leaves of absences.

How to Apply

You may apply for any opening for which you feel that you are qualified and have an interest, provided you have a recommendation from your present manager. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, you will be interviewed and subsequently informed whether or not you have been selected.

You will be contacted when you have been scheduled for an interview. You will receive feedback from the hiring manager after the interview as to whether or not you are selected.

Assignment to New Position

Generally, it is expected that you will be released to your new position as soon as possible after acceptance of an offer. Normally, this is within two weeks, but the release time may be negotiated further between the hiring and releasing managers.

Appeals Route

Normal established appeal routes should be used in cases where individuals disagree with or have questions about decisions made at this step of the process. In general, the first attempt to clarify the situation should be made through your manager and the person who made the selection decision. Further clarification or questions can be taken directly to the Human Resources Department for discussion.

Program is Working

During 1979, there were 26 Chemical employee promotions made through utilization of the Job Opportunity System. There were eight positions filled by transfer from other parts of the company because no one at the Naugatuck location applied for the openings. It is especially important to note that there were only two exceptions to the procedure during the year – one because of a reduction in force and one because of a special training program hire. Unfortunately, we are not perfect and two positions were filled without notice. In the future, all jobs without exception to the system will be placed on bulletin boards. There were other hires during the year where technical background requirements necessitated going to the outside.

The system is a program designed to involve you earlier in the promotional process. It establishes a formal method for interested and qualified employees to obtain open position information and to request consideration for specific promotional opportunities.

Local 218 Contract Signed

URW Local 218 and the Naugatuck Chemical Plant have signed a new local supplemental agreement, effective February 4, 1980. Joe Rzeszutek, President of Local 218 and Bob Douglas, Industrial Relations Manager, reported that the major changes in the new contract provide for improved vacation scheduling for employees, work efficiency improvements through better utilization of personnel and inequity adjustments for various job classifications.

Douglas emphasized that “efforts were directed at negotiating improvements in work efficiencies to improve overall operations without a “take-away” program affecting our employees. These efficiency improvements are essential to improve the plant’s productivity and to off-set rising costs so that we can sustain operations at Naugatuck and provide a strong base for future

continued on page 4

Plant to Close for Two Weeks

The Naugatuck Chemical plant will be shut down for two weeks beginning June 30th and July 7th. The plant will reopen on Monday, July 15th.

During the shutdown the Maintenance Dept. will make a general maintenance overhaul throughout the plant, install new equipment, and do preventive maintenance work.

In Chemical Manufacturing Bldg. 100 and Bldg. 118 will operate along with Bldg. 72.

Health Support Program Continues

The Health Support Program which offers assistance to employees with alcohol or drug problems is still very active. However, there has been a change in the meeting place and time.

Dennis Baldwin who is the Health Support counsellor will now hold sessions at the Chemical Plant Hospital on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. Bill Smith will hold counselling sessions on Mondays from 2:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Hospital.

All telephone calls regarding the Health Support Program should be made to Don Conty, Bldg. 84. His telephone number is 723-3472. All matters will be held in strictest confidence.

The Health Support Program has helped a number of employees and their families overcome the disease of alcoholism since its inception several years ago.

May is High Blood Pressure Month

High blood pressure is a major factor in stroke and heart attack. This disease has no characteristic symptoms and it must be treated by a physician.

The disease usually can be controlled with drug therapy and some simple diet changes.

During May a blood pressure clinic will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays at the Plant Hospital from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. An appointment in not necessary. Simply walk in and ask one of the nurses for a blood pressure check.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1978-v12-i03-s268

February 18, 2026January 1, 1978 by OCR SCANNER

Merry Christmas – Happy New Year

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 12, 1978 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 3

Johnson, Factory Manager

Eric Johnson has been named Factory Manager of the Naugatuck Chemical plant, succeeding Robert Mazaika who was named Director of Manufacturing and Engineering for the Chemical division.

He will be responsible for all manufacturing operations of the Chemical plant which produces chemicals for the rubber and plastics industries and chemicals for agricultural use and will also serve on the staff of R. Mazaika. He has been Superintendent of
continued on page 4

Kralastic Latex Sold

After several months of speculation the Division announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell the domestic Kralastic® ABS plastic resin and synthetic Latex businesses to U.S.S. Chemicals, a division of United States Steel Corporation. The price of the transaction was not disclosed.

The ABS and latex manufacturing plant in Baton Rouge, La. and the Latex Compounding plant in Dalton, Ga. are to be included in the sale.

The planned sale will free up capital needed to develop other business segments in which the Company is concentrating its growth.

ABS Invented by Uniroyal

ABS was invented by Uniroyal chemists and was manufactured at the Naugatuck Chemical plant until the Baton Rouge facility was constructed.

It is used extensively for pipe, automotive parts, luggage and appliances.

Interviews Held

U.S. Steel representatives have come to Naugatuck and held interviews with the Chemical personnel who worked in the two commodities regarding employment with U.S.S.

Plant Tour-Picnic A Big Success

Over 250 employees and their spouses toured the plant Bldgs. and facilities. In the photo at the Main Entrance to the plant are from left, Joseph Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President, Elizabeth Lyons, Dennis Mennillo, Robert Douglas, Industrial Relations Manager; Willie Ingram, Chemical Production; Marie Ingram; and Eric Johnson, Factory Manager. (other photos on page 2)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning and the sky was a bright blue for the second annual plant tour-picnic. Close to 300 employees and their spouses toured several buildings in the plant including the new R&D Process Development Laboratory and the new Chemical Health Center.

The tour also included a visit to Bldg. 79, the 86 Warehouse and the Machine Shop. In each of the buildings the visitors were given a brief description of the activities in it.

Coffee and fresh baked donuts were served in the tent between Bldgs. 84 and 81 where customer’s products made from Royalene® EPDM rubber were displayed along with agricultural chemicals used by farmers and growers all over the world.

Eric Johnson, Factory Manager; Robert Douglas, Industrial Relations Manager and Joseph Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President, greeted the people at the Main Entrance as they arrived for the tour and registered for the tour and prizes.
continued on page 4

Omite Sets Production Record

At a luncheon in Bldg. 7 Dr. Robert Neidermyer, (back to camera) Sales Manager for Agricultural Chemicals in the U.S., congratulated the Chemical Production operators for their extraordinary achievement in making sufficient Omite to meet the high market demand for the chemical in 1978.

At a luncheon in Bldg. 7 Robert Neidermyer, Marketing Manager for Agricultural Chemicals, congratulated the Omite group for their record production of the chemical miticide to meet the increased market demands for it in 1978.

Production Sets Record

The high output was even more noteworthy because of production shutdowns caused by storms and the total loss of a tank car of OMITE Tech. In spite of all these situations the group turned an impossible task
continued on page 4

Sales Up; Profits Off

Chemical Up 13%

Uniroyal sales for the 3rd quarter of 1978 were $641 million compared with sales of $591 million in the 3rd quarter of 1977. The Company suffered a loss of $2.9 million compared to a profit of $5.1 million in 1977 for the quarter.

For the nine month period, sales were $2.0 billion, approximately the same as in 1977.

The nine month net income was $3.1 million compared to the net income of $34.7 million in the first nine months of 1977.

Tire and Related Product Sales Up

Sales of tires and related products were $365 million in the 3rd quarter, compared with $337 million in 1977.
continued on page 4

CHEM-TEXTS – 1976-v10-i02-s240

February 18, 2026January 1, 1976 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 10, 1976 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 2

10 Uniroyal Scholarships Offered

Ten Uniroyal Merit scholarships are offered to children of employees through the nationwide scholarship program of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

All children of Uniroyal employees, who have more than 5 years of continuous service as of the date of the award, are eligible for the scholarships.

Application Must Be Filed

Applications for the 1978 scholarships must be submitted by November 30, 1976. They can be obtained from the Industrial Relations Dept., Constance Antrum, Ext. 3217 along with a folder which gives complete details on the scholarships.

Students who wish to apply for a scholarship must do so during their Junior year by taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tests which are usually given in October by the high school. Students should check the school office for the dates of the tests.

Awards Up To $1500 Yearly

The maximum amount of the award is $1500 each year during
Continued on page 4

Mazaika Factory Manager

[IMAGE: Photo of Robert Mazaika]

Robert Mazaika has been named Factory Manager of the Naugatuck Chemical plant. Prior to his new appointment he was responsible for the Sales, Marketing, Technical Service, and the Research & Development of the division’s Plastics and Latex products. He succeeds James Cronin who was named Chemical Planning Manager.

Mazaika joined the Naugatuck Chemical plant in 1957 as a chemist in the Research and Development department. In 1963 he became a Technical Representative for rubber chemicals
Continued on page 4

3 Year Contract Signed

[IMAGE: Photo of three men looking at documents]

Joseph Rzeszutek, United Rubber Workers’ President of Local 218, left; Charles Roland, United Rubber Workers’ President of Local 308, center; and H. Frederick Wintsch, Industrial Relations Manager look over the three year contract that was recently signed.

The Master Labor Agreement and other agreements covering wages, pensions, insurance, severance pay, and supplemental unemployment benefits, negotiated by Uniroyal and the United Rubber Workers, were recently ratified by the Union. All improved agreements are now in effect with the exception of the master labor agreement which will become effective when local supplemental agreements are negotiated and signed by the URW Plant Locals 218 and 308.

The new agreements, covering a 3 year period, were effective on September 3, 1976 after over six months of negotiations in New York City.

The contract provides for wage increases over the 3 year period, a cost of living allowance and improvements in pensions, life insurance, sickness and accident insurance, medical insurance,
Continued on page 4

Sales, Profits Drop

The Company expects to report a third quarter net loss of about $8 million on sales estimated at $490 million. Uniroyal Chairman and President, David Beretta, indicated that the 140-day strike (which was settled on September 5th) against 15 of the Company’s major domestic plants was primarily responsible for the loss. The lengthy strike caused inventories to become depleted and resulted in loss of sales during the period.

Foreign Income Lower

Income from foreign operations was also lower than anticipated as a result of currency devaluations in Mexico and the reduced value of currency in the United Kingdom and generally lower than anticipated level of activity in the Canadian mining and extractive industries.

1975 Third Quarter Higher

In the comparable 1975 quarter, the company earned $4.9 million on sales of $529.5 million.

4th Quarter Improvement Expected

Beretta expects a strong 4th quarter performance which should continue in 1977 as the Company capitalizes on continued strong automotive sales. He also pointed out that the programs instituted by the Company in the past year which have streamlined product lines and organization and improved marketing capabilities should have a continuing positive effect on performance in subsequent quarters.

United Way Goal $16,500

The goal for the 1977 United Way Drive, which is conducted throughout the plant annually, has been set at $16,500. Walter Frankenberger has been named Chairman for the campaign to raise funds for the sixteen agencies which provide a wide variety of social services to help meet the human needs of the people in the community.

The Naugatuck Chemical plant has topped its UW goal for four consecutive years, and just missed last year’s goal of $17,500 by $362.

The Chemical plant has displayed a generosity that has contributed nearly 33% of the total amount of the Industrial division’s section which includes all of the firms in the Naugatuck and Beacon Falls area.

“Give Where You Work”

The philosophy of the United Way is “give where you work.” This method has proved the most efficient way to raise the needed money for the agencies in the fund. It eliminates the monies often wasted in promoting good
Continued on page 2

[IMAGE: Photo of Walter Frankenberger pointing to United Way goal thermometer showing $16,500 goal]

Walter Frankenberger, Chairman of the United Way drive at the Naugatuck Chemical plant points to the 1977 goal of $16,500.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1975 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1975 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 10, 1975 | Page 3

Division Closes 3 Plants

Final plans have been made to close three Chemical Division plants: the Reclaim Rubber plant at Naugatuck; the Paracril® nitrile rubber plant in Baton Rouge, La.; and the Marvinol® polyvinyl chloride plant in Painesville, Ohio.

The Division closed the Synthetic rubber plant at the Naugatuck location in November, 1973.

500 Employees Affected

The closings will affect over 500 employees at the three plants. Eligible personnel will receive pension benefits or termination allowances based on their years of service with the company.

Reclaim Plant

The Reclaim plant dates back to 1892 and is one of the oldest units at the Naugatuck location. For the past five years it has operated under severe economic conditions and even after intensive efforts on the part of the union and management were made to operate it competitively, it became necessary to close it.

Painesville Closing

The large capital expenditures necessary to remain in the polyvinyl chloride resin business and to meet the OSHA standards on employee exposure to vinyl chloride were the principal reasons for the division to close the PVC operations at Painesville. The plans do not affect the

1,000,000 Hit Again

[IMAGE: UNIROYAL EMPLOYEE SAFETY RECORD sign showing INJURIES – DISABLING and SERIOUS counts, with “LAST 24” and “DISABLING INJURY” / “OUS INJURY” / “ATIONS” visible, with “100” displayed]

James Cronin, Factory Manager, left, and Joseph Rzeszutek, President of URW Local 218 stand in front of one of the Safety Performance panels at the entrance to the plant.

For the third time in a two and half year period the goal of 1,000,000 manhours without a Lost Time Accident has been achieved.

At the time Chem-Texts went to press, employees were well on the way to 2,000,000 manhours without a disabling accident.

Paracril nitrile rubber operations.

Baton Rouge Plant

The third plant to be closed was the Paracril nitrile rubber plant in Baton Rouge, La. About 110 employees will be affected by the closing. Eligible personnel will receive pensions or termination allowances according to the company’s benefits program.

The decision will not affect the division’s Kralastic® ABS resin plant in Scotts Bluff, La.

As part of the plant’s 1975 Safety Incentive Award program all employees received a new, uncirculated bicentennial half dollar. Besides this award, plant personnel receive a silver dollar award each month for their “group achievement” performance in safety.

Improved Safety Record Reduces Accidents Costs

In 1974 accidents to employees cost the plant $238,359 for hospital and medical costs and compensation. The cost does not include the overtime wages and the other indirect costs for an accident.

The Safety department estimates that the average direct cost of a Lost-Time accident is $15,000 and the total indirect costs can be as high as $60,000 to $75,000 for one accident.

CHEM-PROD JOTTINGS

by 7 BUILDING CREW

This will be my last article for Chem-Texts as Chemical Production Superintendent.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with during these last twelve years.

During this period I’ve worked directly with great crews in the Laboratory, Pilot Plant and Chemical Production. I’ve seen the plant make great strides in improved safety, quality consciousness and productivity. We are now undergoing more dramatic changes, all for the best, to improve the health of the Naugatuck Chemical location.

Much hard work remains before us and I’ll miss not working with all of you in the future.

Thanks again.

Arrivederci Roma,
Joe Bucciaglia

Chittenden Insurance Agency, Inc.

Insurance—Mutual Funds—Real Estate

180 Church Street
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Tel. 729-8209

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Vanity Fair
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Men’s Shop
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Ladies’ Dept.
Couture Coats
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Vanity Fair Lingerie
Joyce—Naturalizer Shoes

Hearing Tests Underway

Over 200 employees have now received hearing tests under the Safety department’s hearing conservation program. The goal of the department is to give every employee, wage and salary, a test to determine the status of their hearing.

The tests are being given daily at the Synthetic plant by Ann McAllister R.N. the plant nurse and James Loman of the Safety department. Both have received special training in audiometrics to qualify them for this type of work.

The results of the test are discussed with each person and if any kind of defect in hearing is noted the person is advised of it.

Employees are requested to keep their appointments for the tests or else notify the plant nurse or the safety department.

[IMAGE: Photo of hearing test being administered]

James Loman, a certified hearing conservationist, gives a hearing test to Daniel Kogut in the special booth at the Synthetic plant.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1974-v08-i01-s222

February 18, 2026January 1, 1974 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 8, 1974 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 1

Wintsch Named IR Manager

[PHOTO: Portrait of H. Frederick Wintsch]

H. Frederick Wintsch has been named Industrial Relations Manager for the Naugatuck plant of Uniroyal Chemical, it was announced by James Cronin, Factory Manager. He succeeds Jesse Crim, who was appointed Director of Personnel Management and Training for the Chemical division.

Prior to his new assignment he served as Labor Relations Manager since 1968. Wintsch joined the Naugatuck Chemical plant in 1963 as a member of the

(Cont’d on page 4)

Plant Tops 1,000,000 Manhours Without a Lost Time Accident for Second Time in 1973

[PHOTO: Group of employees standing in front of sign reading “UNIROYAL EMPLOYEE SAFETY RECORD NO INJURIES 1,000,000”]

For the second time in a year employees worked 1,000,000 man-hours without a Lost Time Accident. This notable record commenced on September 30, 1973, and the goal was reached on January 20, 1974.

Members of the Union-Management Safety Committee who share in the responsibility of improving the plant’s safety hold the 1,000,000 sign made by the plant’s carpenters for the occasion. From left are Robert Shortt, Safety Manager; Charles Roland, President, URW Local 308; Denise Pratt; Richard Barnes; Francis Lynch; Arthur Aronson; Joseph Rzeszutek, President, URW Local 218; Cyrus Blanchard, Vice-President, URW Local 218; Walter Scott; Douglas Ritchie, and Robert Foltz.

Plant Receives UG Award

[PHOTO: Two men with United Givers award plaque showing awards from 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974]

James Cronin, Factory Manager, right, adds another award to the United Givers plaque for achieving the plant’s goal with $22,010 in contributions. It was the third successive year that Uniroyal Chemical employees received the award. At left is Roderick Gaetz, plant chairman for the 1974 drive.

Beretta New Uniroyal President

[PHOTO: Portrait of David Beretta wearing glasses]

David Beretta, a former Factory Manager of the Naugatuck plant from 1965-66, was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of Uniroyal, Inc. by the Board of Directors. He succeeds George Vila who will remain as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive officer of the Company.

Prior to his new assignment he was a Group Vice President of Chemicals, Polymers, and Textile Fibers, and responsible for

(Cont’d on page 4)

David Beretta, new President of Uniroyal, Inc. served as Factory Manager of the Naugatuck Chemical plant from 1965 to 1966. He joined Uniroyal Chemical in 1953 as a Process Development engineer.

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal declared a quarterly dividend of 17½ cents a share on the Company’s common stock payable March 25 to stockholders of record February 25.

The Company also declared two dividends of $2 each on its preferred stock: one to be paid March 25 to stockholders of record February 25 and the other payable June 25 to stockholders of record May 20.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1974 – Page 2

February 18, 2026January 1, 1974 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 2 | Vol. 8, 1974

A first glance at 1974 isn’t exactly enthralling. This seems to be the nature of our times. The question is— what do we do about it? The easy way out is to merely ignore everything and involve oneself as little as possible. I would think that might be dull. With so many problems to choose from, there’s plenty to do for everyone.

We are still a long way from where we want to be and where we should be. One of the problems we face is that some of us can’t get rid of habits picked up years ago. Perhaps back then there was a purpose in doing things a certain way. With the changes in today’s society, the old ways must be challenged to see if they fit today’s situation.

For example, years ago it was the Company, and the Union. Today, we have—the Company, the customer, the Union, the Environment, equal opportunity, OSHA, the Cost of Living Council, the energy conservation and more and more. I think it is obvious that today’s problems must be met with a different approach.

One example that shows that things can be changed is our Safety performance in 1973. Although the proof of our good showing in 1973 will be how we do in 1974, only a changed attitude could have allowed a genuine improvement. Only a continued change in attitude will carry us thru 1974. Otherwise complacency will prevail and 1973 would prove to be only a “lucky” year.

Beyond Safety is work—not just work for the sake of work, but productive work where a job perhaps can be done differently or better than it is now. Only by improving our productive work, or if you prefer, our productivity, will we keep what we have and bring us to where we want to go. More productivity doesn’t necessarily mean harder work. To me it means to work smarter.

I believe we can prosper here, but prosperity doesn’t come easily. Each of us must find his own way to satisfy the demands made upon us in reaching and holding the goal. By constantly trying to find new and better ways to do things, we provide the prosperity we seek, but it also makes our jobs much less dull.

Jim Cronin

“When ideas fail, words come in very handy.”

Union Locals, Plant Approve Agreements

The plant and the URW Locals 218 and 308 signed separate local supplemental agreements to the Master Contract signed on June 11, 1973.

The agreement with URW Local 218, which represents Chemical, Reclaim, and Research & Development wage personnel, was signed on January 25. The agreement with URW Local 308 which represents the Synthetic plant wage people was signed on February 15.

Negotiations between representatives of the plant and the two union locals have been conducted over the past few months.

The local agreements supplement the master contract at the individual plants of the Company.

Clockwise, Joseph Rzeszutek, President of URW Local 218; Cyrus Blanchard, Secretary; Frederick Wintsch, Industrial Relations Manager; and George Allen, Employee Relations Manager; proofread new supplemental agreement.

New Tire Shredder Now Under Test

Arturo Cellupica, left, and Gerard Tortorelli discuss the new shredder.

by Gerard Tortorelli

One of the few in the U.S., a revolutionary type machine is now being tested by Reclaim Production to shred tires and tubes. The machine is presently located by the conveyor system in the Reclaim yard. A program is now underway to test the types of tires and tubes it will shred; how many tires it will chop in an hour; and how it will hold up under constant use.

Simple Operation

The tires are loaded onto a simple conveyor which drops them into the shredder and cuts them into small chunks for further processing.

Many Advantages

The machine has many advantages in that it is more compact, quieter, and is versatile enough to be used to shred other materials besides tires.

If the tests on the shredder turn out successfully they could revolutionize the present cracking operations and present new opportunities in recycling solid waste.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

Scholarship Offered

The Uniroyal Chemical Management Club will again offer a $300 scholarship ($250 from the Management Club and $50 from the Larry Monroe fund) to a graduating high school student who plans a college education.

To qualify for the scholarship one of the student’s parents must have worked for Uniroyal Chemical at Naugatuck, Bethany, or Oxford for two years or more.

Applications can be obtained from the Industrial Relations department, Bldg. 84 or by a telephone call to Connie Antrum, Ext. 517.

The completed applications must be returned to Irwin Prager Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, on or before April 1.

The 1973 scholarship was awarded to Judith Dayner, daughter of John Dayner of the Lotol department.

Plant to Shut Down in July

The 1974 summer vacation shutdown for the Naugatuck Factory will occur during the second and third weeks of July.

The 2nd week starts on Monday, July 8, the 3rd week on Monday, July 15.

All employees with the exception of those assigned to essential responsibilities and operational schedules will be required to take their vacations during these two weeks that start on July 8 and end on July 21.

Details on department schedules and assignments will be announced as soon as plans are finalized.

UNIROYAL ZETA 40M STEEL RADIAL TIRE GUARANTEED 40000 MILES

A Whole new driving experience.
75% MORE HAZARD PROTECTION
20% MORE CAR CONTROL
12% BETTER TRACTION
than conventional 78 series bias ply tires.

DOUBLE (2) BELTS OF FIBERGLAS
DOUBLE (2) POLYESTER CORD PLIES

ADVANCE TIRE SERVICE
510 Meriden Rd.
Waterbury — 756-7205

FITZPATRICK’S, INC.
78 East Main St.
Ansonia — 734-3318

MEZZIO’S
792 New Haven Rd.
Naugatuck — 729-5988

POUST’S SERVICE STATION
144 Rubber Ave.
Naugatuck — 729-0433

FEATURES:
• 70 SERIES DESIGN (WIDE OVAL)
• POLYESTER CORD PLIES
• FIBERGLAS BELTS

CHEM-TEXTS – 1973 – Page 2

February 16, 2026January 1, 1973 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 2 | Vol. 7, 1973

What happened in September?….

[IMAGE: Headshot photo of a man in business attire]

Was it a letdown after the long, hot summer? Was it a relaxation of attitude because of our improved performance over last year? Was it a little anticipation of attaining rewards for goals that have not quite been reached, but were close?

What happened in September? Three lost time accidents in the month —our worst performance this year. Where did we go wrong?

The answer to that question lies not in history, but in the future. What’s done is done, but let us learn from this recent experience and firm up our attitudes on Safety. We must strengthen our resolve to think safe and anticipate the unexpected. And follow rules, procedures, and good common sense to even further levels of accomplishment. We must work closer together, and help each other to solve the accident problem.

The real goal, of course, is not numbers on a board or dollars on a cost report. It is the well being of all our employees. It hurts to have an accident. It hurts in many ways, but the worst hurt of all is that most accidents could have been avoided.

Of course we must not forget that substantial progress has been made this year. We are all proud of this performance. But we have seen in years past a good record take a disastrous turn overnight. A good performance means only that more hard work is needed to keep it that way.

The year is not over yet. I urge all, wage and salary, factory and office, inside and outside, to rebound from our September problems and take on the rest of 1973 in the safest possible manner.

Our 1973 goals are still attainable if we point our eyes and noses in the right direction.

The free lunch program…

The average American is familiar with the expression— “There’s no such things as a free lunch.” Because we are so familiar with the saying, perhaps the full understanding of the thought gets lost and we forget the humbling impact of its true meaning.

Put simply, it means you never get anything for nothing. Even though it may appear that there are free handouts, or that someone has beaten the system, in the long run and when all things are considered, everything has its price.

One of the most flagrant free lunch programs is some of the money Uncle Sam hands out like free lollypops. However, the intelligent home owner, tax payer and average consumer knows, particularly now, that the bill for these goodies comes back to haunt us in the form of higher taxes, and increasing inflation.

The other free lunch program we must be very aware of is our own job situation. Everything our Company provides for us must be paid for by somebody, somewhere. Part of it comes back, when we pay more for the things we have to buy, and part of it comes back when a plant somewhere—anywhere—is shut down because it can no longer support the burden imposed upon it by today’s economic situation.

In order to maintain the comforting benefits provided, the main beneficiaries, namely us, must contribute. Under our product-industrial oriented system, the most reasonable way is to improve productivity. This is by far the best way to generate wealth which subsequently supports our standard of living.

The Company has a commitment to this end by providing the money and management to purchase and properly utilize equipment and facilities. The employees—you and I—have an obligation to properly and fully convert this equipment into products in the most efficient and reasonable manner possible. This is how we pay for our “free lunches.” If wealth is not generated in this way, a deficit is generated. If this deficit is allowed to grow unchecked, it will eventually—to borrow a Russian term—bury our system. Once this occurs, a major adjustment must be made to pay that “due bill” or write it off. In either case the adjustment is painful. The history of man is full of such adjustments and no intelligent man wants to live through such a period. No one wants his children to endure such hardships, either.

We all want reasonable improvements in our standard of living. We also want the improvements to be enjoyed by our children. Therefore, we must balance our benefits and their costs—somewhere, somehow. But we all know where the burden ends up—right on us. If we understand this and know what we are doing, we can better adjust to it and keep our livelihood in a good, healthy balance. We can then honestly say that the “free lunch” has been earned and paid for.

Jim Cronin [signature]

92 Take “Life” Course

[IMAGE: Photo showing people in what appears to be a training session with someone lying down, presumably during CPR training]

Mario Pazzani, Heart Association instructor observes James Loman treat a heart attack victim with cardiopulmonary resuscitation in one of the 3 sessions attended by 92 people.

One out of every fifteen employees at the Naugatuck Chemical plant is now certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mouth to mouth breathing. The overwhelming response of employees to the three courses sponsored by the Safety department is one of the highest among industrial plants in Connecticut.

Two recent heart attacks in the plant indicated the need for such a program to train people on the proper action in such emergencies. Besides the demonstrations, each person attending the courses practiced the life-saving techniques on two dummies equipped with inflatable lungs.

Only one session had been planned for the plant but due to the large number of employees who desired to attend the cardiac program, three sessions were held. The cardiopulmonary course was conducted by Mario Pazzani of the American Heart Association. James Loman, of the Safety Dept. who is a certified instructor in First Aid for the Red Cross, demonstrated the mouth to mouth resuscitation techniques.

Local 218 Talks Start

Negotiations between the United Rubber Workers, Local 218, and the Naugatuck plant management began on Wednesday, October 10. The purpose of the sessions is to negotiate a local supplement agreement which will supplement the 3 year master agreement signed on June 11, 1973 in Dayton, Ohio.

Heading the Local 218 union representatives is Joseph Rzeszutek, President of the Local. Jesse Crim, Manager of Industrial Relations, will be in charge of the Naugatuck plant group.

The discussions are being held in Bldg. 81 conference room, and will continue until negotiations are concluded.

Prior Approval For Tuition Aid

The Tuition Aid Program which encourages employees to continue their education requires that prior approval be obtained for a degree program or specific courses from a department supervisor.

Once approved the application authorizes tuition refunds for not more than 2 courses per semester.

Upon satisfactory completion of the courses, reimbursement is obtained by submitting a paid, itemized invoice from the school to the Accounting department.

GIVE THE UNITED WAY

$3500 In Silver Dollars

September Safety Record Poor

The Summer Safety program for the summer months ended on September 30 with over $3500 awarded to employees who worked safely during the July, August and September months when accidents increase.

People who worked without a Lost Time Accident or Serious Injury received a “silver dollar” for each month, unless they were members of a Group in which one person incurred either type of injury.

Extra Award

Each employee also received an extra “silver dollar” if he worked the full 3 months without an injury whether or not a member of his Group suffered one.

Employees who worked during the shutdown without an injury received an extra, special “silver dollar” when the thermometer soared to 98°F every day for one of the hottest summers in years and when accidents are more likely to happen.

As a special offer of the pro-

(Cont’d on page 4)

[LOGO: “give The United Way” with stylized hand design]

Don’t get a snow job on snow tires.

[IMAGE: Large snow tire]

Get Uniroyal Winterides

Wide 70 series 4-ply Nylon Cord

ADVANCE TIRE SERVICE
510 Meriden Rd.
Waterbury – 756-7205

FITZPATRICK’S, INC.
78 East Main St.
Ansonia – 734-3318

MEZZIO’S
792 New Haven Rd.
Naugatuck – 729-5988

POUST’S SERVICE STATION
144 Rubber Ave.
Naugatuck – 729-0433

CHEM-TEXTS – 1973 – Page No. 1

February 18, 2026January 1, 1973 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 7, 1973 PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL No. 1

Chemical AR Approved

$375,510 was recently approved to expand the production facilities of Aminox and Betanox in Bldg. 79. The two, old-line amine antioxidants are widely used in heavy duty rubber compounds where heat resistance is required.

A growing use for the chemicals in the stabilization of Nylon 6 in tire cord is one of the major reasons for approval of the request to improve production facilities.

Reduces Dust, Fumes; Makes Work Safer

A new continuous belt flaker (known as a Sandvik Belt Flaker) will be installed to eliminate the panning operation. The equipment will greatly reduce the amount of material (Cont’d on page 3)

$5096 Paid For Ideas

by Jerry Tortorelli

$5096 was paid out to employees in 1972 in awards for their ideas on improvements in various phases of the plant’s operations. Their recommendations resulted in savings of $17,699.

During the year 318 Ideas were submitted and processed, of which 118 were approved for cash payments. 79 employees received Letters of Commendation. Participation in the plantwide plan which is open to all employees increased by 130 over 1971.

$360 Highest Single Award

The highest single award for the year, $360, was made to Natale Vescera and William Balchunas, of the Materials department.

$475, the largest total amount, was awarded to the (Cont’d on page 2)

1972 Safety Improves

But Still Short Of Plant Goal For Year

The plant’s safety record showed a reduction during 1972 over 1971 especially in Lost Time Accidents experiencing 11 compared to 20 for the prior year.

In 1972 there were 62 Serious Injuries vs 63 for 1971, a small drop in an area that is portentous of future occurrences.

Although a total of 73 injuries to employees in 12 months — an average of 6 per month — is not a real significant improvement, it is an encouraging sign, since it was one of the better records for the plant since 1966 — except for the year 1970 when it had a total of 72 injuries.

Frequency, Per 1,000,000 Manhours Decreased

For every 1,000,000 manhours worked — approximately 4 months — 21.3 employees incurred an injury compared to 25.3 in 1971. This was a 15% improvement over 1971 but did not come close to the frequency reduction of 12.0 and 9.0 which were set as the goals for the Safety Incentive Award program.

Inattention Major Cause of Accidents

Ironically people were the major cause of accidents with inattention the primary factor underlying them. For example many of the accidents were fractures caused by hammer blows; fingers crushed by drums; burns from hot material; and falls.

Few accidents were the result of defective equipment, mechanical failures, or hazardous work conditions.

Materials Department Had Best Record

Members of the Materials department had the best safety record for 1972 with no Lost Time Accidents. The department had 3 Serious Injuries compared to 8 in 1971, a reduction of over 50% in frequency.

Synthetic Production also worked the entire year without a Lost Time Accident but its Serious Injuries jumped from 7 to 8.

By the nature of its work the Mechanical department is more exposed to hazards than other departments but the Chemical Mechanical group reduced both Lost Time Accidents and Serious Injuries for the year.

Injuries In R&D Increase 100%

Serious Injuries in the Research and Development department increased from 4 in

(Cont’d on page 3)

Quarterly Dividend Declared

The board of directors of Uniroyal, Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of 17-1/2 cents a share on the company’s common stock payable March 24 to stockholders of record February 26.

The directors also declared two dividends of $2 each on the company’s preferred stock, one to be paid March 24 to stockholders of record February 26 and the other payable June 25 to stockholders of record May 21.

In 1972 Uniroyal paid a total dividend of 70 cents on the common stock and a total of $8 dollars on the preferred stock.

The current price of the common stock ranges in the area of 13-5/8 a share.

JA Sets Up Juniroyal Company

[PHOTOGRAPH OF GROUP]

Officers of Juniroyal, Inc. hold a public offering of their stock in the office of Factory Manager James Cronin. From left are Joseph LaRose, President; Dianne Holmes, Vice President of Sales; Paul Hammer, Treasurer; Randolph Porter, Advisor, James Cronin; Charles Roland, URW Local 308 President; Elaine Bellemare, Vice President of Personnel; Michael True and Thomas Reynolds. Absent at time of photo were Joseph Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President, and Cheryl McMahon, Advisor.

by Randy Porter

Juniroyal, Inc., the name of the new Junior Achievement company sponsored by Uniroyal Chemical started the year with a sellout of its first offer of stock.

Last year’s company, Pingyanco, returned a 10% profit to stockholders who invested their money in the firm of young Naugatuck High School students.

Goal To Top 10%

The goal of Juniroyal is to top the 10% profit margin and according to Joseph LaRose, president of the company, “the unique product line we manufacture, will help us attain it.” The company which meets Mondays in Bldg. 1 will produce decoupages, decorative candles, and ornamental trays.

Purpose of JA

The basic purpose of the JA (Cont’d on page 6)

Plant Receives UG Award

[PHOTOGRAPH OF TWO MEN WITH PLAQUE]

Jim Cronin, Factory Manager, left, presents Lou Coscia Chairman for the United Givers, a plaque awarded to Uniroyal Chemical for topping its goal with $22,300 in contributions, almost half of the Industrial Division’s total.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1973-v07-s220

February 18, 2026January 1, 1973 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 7, 1973 | Page 3

169 Pints Donated

[IMAGE: Black and white photograph showing people at what appears to be a food service counter]

Uniroyal Chemical people enjoy some of the 350 sandwiches and 400 cups of coffee made by the Red Cross Volunteers to provide nourishment after their contribution of blood.

Uniroyal Chemical again exceeded its Bloodmobile quota of 150 pints with donations of 169 pints by employees and walkins.

Awarded Pins

Two gallon pins were awarded to Kenneth (Dave) Nelson and Edward Bates.

The Red Cross presented one gallon pins to P. Braudis, Lucille Butnor, B. Carr, R. Cornell, M. English, E. Fisher, P. Haas, Bertha Mitchell, L. Owens, and R. Tucker.

Safety Dept. Organized

The Bloodmobile was organized by Robert Shortt, Safety Manager, and James Loman, Safety Supervisor, assisted by the Chemical and Synthetic nurses, Adeline Farrar and Ann McAllister, and Catherine Smith who recruited at EMIC and Louis Kaiser, President of the Uniroyal Chemical Management Club.

Breen’s

The Biggest Little Store In The Country
Visit our four floors
of famous brands for him and her

Ladies’ Dept.	Men’s Shop
Couture Coats	Manhattan Shirts
Tanner Dresses	Botany Suits—Sport Coats
Vanity Fair Lingerie	H. Freeman Suits
Joyce—Naturalizer Shoes	London Fog Rainwear
	Florsheim Shoes
	Jaymar Slacks

Lingerie Shop
Vanity Fair
Olga—Barbizon
Schrank Robes
Shadowline

Jr. Sportswear	Ski Boutique
Collegetown Sweaters	Ski Jackets
White Stag—Skirts, Slacks	Warm-Up Slacks
Davis Coats	Ski Pants
Peerless Sportwear	Ski Sweaters
	Gloves & Sweaters

Cosmetic & Jewelry Dept.

Guerlain	Yves Saint Laurent
Elizabeth Arden	Monet
Nina-Ricci	Napier
Chanel	Marvella Pearls

Carpet Council Honors Dr. Sterrett

The Carpet Compounders’ Council honored the late Dr. Robert Sterrett for his outstanding contributions to the carpet and rug industry and to the rubber and latex industry with a resolution at the Council’s recent conference.

At the time of his death on April 29, 1973, Dr. Sterrett was the Southeast Regional Manager of sales for Uniroyal Chemical in Dalton, Georgia. He pioneered and developed some of the first SBR synthetic latexes for the carpet industry and was a prime mover in the use of latex as a backsizing for carpets.

Sales Top Billion$ For First 6 Months

Sales and earnings hit record levels for the first half and second quarter of 1973.

Sales totaled $1,056,737,000 which was the first time in the company’s history that they exceeded one billion dollars for a half year. This represents a gain of 15.8% over the record of $912,648,000 set in 1972.

Net income for the half was $31,986,000, a gain of 13.7%.

2nd Quarter Record Set

Sales for the second quarter were $561,310,000, a gain of 15.8%, and net income was $18,560,000, a gain of 10.5%.

Profits would have been higher except for work stoppages during the second quarter and raw material price increases, particularly for natural rubber and energy costs, which the company has not been able to offset through price increases because of government restrictions. There has also been some softening of recovery in foreign markets for tires.

Tire Sales Rising

The performance of the steel belted radial ply tire has been outstanding, resulting in rising sales and expanded dealer distribution facilities.

Keds footwear have also shown sharp increases in sales and improving profitability. There is a continued improvement in the company’s chemical operations. Sales of Naugahyde were reported at record levels.

Naugatuck Plant Situation

Increased costs for fuel oil, electricity, and water, the $3,000,000 liquid waste pretreatment plant, higher transportation costs, new equipment, and higher production costs have affected the earnings of all production units at the Naugatuck plant.

Very few of these higher operating costs have been offset by price increases for the plant’s products.

Savings Bond Drive Ends

Over 500 employees now purchase U.S. Savings Bonds through the payroll deduction plan.

In the recent plantwide drive ten employees signed for the purchase of the bonds and twenty increased their deductions.

The 5½% guaranteed interest and the tax benefits make U.S. Savings Bonds an attractive savings plan for building a college education fund for children and also a retirement fund.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

CHEM-PROD JOTTINGS

by 7 BUILDING CREW

SAFETY: Our Monday morning Safety meetings are continuing and appear to be working successfully. This month Bob Breton has a slide presentation on drum handling which is quite appropriate.

We had one serious accident since our last column when an operator cut his finger on a sharp edge and it had to be stitched.

Not only are our Lost Time and Serious Accidents down, but hospital calls are also decreasing. This is a good sign in that we are having less accidents overall. Keep up the good work especially during the Summer when long hours and heat fatigue make us susceptible to accidents.

PRODUCTION: Business continues to run heavy. Tonox, Sunproofs, Aminox-Betanox and Omite are in tight supply, and have in general been running seven days. Next year’s Omite business is very optimistic and we plan to run 6 days for the rest of this year and next year.

We have not run as smoothly these past three months as the first three months of the year. Mechanical breakdowns and raw material shortages have cost us.

QUALITY: Our quality slipped a bit when 31,000 pounds of Naugawhite and a tankcar of Polygard were rejected. The off-spec inventory is still high—still around 200,000 pounds. That’s a lot of money to tie up in rejected material.

73 BUILDING EXPANSION: One of the high cost areas is finishing. In order to improve our business position, we have invested several hundred thousand dollars in 73 Building. Our new Littleford-Lodige mixer is on stream and producing excellent quality material. Rates are still low while operators are being trained. The Octamine crushing system has been installed and is now being shaken down. The quick change mill system won’t be ready until August.

TIDBITS: Joe Bucciaglia has been presented an Award of Merit for Outstanding Dancing Ability by the Harold J. Schwartz School of Dancing.

“There’s no justice in this world for women” according to Kay Dowling. The men on the first floor of Bldg. 7 have air conditioning; but on the second floor there’s only a 1910 fan.

Inflation Proof Social Security

A recent change in the law has made social security inflation-proof. Increases in benefits will now be tied directly to increases in the cost of living. Each year, beginning in 1974, living costs will be compared with those for the year before. If living costs have increased 3% or more and a general social security benefit increase has not been enacted, benefits will be increased by the same percentage the following January.

The first automatic increase in benefits could be for January 1975.

Social security now pays over $4 billion dollars a month in retirement, disability, and survivors benefits to over 28 million people.

Pratt Named To Safety Group

Denise Pratt, an Analyst in Research and Development, was named as a permanent member to the Union-Management Safety Committee by Joseph Rzeszutek, President of URW Local 218.

The Committee was organized to study the causes of accidents in the plant and to recommend preventive measures to avoid injuries to employees.

It recently proposed stricter compliance with the plant’s safety regulations by outside truck drivers, contractors and visitors, and particularly the 10 mile speed limit in congested plant areas.

The group meets regularly once a month with two of the four Union members on the Committee rotating, and all Management members permanent.

Chittenden Insurance Agency, Inc.

Insurance—Mutual Funds—Real Estate

180 Church Street
Naugatuck, Connecticut
Tel. 729-8209

Frederick D. Zonino | Nathan M. Pierpont, Jr.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1973 – Page No. 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1973 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 7, 1973 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 3

Equality Policy Affirmed

Uniroyal Chemical has a firm commitment to offer equal opportunity to all employees. It is the policy of the plant’s management to support and implement this commitment continually.

The policy requires that all recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, compensation, benefits, and Company-sponsored training, education and tuition assistance, as well as social, recreational and health programs and lay-off and recall practices are followed and carried out without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin or age.

Jesse Crim, Industrial Relations Manager, is Compliance Officer and has the responsibility for implementing this policy; monitoring the Uniroyal Chemical Affirmative Action Compliance Program; and reporting to management the program’s progress.

Responsibility for the improvement of the program and positive results rests with each manager and supervisor as an integral part of his job.

Trades Courses Offered

A new Trades Program will be offered in cooperation with the Kaynor Technical School in Waterbury. The two year program, scheduled in the fall, is voluntary and open to all Naugatuck Chemical employees.

Courses offered will consist of Basic Mathematics, Blueprint Reading, Plumbing, Mechanics and Electricity and will be held one night a week for three hours for 33 sessions.

Successful completion of the program, as judged by the Kaynor Tech instructors, will allow graduates to qualify for second class Piper, Mechanic, and Electrician’s openings when available and in accordance with contractual requirements of seniority and qualifications.

No Cost To Employee

Tuition and textbook costs will be paid by the plant. The (Cont’d on page 2)

Unions Ratify 3 Year Contract

The master labor agreement and other agreements covering wages, pensions, insurance, severance pay, and supplemental unemployment benefits, negotiated by Uniroyal and the United Rubber Workers, have been subsequently ratified by the Union. All improved agreements are now in effect with the exception of the master labor agreement which will become effective when local supplemental agreements are negotiated and signed.

The new agreements, covering a 3 year period, were signed on June 11, 1973 after three months of negotiations in Dayton, Ohio.

The contracts provide for wage increases over the 3 year period and improvements in pensions, life insurance, sickness and accident insurance, medical insurance, and supplemental unemployment insurance.

They also include improvements in certain of these areas as they apply to retired employees.

Improvements in the general wage scale were effective on July 2, 1973.

Monthly Pension Increases

The monthly pension allowance was improved. The improvements are progressive over the 3 year period. By 1975, the monthly amount will be computed on the basis of $10.00 per month for every year of service. Disability pensions will be on a double monthly allowance, increasing to $20.00 per month per year of service by 1975.

Early Retirement

The new pension plan provides that an employee with 30 years’ service at and after age 55 can retire at his own option on an unreduced pension amount. For those employees exercising this option in 1974 and thereafter, the plan provides a supplemental allowance until age 65.

SUB Benefits

The supplemental unemployment benefits plan was modified. The company will increase its contribution to the SUB fund. By 1975, contributions will be at $0.10 per hour worked level and maximum funding will be at $750 per employee covered by the plan.

Life Insurance

Life insurance has been increased from $8500 to $9500
(Cont’d on page 2)

[PHOTO CAPTION]
Joseph Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President; Jesse Crim, Industrial Relations Manager; and Charles Roland, URW Local 308 President attended the 3 months’ negotiations in Dayton, Ohio.

Plant Tops 1,000,000 Manhours Without A Lost-Time Accident

[PHOTO CAPTION]
Winners of the color TV consoles—each worth $500.00—pose with plant safety personnel and Factory Manager on the occasion of working 1,000,000 manhours without a lost time accident. From left are James Loman, Safety Supervisor; Gene Reale, Foremen’s winner; Manuel Moniz, Chemical Production; Roman Brzozowski, Reclaim Production; Silvio Spalvieri, Synthetic Materials; Walter Scott, Union-Management Safety Committee; Daniel Volpe, Salary winner; Robert Shortt, Safety Manager; and James Cronin, Factory Manager. Absent from the photo is Henrique Marques, Chemical Production.

Frequency Rate Is 8.93 For 6 Months

It started on March 11 and was reached on June 26, one million manhours worked without a lost time accident. This achievement reflects a greatly improved safety performance over 1972 and has resulted in a 50% reduction in accidents in the plant.

	Lost Time Accidents	Serious Injuries	Total
1972	6	27	33
1973	5	11	16

(Cont’d on page 4)

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal, Inc. declared a dividend of 17½ cents a share on the common stock. The dividend is payable September 25 to stockholders of record August 20.

A dividend of $2 a share on the 8 per cent first preferred stock was also declared and is payable September 25 to stockholders of record August 20.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1971 – Page No. 6

February 18, 2026January 1, 1971 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL

Merry Christmas – Happy New Year

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 5, 1971 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 6

Achieve United Givers Goal With $21,023

Making Xmas Happier

[IMAGE: Group photo of people with toys and dolls]

Christmas will be happier for underprivileged children due to the efforts of Bertha Mitchell, Ann Grant, and Sandy Bond who organized collection of toys, games, dolls and books among Chemical employees. Gracie Stone presents Sandy with 48 pairs of gloves she hand knitted and 50 stuffed dolls. From left in photo are Bertha, Ann, Gracie and Sandy.

Highest Amount Ever Pledged

The United Givers drive was the most successful ever conducted at the Naugatuck Chemical plant with 1008 employees out of 1450 contributing. Employees pledged $21,023—$23 over the $21,000 goal—to the 16 agencies in the Fund. This is the highest amount contributed to the UG by Naugatuck Chemical employees.

The average contribution of employees who pledged was $19.

Six departments exceeded their goals; EMIC; Materials; Research and Development; Synthetic Production; International; and Accounting; EMIC topped its goal by $548 with an average contribution of $31; and Research and Development pledged the highest total, $6195.

All departments approached their goal, with some not
(Cont’d. on page 3)

[IMAGE: Group meeting photo]

Department canvassers hold discussion on progress of the United Givers. A large part of the drive’s success was due to their efforts. Attending session were from left: S. Sapio, C. Roland, E. Semaskvich, J. Adamaitis, H. Yacek, F. Commendatore, and W. Kenney.

JA Forms Pingyanco Company

[IMAGE: Group photo of executive officers]

Executive officers of Pingyanco and Uniroyal Chemical Advisors hold a public offering of the company’s stock to finance their operations. Represented in photo from left are Randolph Porter, Klaudia Witwicki, Jess Crim, Industrial Relations Manager; Jo Ann Niski, Charles Roland, URW Local 308 President; Mary Mannion; Joseph Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President; Linda Litke, Sheldon Salzman, Factory Manager; Diane Carignan, Joseph Bush, Robert Tourangeau and Christopher Bernard.

by Jim Chambers

Pingyanco, the Chinese word for Peace, is the new name of the Junior Achievement Company sponsored by Uniroyal Chemical.

One of the major products of the Company is a Peace symbol cut out of felt for wear on clothing or for use as a room decoration. Other products being made by the Company every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9 P.M. are spike “n” pen sets and toothpaste dispensers. Several products are still on the Company’s design board.

Purpose of JA

The basic purpose of the JA program is to give high school students actual business experience and to develop an understanding of the basic economic
(Cont’d. on page 4)

[IMAGE: Group meeting photo]

Sitting on the other side of the room were from left: R. Harrison, F. Mayo, T. Geise, K. Dowling, L. Kaiser, K. Beardsley, J. Labrecque (hidden), D. McCormack, R. Amidon, W. Leukhardt. R. Van Allen (hidden), S. Alper, C. Ruggles and S. Korpusik.

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal declared a quarterly dividend of 17 1/2 cents a share on the common stock, payable December 24 to stockholders of record November 22.

The Company also declared a dividend of $2 a share on the first preferred stock, payable December 24 to stockholders of record November 22.

$21,000 Unit Stops Fumes

by R. Ashby and W. Miller

A new $21,000 disposal facility, installed at the Synthetic Pilot Plant, was another step in the plant’s pollution abatement program. The unit disposes of unreacted propylene and ethylene generated when experimental batches of Royalene® crackless rubber are made.

The stack burns off the waste hydrocarbons completely in a smokeless flame by shooting jets of steam into the burning zone. The steam forces ambient air into the flame and creates intense turbulence which results in thorough combustion of the pollutant gases.

The new disposal system eliminates a fire hazard and air pollution. It also allows the production of larger batch sizes
(Cont’d on page 3)

Sno-Plow Almost Breaks Youth’s Neck

by John Gandolfo

A dangling scarf, caught in the pulley belt of a snow plow, almost strangled my 18 year old son, Russ

On Thanksgiving morning, he had just about finished plowing the heavy snowfall from the driveway when he opened his coat and his scarf became loose. As he bent over the plow to change the position of the pinpoint, the scarf got caught in the pulley dragging Russ toward the hot motor and rotating belt.

The cotton scarf, looped around his neck, started to strangle him and would possibly have broken his neck and caused severe burns to his face had not the cotton fabric
(Cont’d. on page 2)

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 5, No. 1 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1971 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 5, No. 1 | Page 3

New Duster Cleans Air

Ed Zemeir applies talc to bale of Naugapol rubber as Ed Curby watches. Equipment, recently installed, eliminates talc dust in the area and gives greater protection to employees’ health.

by Lou Kaiser

The production of various types of Naugapol® rubber requires talc to be applied to the rubber bale before it is packaged. The talc, a very fine particle size, is dusted on manually, and creates a dust problem when the operator applies it to the rubber. The operators were exposed to the talc and had been required to wear masks to avoid inhalation of the dust.

Air sample tests in the area indicated that the dust levels in the atmosphere were within acceptable health requirements. However, it was decided that an improvement in the ventilation system would make the area more conducive to healthier and safer work conditions for the men in the building.

To eliminate the dust problem, a talc station table and hood was redesigned and a larger fan was installed to provide greater air flow across the talc station. The dust laden air is then lead to a cyclone where it is collected and clean air enters the atmosphere.

With the improved ventilation, it is no longer required to wear a mask when the talc is applied to the rubber.

Plumes Not Pollutants

On clear cold days the white plumes from the plant are more prominent. Most of the “white stuff” is harmless water vapor resulting from the condensation of steam after it has performed its necessary function in providing heat for the 140 buildings in the plant’s production operations and offices. Lou Kaiser of the Environmental Control Group is presently analyzing all vents and stacks in the plant for pollutant content as part of an air environmental improvement program.

$20,050 Pledged To United Givers

Reviewing the final results of the United Givers drive which resulted in pledges of $20,050 from 965 employees are seated from left: Joe Rzeszutek, Sam Gillette, chairman, and Dick Edwards. From left standing are Milt Makoski, Bob Van Allen, and Roger Amidon.

“Let the man with two coats give to him who has none; the man who has food should do the same.”

Generous concern for people by Uniroyal Chemical employees was again shown with a pledge of $20,050 to the United Givers which benefits the physically handicapped, mentally retarded, broken homes, the young and the old in the communities around us.

The amount represents one-sixth of the total pledges for the Naugatuck-Beacon Falls 1971 Drive.

965 out of 1,500 employees contributed with 662 using the payroll deduction plan.

The highest pledges were $240; $228; $204; $160; with several in the $120 range.

Department Pledges

EMIC pledged $4,410 for the highest department contribution, surpassing last year’s goal by $1,000. Several departments dropped below their contributions of 1970 which account for attaining only 91% of the $22,000 plant goal

Department	1971 Goal	Amount Pledged
Chem. Prod….	$2,550	$1,707
Recl. Prod…..	2,200	2,151
Syn. Prod……	1,700	1,301
Eng. & Mech.- Chem…….	1,650	1,350
Eng. & Mech.- Syn…….	1,100	803
Materials…..	1,450	1,209
Factory Service	1,400	1,209
Res. & Develop.	5,900	5,530
Accounting…	900	363
EMIC……..	3,100	4,410

Sam Gillette was Chairman of the drive with Dick Edwards, Roger Amidon, Joe Rzeszutek, Leon Raskauskas, Jack Vergosen, Bob Van Allen, Eric Johnson, Dom Persutti, Milt Makoski and Bill Lavelle serving on the executive committee for the drive.

Chairmen organizing the campaign in plant departments were Vic Alves, Frank Lynch, Bill Leukhardt, Ernst Krauss, Clark Makinson, Jack Prior, Colin Walker, Julius Rek, Bronis Zukauskas, Walt Miller, John Davison, Ted Lainas, Paul Murray, Bob Dexter, Larry Coburn, Dan Shantz, Stan Mazur, Carl Bawn, Irwin Prager, Gary Arndt, E. Easterbrook, Alex Zonas, Joe Longo and Dick Terino.

Finance records for the campaign were kept by Ed Levandauskas of the Accounting Department.

Scholarship Offered

by Lou Kaiser

The Uniroyal Chemical Management Club is again offering a $250 scholarship, which is available to a son or daughter of a Chemical division employee with two or more years’ of service.

The scholarship is open to all students in the graduating class of a high school or preparatory school who plan a college education. Applications can be obtained from the Industrial Relations department.

This year the scholarship will again be augmented by a $50 cash endowment from Larry Monroe, a retired Chemical division employee.

Joe Bucciaglia is Chairman of the Scholarship committee and all applications must be mailed or returned to him on or before April 1, 1971.

Hoist Taken From TSSC

A quarter ton electric hoist, valued at $500 was recently taken from the Plastics Compounding Lab. in TSSC (Bldg. 112). The 100 lb. hoist, attached to an overhead rail, required a ladder and two men to remove.

Thefts of an electric drill, wrenches and small tools have also been reported in the same building.

Besides the extra cost to the plant, the thefts cast suspicion on all employees in the building, and new rules are effected to restrict their actions because of an individual’s actions.

The loss imposes harder work conditions on the men who now have to use a hoist from another section of the building.

CHIF Offers Help To Find Homes

by Milt Makoski

If you are interested in owning your own home and would like help in locating one and financing the down payment through a long term low interest second mortgage note, an organization, “CHIF” (Connecticut Housing Investment Fund) may be able to assist you.

CHIF is a non profit private organization which provides loans for down payments; gives advice on financing; and assistance in locating and purchasing a home. There is no fee for their service and there is no income

(con’t on page 4)

DO PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND YOU?

A picture is worth a thousand words. But if pictures are ambiguous, words can even be much more ambiguous, especially when you try to communicate with other people. What do you see in the above picture?

You can protect your heart and health, Dr. White advises, by having a small routine of daily exercise and by a proper diet, especially avoiding being overweight.

FREE X-RAY MARCH 25
PROTECT YOUR HEALTH

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 5, No. 2 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1971 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 5. No. 2 Page 3

Safety Glasses Save Eyesight of Five Employees

Set Goals; Show Results

The Management By Objective program at the Chemical plant uses results as the major measurement criterion. The purpose of the program is to provide the challenge of individual responsibility; a sense of accomplishment; and personal involvement in the successful operation of the plant during the year.

In the program supervisory personnel and members of their departments mutually define specific goals, individual areas of responsibility, and the results that can be expected on the job. The objectives for each department must fit into the overall objectives of the plant so that each group in the plant works as a unity toward the plant’s and Company’s objectives.

Emphasizes Results

Results, rather than activity, is the measurement by which each person is appraised. Since the individual helps set his own goals, he is accountable for his own achievements.

To be measurable, the objectives are set up as specific as possible in dollars, amounts, times, percentage, quality and other categories.

Four standards are used in the measurement guide which are reviewed quarterly and revised, or new standards and targets set as necessary: 1) Result Areas; 2) Measurements; 3) Commitments; and 4) Supportive Action.

When properly carried out the program provides the individual the incentive to achieve results which he helped set for himself by organizing his time and activities in a logical, systematic method.

Savings Bond Drive Starts

On May 25 a U.S. Savings Bond drive was initiated in the plant to offer all employees an opportunity to purchase Savings Bonds.

In view of the new higher interest rate of 5 1/2%, more people are taking a new look at Savings Bonds as a safe, systematic investment.

For convenience, the Bonds can be purchased by regular payroll deductions.

Presently 35% of the plant’s employees are buying U.S. Savings Bonds through the Payroll Savings Plan.

Application forms for enrollment can be obtained from the Bond Drive Committee members, Foremen, Supervisors or from Gladys Bradshaw, Industrial Relations Department, ext. 517.

Completed forms should be returned to W. Lavelle, Industrial Relations Department.

Don’t drive after taking certain pills, such as tranquilizers or antihistamines. They may have side effects that affect judgment, cause dizziness, sleepiness, and confusion.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

Safety Award Received

An Award of Merit was presented to the Naugatuck Chemical plant for its “noteworthy safety performance” in 1970. The plant’s lost time accidents dropped from 24 to 6 accidents in 1970. Pictured in the Award presentation are from left, Sheldon Salzman, Factory Manager; Leon Raskauskas, Local 308 President; Joe Rzeszutek, Local 218 President; Bob Shortt, Safety Manager; and Sal Aloise, Safety Supervisor.

Tony Galletta shows Gene Reate how chisel punctured aerosol paint can which exploded in his face.

Without warning, the reaction vessel exploded, and covered the entire area with glass.

During April, safety glasses saved the eyesight of five employees when accidents occurred in different areas of the plant. In each case it was almost certain that the eyesight would have been damaged permanently if safety glasses had not been worn at the time of the accident.

By Tony Galletta

“While I was chiselling slag off an iron flange, the chisel slipped and punctured a hole in an aerosol paint can on the work bench. The can exploded and the tiny particles of aluminum paint covered my face and safety glasses. For a minute I thought I had been blinded.”

“The inside pressure in the can shot the paint 20 feet across the floor and covered the ceiling lights.”

“John Gandolfo said, ‘It’s one of those things that happens once in a million years.’ ”

“With your eyes, that’s all you need . . . just one time. Thank God I was wearing my safety glasses, otherwise I would possibly have been blinded for life.”

by Joe Longo

“I had set up the equipment to run a reaction in the safety cabinet in the Synthetic rubber research lab.”

“The reaction seemed somewhat peculiar, and I asked Dr. Steve Cantor to come over and observe the experiment.

“Without warning, the reaction vessel exploded and a flying object shattered the right lens of my safety glasses. Two overhead fluorescent light fixtures were broken and the entire laboratory area was covered with glass particles.

“It is almost certain that both of us would have suffered severe eye damage or possible loss of sight without our safety glasses.”

A few days prior to the accident, Dr. Tom Brett had held a

Glasses were covered with metallic particles from punctured can.

A glass stopper shattered the right lens of safety glasses.

safety meeting with his group emphasizing the new plant regulations on wearing safety glasses.

Tom Lee of Chemical Production experienced a close call when he was cleaning a 55-gallon baffle drum of sodium MBT. A small amount of the chemical in the bottom of the drum splashed

(Con’t. on page 4)

Fashions In The Plant

Paris, Rome, or London may be the fashion centers of the world but the Naugatuck plant has some style setting fashions of its own. Modelling the styles from left are Ann McAllister R.N., Marge Maye, Steve Arbuckle, Doug Klima, Cynthia Marinaro, and Sandy Bond.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1971-v05-i05-s200

February 18, 2026January 1, 1971 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 5, 1971 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 5

Construction Started On New $3,200,000 Pretreatment Plant

Nine Months Sales Up

Net income for the nine months ending October 3, was $33,234,000, equivalent to $1.10 per share of common stock compared with $27,852,000 or 92 cents a share for the comparable period last year, an increase of 19.3%. Earnings were equivalent to $1.04 per common share after adjustment for the potential dilution related to the company’s convertible debentures issued in February 1971.

Sales for the nine months totaled $1,277,000,000, a gain of 8% over the $1,183,-000,000 for the same period in 1970.

Net income of Uniroyal, Inc. for the 3rd quarter totaled $7,130,000, equivalent to 22 cents per common share, a gain of 38.6% compared with $5,143,000, or 14 cents per share, reported for the quarter last year. Sales increased 9% to $400,-000,000 compared with

$366,000,000 for the third quarter of 1970.

Net income for the 3rd quarter and 9 months was adversely affected by the following factors: freeze of price increases; wage increase costs prior to the

(Cont’d. on page 3)

Drive Nears $21,000

by Jim Carroll

The United Givers drive to raise $21,000 for the 16 Agencies in the Fund which provide needed services for families in communities in which most employees live is nearly completed.

Employees have pledged $20,260 to date and only $740 is needed to achieve the plant’s goal of $21,000. The average contribution amounts to $21.40 per employee who donated.

(Cont’d. on page 2)

Unions Elect Officers

[PHOTO: Two images showing union officers]

Joe Rzeszutek, left, was elected President. Cy Blanchard, right, Vice President; and Henry Hook, to the Executive Committee.

by T. Lee and F. Mayo

439 URW Local 218 Union members elected new union officers for a 3 year term.

Joe Rzeszutek was elected President for a seventh

(Cont’d. on page 3)

Charles Roland, right, new 308 President is congratulated by Rocco Manulla, left, Art Calder, right, and Frank Sordi.

by Walt Tabaka

URW Local 308 members elected Charles Roland, President for a three year term. Also voted into office were Rocco Manulla, Vice-Pres-

(Cont’d. on page 3)

by Dick Shaw

Quietly along the Naugatuck River bank, opposite the Synthetic plant, construction of the new $3,200,000 liquid waste pretreatment plant is making rapid progress. Completion is scheduled for the Fall of 1972.

The facilities will pretreat 3,000,000 gallons of waste water a day for discharge into the Boro of Naugatuck’s water pollution control plant for secondary biological treatment. After treatment at the Boro’s plant, the water will be discharged into the Naugatuck River which is classified “C”, and suitable for fish, game and wildlife.

The steel superstructure for the Operations Building is complete and work has started on the interior of the building which will serve as the operational center for the pretreatment facility. A waste water collection pipeline, encased in solid concrete to prevent upheaval and breakage during high water periods, has been installed at the base of the river bank. This pipeline will connect the plant’s discharge outlets to a new pump station currently under construction near the south yard sewer outfall.

Foundations for the two 82 ft. diameter clarification

(Cont’d. on page 3)

[AERIAL PHOTO: Shows pretreatment plant construction site]

The Pretreatment plant occupies an acre of land near the Synthetic reactor area along the Naugatuck river.

987 Join Stock Plan

by Jack Dunn

987 Chemical Division employees exercised their options to participate in the third stock purchase plan for Uniroyal employees.

These employees elected to purchase 59,617 shares of Uniroyal common stock by 46 payroll deductions over the next 2 years.

The purchase price of the stock was $19.3125.

The enrollment figure represents 61% of the Chemical division employees at the Naugatuck location.

18,000 Uniroyal employees

in the U.S. and Canada joined the plan, electing to purchase over 800,000

(Cont’d. on page 4)

[PHOTO: Construction site view]

The $3,200,000 facility will be completed by the Fall of 1972.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 4 No. 1 – Page 2

February 18, 2026January 1, 1970 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 2 | Vol. 4, No. 1

FROM THE FACTORY MANAGER

DEAR FELLOW EMPLOYEE:

During most of the 1960’s, in fact until about mid-1969, our plant has operated in what Jim Cronin has called an “oversold” position. In other words, we were operating all out to produce every pound we could, to meet our customers’ requirements.

In 1969 the situation changed to what can be called an “undersold” position, which means we can produce more than the customer needs. This fairly abrupt change from what had become an established way of operating has affected the way all of us do our jobs. Basically, under these conditions all of us have to make better decisions faster in order to be responsive to the customers’ needs at the moment.

Considering the general decline in business activity in the markets we serve, the high cost of money, the “undersold” capacity of domestic competition and increasing foreign competition, I expect that these conditions will continue well into 1970. Therefore, it becomes even more important that we be as flexible to change as possible. Under these circumstances what we did yesterday isn’t important. What is important, is what we do right now to meet a new opportunity.

All of us have expressed individual pride in the flexibility of our plant – men and machinery alike – to do the job, whatever the requirements. Now if we really have this flexibility, and I believe we do, it seems to me that the economic climate of 1970 plays right into our hands.

I’m confident we can and will meet these demands regardless of how difficult they may be.

Sincerely,

John

John D. Evans

Jaroy Inc. Enjoys Brisk Sales

Jaroy, Inc. officers sell stock to Uniroyal Chemical employees. From left to right are John Evans, Factory Manager; Jill Subataitis, President of Jaroy; Harry Witt, Synthetic Production Superintendent; Joe Rzeszutek, President URW Local 218; Ted Lainas; Jim Brown; Ron Mitchinson, Industrial Relations Manager; and Jo Ann Niski, Purchasing Agent.

by Ted Lainas

Jaroy, Junior Achievement of Uniroyal, is a small company with big goals. On its first day of sales, the company sold every product made during the past months.

Jaroy is a Junior Achievement company sponsored by Uniroyal Chemical, and consists of Naugatuck High School students and one Achiever from Holy Cross High.

The basic principle of the JA program is to give high school students real business experience and to help them develop an accurate understanding of the economic factors that make the free enterprise system work.

Issues Stock For Capital

The company issues and sells stock for its operating capital. This money is used to buy raw materials, tools, pay rent, heat, and light bills, and other expenditures to operate the business. Jaroy pays regular salaries, and taxes, carries insurance, and pays dividends to stockholders from any profits made.

Living Economics

Economics can be a difficult subject, especially when taught from a textbook and by lectures. In Junior Achievement, the student puts into practice what is taught in school about complicated practices and theories. Be-

Continued on page 4

Trucks Get Safety Belts

by Bob Shortt

Safety belts are being installed in all plant trucks for safety protection for plant drivers as a result of a survey by the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory of Cornell University.

For a long time, the trucking industry had questioned the value of safety belts in trucks because of the floating seat drivers used for comfort, but the survey results indicate otherwise.

A study of 243 truck accidents showed the frequency of door openings in trucks to be double the frequency of door openings in 1963 model automobiles. The frequency of truck driver ejection was shown to be about double the frequency of driver ejections from recent model automobiles. The rate of dangerous or fatal injuries for ejected truck drivers was four times as high as for non-ejected truck drivers. Therefore, it is believed

Continued on page 3

Presley Joines, a driver for Synthetic Materials Handling shows safety belt installed in new plant truck to John Metesky, right. Seat belts provide extra safety protection for our drivers.

At left of photo is conveyor to carry scrap tires to grinder. Employee’s head barely missed the steel prong of the conveyor as he fell backwards. (Conveyor prongs were retouched to show them more clearly).

Man Slips . . .

Continued from page 1

injuries. Training and education programs, installation of safer equipment, and repairs are continually being made to improve safety.

In the final analysis, however, Safety is the responsibility of every employee. Unless he has a safety attitude, performs his job safely, wears the proper safety clothing and equipment and avoids taking chances, accidents and injuries will continue to happen.

55,200 persons were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 1968, an increase of 4% over 1967.

Foremen’s Club Changes Name And By-Laws

by Lou Kaiser

By a high margin vote, the Uniroyal Chemical Foremen’s Club changed its name to the Uniroyal Chemical Management Club.

The new by-laws open membership to all male salaried personnel. Members of the Divisional staff are now eligible for the Club but are not eligible to hold office.

Dues were increased from $6 to $8 yearly.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 4, 1970, No. 2 – Page 1

February 18, 2026January 1, 1970 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 4, 1970 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 2

1970 Success Depends On Each Employe

If you were going on a long vacation you would carefully plan in advance and consider everything necessary for a safe and rewarding trip for yourself and your family.

Operation of a large chemical plant requires the same deliberate planning in advance to assure progress, produce products competitively, improve safety and to secure the jobs of every employee.

To implement the plans of the plant for 1970, millions of dollars will be invested by the Company proving its confidence in the skills and abilities of the people at Naugatuck. Mere spending of money will not do the job alone; only the fullest use of every employee’s efforts in every department is needed to justify these expenditures. With a positive attitude and concern by each employee to do his full share, 1970 will be a year of progress.

Departments Depend Upon Each Other

Each department outlined plans and goals for the year for its own group. But the success of these plans require the cooperative effort of all departments. Progress depends upon every employee’s fullest cooperation to work in a unified effort with all the departments in the plant’s operation.

The following summarize the major plans for departments to make 1970 a year of progress.

Chemical Production

Product quality and production must be improved to satisfy our customers’ demands. Their purchase of our products are critically important to the operation of the plant.

To help us improve this situation, the new Control Center will schedule products by priority; help improve product quality and utilize equip-

[PHOTO CAPTION]
George Allen, ass’t general foreman discusses new Polygard facilities for Bldg. 109. From left are Allen, Mike Yuchnyk, Dolphi Gabriel, dept. foreman, and Brony Konavage.

ment to its fullest capacity. This new operation requires everyone’s cooperation to improve our performance in 1970.

Of vital concern to the department are better safety and housekeeping. Both can only be accomplished by the individual person doing his share.

Plans have been approved to expand the Polygard, Aminox and Betanox facilities to meet increased market demand for these chemicals.

Reclaim Production

Reclaim faces a challenging year but with the vigorous participation of every employee in attaining production goals the challenge can be met to operate the plant efficiently and remain in business.

A new Control Center will be set up to schedule product types more efficiently and to help improve the quality of reclaim.

Good housekeeping is critically important in Reclaim to prevent fires from dust accumulation around equipment and to improve safety. Concern for good housekeeping in Bldg. 16 requires every employe’s help to keep the area in a clean condition.

Lighting fixtures and the lint collection systems are scheduled to be improved for better safety, housekeeping and work conditions.

Synthetic Production

New equipment will be installed to increase the efficiency of our latex operations to increase production, produce higher quality latexes to keep pace with competition and provide job security.

Improvements in housekeeping by all employees is of vital importance to maintain safe working conditions and to keep quality standards of latex production at a high level.

Engineering

The engineering department’s plan in 70 will be to assist all departments in the repair and maintenance of equipment to prevent downtime and insure the capacity to supply customers with products on schedule.

Efficient operation of machinery and equipment requires regular lubrication by members of the mechanical crews to prevent excessive wear, avert overheating and damage to the equipment necessary to produce the products for our customers.

Several major plant improvements are scheduled in the Synthetic and Chemical plants. (continued on page 4)

Contract Talks To Start

Plant and union officials of Uniroyal’s 19 United Rubber Worker plants meet in New York City on March 9 to begin negotiations on contract agreements which expires April 20.

Ron Mitchinson, industrial relations manager, will represent the Naugatuck Chemical plant. Joe Rzeszutek, president of URW Local 218, will represent the 615 employees in the Chemical and Reclaim plants and Leon Raskauskas, president of URW Local 308, will represent the 201 employees of the Synthetic plant.

Negotiations will cover wages, pension, the master contract, insurance, severance pay agreements and supplemental unemployment compensation.

United Givers Give 3 Awards

[PHOTO CAPTION]
Left to right holding United Givers awards are Leon Raskauskas, URW Local 308 president; Eric Johnson, plant campaign chairman, and Joe Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 president.

At its annual meeting, the United Givers awarded a plaque in recognition of Uniroyal Chemical employee’s generous contributions. Plaques were also awarded to URW Locals 218 and 308’s for their active support of the drive.

Employees’ contributed $21,000, the highest ever pledged, in our plant and one third of the industrial division’s goal.

The corporate gift of the plant was the highest of any local firm in Naugatuck and Beacon Falls.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 4 No. 3 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1970 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 4 No. 3 Page 3

Supervisory Skills Training Program Started For Foremen

[LEFT PHOTO CAPTION:]
The group listens attentively to Tom Ennis report on solution of a problem. Attending the first SSTP session were from left, Fred Wintsch, Tom Dowling, Ed Smith, George Allen, Dave Rappe, Jack Tierney, Bill Albaitis, Al Enamait, Earl Roller, Tom Engle,

[RIGHT PHOTO CAPTION:]
George Arndt, Gary Arndt, Bob Breton, Chet Bulka, Ennis and Bill Lannon. Missing from photo were Lou Coscia and Frank Lynch. SSTP sessions for supervisors and foremen are being scheduled for future dates.

Globetrotters Sell Pro* Keds On TV

The world famous Harlem Globetrotters are entertaining millions of people on TV and helping sell Uniroyal products with their dazzling wizardry and magic on the basketball court. This is part of Uniroyal’s intensive TV program to advertise the company and its products on prime TV shows.

The Globetrotters have used Pro-Keds® in their long career for their long wearing quality and the built-in arch support that helps prevent muscle strain from their heavy schedule all over the world.

Pro-Keds® use several of the rubber chemicals made at the Naugatuck plant. Four accelerators, Delac®NS, Tuex®, Monex® and Pentex® are used to cure the rubber and give it toughness. Without accelerators it would take more than 8 hours for the rubber to harden or cure.

Aminox®, an antioxidant, prevents heat deterioration to the rubber during the manufacturing process.

Uniroyal Chemical is the world’s leading manufacturer of rubber chemicals, with 70% of the chemicals made at the Naugatuck plant.

Only by producing quality chemicals against stiff competition can the plant maintain this position in the footwear industry. Some of the major competitors in the rubber chemical business vying for the same market are DuPont, Monsanto, Vanderbilt, American Cyanamid and Pennwald.

Contract Talks Continue In N.Y.

Negotiation discussions on the contract which expires April 21 at 12:01 A.M., are still underway in New York between management and union officials of the 19 Uniroyal plants represented by the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum, and Plastic Workers of America.

The sessions started on March 9. Representatives of the Naugatuck Chemical plant attending the meetings are Ron Mitchinson, Industrial Relations Manager; Joe Rzeszutek, URCLPWA Local 218 President; and Leon Raskauskas, URCLPWA Local 308 president.

by Bob Krause

A group of Uniroyal Chemical foremen and supervisors attended the first of a series of sessions of a Supervisory Skills Training Program (SSTP) at the Holiday Inn in Waterbury.

The program which was initiated at the corporate level gives members in supervisory positions an opportunity to study themselves and determine how they relate to their jobs. The program also introduces some new concepts which help them keep up to date on current trends in supervisory skills.

John Evans, Factory Manager, introduced the program which was organized and presented by Bob Krause of the Industrial Relations Department.

Tom Ward, Uniroyal Manager of Supervisory Development discussed his views with the group and the company’s views concerning the overall program and some of its details.

Additional programs will be scheduled during the year to give more foremen and supervisors the chance to participate in the SSTP sessions.

[BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO CAPTION:]
Harlem Globertrotters help sell Uniroyal products on TV to millions of customers. Indirectly they sell 5 chemicals made at the Naugatuck plant. Watch them on the leading TV shows.

Two Months Without A Lost-Time Accident

by Sal Aloise

In February, no lost time accidents occurred in the plant. This is the second successive month that all of us have worked without a lost time accident. This represents a total of nearly 600,000 manhours worked without a lost time accident, a good improvement in safety compared to 1969 when four lost time accidents took place for the same 2 months.

During February, there were 4 serious injuries: one eye injury in Chemical Production; one work change in Reclaim; one suture of the finger in R&D; and one suture in the elbow in R&D.

With this excellent start, 1970 can be the safest year we ever had.

[RIGHT PHOTO CAPTION:]
Bob Krause, coordinator of the SSTP demonstrates a point on the chart.

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal declared a quarterly dividend of 17½ cents a share on the common stock payable March 25 to stockholders of record February 24.

Two dividends of $2 each on the Company’s preferred stock were declared: one to be paid March 25 to stockholders of record February 24 and the other payable June 25 to stockholders of record May 25.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 4 No. 7 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1970 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 4. No. 7 Page 3

KNOW YOUR BENEFITS:

Some Questions And Answers On Uniroyal’s Tuition Aid Program

by Marion Hutt

About seventy-three Uniroyal Chemical employees improved their education and their opportunities for advancement in their jobs by taking job related courses during the 1968-69 academic year with the help of Uniroyal’s Tuition Aid Program. (1969-70 figures were unavailable for this issue)

For those of you who are not familiar with the plan, here is some helpful information on the program which is available to all employees.

Q. What Is It?
A. To encourage self-development and education of all employees, Uniroyal will reimburse you for the full tuition cost and lab fees necessary in any course taken which is related to your current job or will be of value, as determined by the Company, in future promotional areas.

All Employees Eligible

Q. Is the program available to wage and salary personnel?
A. Yes, it is available to all full-time employees.

Q. Do I have to notify the Company of the course I wish to take?

A. Yes, prior approval has to be obtained to qualify.

Q. How many courses can I take?
A. The number of allowed courses per semester cannot exceed two.

Q. Do I take these courses on Uniroyal’s time or my time?
A. Your own time.

Q. I’d like to take a course in mechanical drawing. Am I reimbursed for any instruments I must purchase?
A. No. Books, library fees, instruments and transportation are not reimbursable.

Q. When am I reimbursed?
A. Reimbursement will be made by Uniroyal after satisfactory completion of the course has been documented by the school or institution which administered it.

Q. Is every school or institution offering courses acceptable?

A. Only fully accredited institutions or professionally recognized associations are approved.

Schools In Area

Q. What schools qualify in the area?
A. University of Connecticut (Waterbury Branch), Fairfield University, University of Hartford, University of Bridgeport, Sacred Heart University, Trinity College, Mattatuck Community College, West Connecticut State College, Central Connecticut State College, Southern Connecticut State College, RPI (Hartford Branch), Waterbury State Technical College, Kaynor

Technical, H. C. Wilcox Technical-Vocational School, New Haven College, Quinnipiac College, Post Junior College and other specialized educational institutes.

Q. Do you have any facts about people using this plan?
A. During 67-68, sixty employees were enrolled in degree programs and were reimbursed an average of $275 by Uniroyal. In 69, five employees received M.B.A. degrees. In 1970 about 70 employees attended courses, with several receiving degrees.

Q. Where do I find out the procedure I must follow to qualify?
A. Your foreman or supervisor will be glad to assist you in obtaining and processing the forms for approval. Tuition aid is another of Uniroyal’s programs for the benefit of all employees to assist them in the development of their talents and capabilities.

[IMAGE CAPTION: Marty Cherkus, right, tells Charlie Dierling about course he plans to take under Tuition Aid program.]

Three Story Glass Tube Reduces Water Pollution

[IMAGE CAPTION: Julius Cohen, right, shows Phil De Pasquale new $32,000 liquid-liquid extractor installed in chemical pilot plant as part of the plant’s environmental quality program.]

by Gary Arndt

The Chemical pilot plant recently installed a new $32,000, three story high, liquid-liquid extractor that looks like a giant test tube. The extractor removes small amounts of “oxide” from the process waste water which had been previously discharged into the river. The extractor is probably the only one of its kind in the company.

The new equipment is part of the plant’s environmental quality program to eliminate pollution by installation of new devices and systems with built in pollution control factors.

Environmental Economics

By recovery of the product, a 5% to 10% yield increase will be obtained from former waste material, proving that a sound environmental quality program can be economical as well as improving the quality of the air and water. All new equipment for manufacturing operations will contain pollution control devices and systems to control fumes, odors, and dust.

Collects Pollution Data

With the completion of the cyclohexene oxide program, the huge glass column will be used by process development engineers to collect pollution control data on newly developed processes which will be transferred to the Naugatuck plant for manufacturing.

Zawacki Gets Hole-In-One

No Slip; No Tires

To purchase tires at a Uniroyal store or tire dealer, an employee purchase slip is required. Without the slip for identification, you will not be able to purchase the tires. Slips may be obtained in advance only from the Industrial Relations Department, EMIC, and the Synthetic Plant Hospital.

[IMAGE CAPTION: Chet Zawacki shot a hole-in-one with a Uniroyal golf ball and Uniroyal club.]

Unions Ratify Contracts

URW Local 218 which represents wage employees in the Chemical plant and URW Local 308, which represents wage employees in the Synthetic plant, ratified the 3 year contract between Uniroyal and the United Rubber Workers.

The new contract represents a wage and benefit package costing an average of $1.41 an hour, over the 3 year period.

Participating in the 4 months negotiations in New York from our plant were Ron Mitchinson, Industrial Relations Manager; Joe Rzeszutek, President, Local 218; and Leon Raskauskas, President, Local 308.

Other features of the new contract are five weeks vacation after 20 years; one additional holiday decided on a local basis, and improved pension and insurance benefits.

Longer Weekends In 1971

Last year Congress passed the Monday Holidays Law, which assigns certain holidays to specified Mondays, instead of being celebrated on calendar dates. For example, Memorial Day which has traditionally been celebrated on May 30 will now be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

At the plant two holidays will be observed in 1971 on Mondays: Memorial Day, the last Monday in May for chemical and reclaim; and Columbus Day, the 2nd Monday in October for the Synthetic plant.

The basic idea behind the longer weekend is to give “short vacations”; provide more time at home; and planned recreation activities with the family. Perhaps it means more work around the house, fixing and repairing the long list of things to be done.

Long weekends have one somber aspect. Experience has shown that the death rate from accidents on highways and at home hit a high mark of 500–600 deaths. Hopefully, statistics will prove otherwise and more safety will be observed on the roads and at home.

Drivers under 20 years old make up only 10.2% of the driving population, but were involved in 16.9% of all accidents. Drivers age 20-24 had the worst record with 10.7% of the driving population, they were involved in 17.7% of all accidents and 18.9% of fatal accidents.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 4, 1970, No. 10 – Page 1

February 18, 2026January 1, 1970 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL

Merry Christmas – Happy New Year

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 4, 1970 | PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL | No. 10

Real Christmas Spirit

[IMAGE: Black and white photo of women working on a wreath]

Girls in the IBM Tabulating department add a touch of Christmas spirit to the office. Adjusting the wreath which they made, are from left, Julie Curtin, Joyce Lucarelli, Helen Southard and Edna Crycheau.

Unique Company Formed

[IMAGE: Group photo of people at what appears to be a disco event]

Sales of UNIQUE Disco Delic Lite conducted at the Chemical plant were highly successful netting several hundred dollars. From left are Jim Gatling, Lou Schiller, Gail Snedeker, Joe Rzeszutek, URW Local 218 President, Gail Murray, Nancy Murrican, Cathy Gauvin, Ron Stark, Advisor, and Sonya Kernasevic.

Unique is not only the name of the Junior Achievement Company sponsored by Uniroyal Chemical but also the description of the Company’s unusual product, a Disco Delic Lite.

N.H.S. Students Head Firm

The lamp was designed, manufactured, and sold by Naugatuck High School students who organized the corporation and raised the capital to support their activities by issuing stock.

Theory In Practice

The textbook theories of eco-
(Cont’d on page 4)

Omite Facilities Constructed; Productivity Quality Improved

D. Beretta, Chemical President

David Beretta, Factory Manager of the Naugatuck plant from 1965-1966, was named Vice-President of Uniroyal, Inc. and Divisional President of Uniroyal Chemical, succeeding Frank A. Hopkins, who resigned from Uniroyal.

Mr. Beretta joined Uniroyal in 1952 as a process development engineer in plastics and rubber at the Naugatuck plant. He held several positions in polymer Research and Development until named Synthetic Production Superintendent. In 1965 he was appointed Factory Manager, a position he held until 1966 when he was transferred to Canada as a Vice President and
(Cont’d on page 2)

[IMAGE: Three workers in hard hats standing in front of industrial equipment]

Construction of new Omite facilities helped increase productivity and improve the quality of the chemical. Standing in front of new refrigeration unit are three of the Omite operators who helped make significant improvements in its quality: from left, Lyle Bissonette, Ed Cheney, Orrin Huntley and Bob Breton, foreman.

by Dr. Perry Kippur & Frank Bennett

Construction of a new refrigeration unit, and the installation of three 10,000 gal. storage tanks were completed to improve production operations of Omite. These new facilities, and the process improvements made in the past year, will enable us to meet the estimated forecast for Omite sales for the next five years. In charge of construction was Rod Gaetz of the Engineering department.

Productivity Increased

The refrigeration unit eliminates processing delays and thereby increases the productivity of Omite. The unit is large enough to pipe refrigeration to other close by buildings, as needed, to improve the efficiency of the production operations in these buildings.

The construction of these facilities was instrumental in significantly increasing Omite productivity and quality.

Quality Improved Since Jan. 1969

Since January 1969, the quality of Omite has improved significantly and is now excellent. This outstanding quality and production performance is attributable to the men who
(Cont’d on page 3)

Sales Drop; Profits Off

Uniroyal, Inc. sales and profits dropped during the 3rd quarter due to the auto strike and continued slackness in the chemical, rubber, plastics and latex industries. The GM strike forced production cutbacks in several tire, plastic products, and chemical plants. Reduced tire production hurt the sales of many products made in Chemical and Reclaim Production for tire manufacturers.

Company sales dropped $3,000,000 for the 3rd quarter and profits were off $3,149,000, compared with the 3rd quarter of 1969.

During the 9 month period of 1970 the Company suffered a $17,894,000 loss in sales compared to 1969.

Profit for the 9 months of 1970 dropped $10,332,000 compared to 1969.

Higher interest charges and higher costs for labor and raw materials, which cannot be passed on to the customer, also affected the Company’s profits.
(Cont’d on page 2)

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal declared a quarterly dividend of 17½ cents a share on the common stock, payable December 24 to stockholders of record November 23.

The Company also declared a dividend of $2 a share on the first preferred stock, payable December 24 to stockholders of record November 23.

[IMAGE: Man in hard hat inspecting equipment]

Dr. Perry Kippur inspects new 200 HP motor on the new compressor for the refrigeration system in Bldg. 100.

UniRoyal – URW Show Cause Hearing Thurs.

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

UniRoyal – URW
Show Cause Saturday
Hearing Thurs. MAY 27, 1967

Superior Court Judge Leo V.
Gaffney continued the hearing
for an injunction sought by the
Chemical Division of UniRoyal
against the United Rubber
Workers Friday.

The continuance followed an
early morning session of peace-
ful picketing by Local 218 at
the Elm Street entrance to the
plant. No personnel were denied
entry.

In its court appearance
Thursday, the local must show
cause why an injunction should
not be issued against “illegal
picketing activities.” Eight
pickets were arrested at the
same gate Thursday morning.

At that time, pickets were
attempting to prevent manage-
ment personnel from entering
the plant to produce items said
to be necessary to the Viet-
nam war effort.

Judge Gaffney said he knew
“There was a spark of patrio-
tism” in everyone and added
that he hoped this would lead to
a lessening of tensions at the
Chemical plant.

Union President Joseph
Rzeszutek firmly denied that
any of the items produced
Thursday were going to Viet-
nam. He was one of the eight
arrested.

No witnesses were called in
the case. Judge Gaffney met with
union and management lawyers
in chambers and then issued
the order in open court.

Please Turn to Page 10

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 11 – Page 4

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

Page 4 | CHEM-TEXT | Vol. 3 No. 11

$21,000 Contributed to United Givers

[PHOTO: Image showing people near a vehicle, including children on crutches and adults]

United Givers help the Red Cross provide free transportation to the Cerebral Palsy Center in Waterbury. Penny Litke, left, on crutches, 3 ½ years old, goes three times a week. Helping Penny is her mother, Mrs. Harold Litke. Kathy Magnamo, 8, is held by her mother, Mrs. Robert Magnamo. Kathy attends the Cerebral Palsy Center every day. At right is Roy Woodcock, a volunteer driver. Without the services of the Red Cross and the Cerebral Palsy Center many children would not receive the treatment and care to make their lives happier and fuller. (Naugatuck news photo by J. Jensen.)

by Eric Johnson

$21,000 in pledges were made by Uniroyal Chemical employees to the United Givers fund drive. This is the second successive year that Uniroyal Chemical topped $20,000 to support the 16 charitable, social work, and youth organizations in the fund which in some way touch the lives of every employee or his family.

One Third Of All Firms

The plant’s contributions represent almost one-third of the Industrial division’s goal of $65,000. The success of this year’s campaign reflects the vital concern and involvement of employees in community problems and activities by helping the mentally retarded, children with cerebral palsy, the free blood programs of the Red Cross and the many youth organizations in the Fund.

Four Departments Top Their Goals

Reclaim Production, under the Chairmanship of Bob Foltz, Joe Rzeszutek and Pat Tortorici; Synthetic Production under Chairmanship of Leon Raskauskas, Archie Civitello and Carl Wehmann; Engineering under Vic Anderson as Chairman; and Materials Handling with Hank Lynch, Chairman.

Exceeding last year’s pledges were Chemical Production, Factory Services, Research and Development, and the Accounting Department.

Research and Development contributed the highest amount $5,878, with the Division’s offices contributing $2,841. Every group deserves commendation for their generous support of the drive through the payroll deduction plan and “give where you work”.

More than 1,100 employees participated in the drive with 404 not participating for various reasons. The average pledge of contributors came close to $20 which is one of the highest of any company in Naugatuck and Beacon Falls. While individual contributions varied, some people pledged a $1.00 a week and some contributed $200 annually.

Close Doors, And Windows At Night

by Ed Weaving

With cold weather here and long weekend shutdowns due to the season holidays, foremen, supervisors, and employees of different departments should make sure doors and windows are closed, especially during nights and weekends, to preserve heat in the buildings and prevent freezing of the sprinkler systems.

Chairmen Do Good Job

The success of the campaign was undoubtedly due to the generous spirit of employees, but a good amount of credit belongs to the committee which organized the drive and did the canvassing. The Executive Committee for the drive was Eric Johnson, Chairman, Roger Amidon, Vic Anderson, Joe Bucciaglia, Bob Foltz, Gene Hertel, Frank Lynch, Milt Makoski, Leon Raskauskas, Joe Rzeszutek and Jack Vergosen.

Chairman of the plant sections and departments were Mike Dodd, Bob Grahame, Al Juliano, Paul Laurenzi, Roger Lestage, Stan Mazur, Phil Morin, Doug Ritchie, Sal Sapio, Dom Scalzo, Pat Tortorici, Mary Vergosen, and Carl Wehmann.

During the day windows and doors are often opened particularly if weather suddenly becomes warm, and are left opened during the night when the temperature drops below freezing. This causes freezing of the sprinklers which results in breakage and water discharge. As a result, not only is equipment and material damaged, production stopped, but cleanup operations are involved as well as a shutdown of vital sprinkler protection against fire for the plant’s safety.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

Pollution of Naugatuck River To Be Controlled

(Continued from page 1)

Naugatuck river at the south end of the plant. They will consist of waste collection pipe lines, pumping stations, neutralizing facilities and coagulating – settling basins.

Operations Building And Laboratory

A two story operations building will be constructed for storing and adding waste water treatment chemicals. A laboratory will be included in the building where control analyses will be made to insure that the wastes are pretreated properly for acceptance into the Borough’s water pollution control facility.

Completion Scheduled For April 1972

Completion of construction is scheduled for April 1972 in compliance with orders from the State Water Resources Commission.

The pre-treatment plant is based on extensive laboratory and pilot plant work which has been conducted at the Chemical plant for the past four years at a cost of more than $300,000.

Man Falls, Breaks Leg

(Continued from page 1)

safety both on and off the job. When working or walking outside, watch out for icy patches to prevent slips and falls which may result in serious injuries. Every effort will be made by the Materials department to keep areas sanded but its virtually impossible to sand every spot in the plant.

It’s every employees responsibility to sand an icy area or to report ice or hazardous conditions to his foreman or supervisor who will contact the Materials department to correct the situation.

Major Step In Pollution Control

The Naugatuck River south of Thomaston has been assigned a C classification by the State Water Resources Commission. Class C is defined as “suitable for fish and wildlife habitat, recreational boating and industrial process and cooling”.

The waste water pre-treatment plant is designed to control water pollution consistent with the State requirements for Class C waters.

This water pollution control facility is part of the long range program for improving the quality of the nation’s rivers and lakes.

[PHOTO: Four men in hard hats examining documents outdoors]

Dick Shaw, project engineer for new plant discusses site with, left to right, Gordon Anderson, Shaw, George Vila, and John Evans.

CHEM TEXTS

PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770

EDITOR: William F. Lavelle.

UNIROYAL Chemical
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 10
Naugatuck, Conn. 06770

RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 10 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 3 No. 10 | Page 3

Production Goal Topped By Synthetic Plant’s “C” Crew

The Synthetic Processing C crew averaged 9.2 charged batches of latex daily for one full week, surpassing the 9 batches processed by the A crew recently. This production rate is a significant step in improving our competitive position by manufacturing a lower cost product.

The latex business today is a highly competitive business with large chemical companies as Dow, Goodrich, General Tire, Firestone, Shell and Goodyear competing with us for the same markets and customers. Efficient production of a quality latex, and prompt customer service are essential factors in keeping and improving our present business and ultimately better job security. Like ourselves, our customers are “shoppers”; they shop for the best products at the best price.

Although the C crew went over the goal, it required the combined effort of the A and B crews to achieve it. Continued production of 27 batches a day requires the fullest effort of every person in the Synthetic plant, as every employee in every department plays an important role in its success.

[PHOTO CAPTION:]
In rear left to right are Ralph Pilbro, Howard Slason, Rocco Magnamo, Foreman, and Joe Morrison. Left to right in front, Jerry McCabe, John Kennedy, and Bill Wasilus.

[PHOTO CAPTION:]
Other “C” crew members are rear left to right, Leonard Dumonski, Fred Miller, Fernando Henriques, Al Happy. Left to right front are Frank Dowling and Frank Giordano, Ass’t. Dept. Foreman.

Answer First Ring

Ever feel like throwing the telephone out the window? Or wonder why you go home from work with a splitting headache, tense and tired.

With almost 1,000 phones including extensions, and 50,000 incoming calls a month, plus the thousands of intra office calls each day, the telephone has become a serious detriment to the quiet needed to concentrate on our work, and a tension builder.

By answering the phone on the first ring, you can help reduce the noise in your area. If someone is away from their desk be courteous, and answer their phone. And if you’re the caller and no one answers, after a few rings hang up and call later.

Until the telephone company invents a soft, sweet, musical ring, try answering your phone on the first ring. You’ll go home feeling better . . . and customers will consider us an efficient, interested company.

And always answer the phone in a courteous manner.

No Lost Time Accidents In October

by Sal Aloise

During the month of October we had no lost time accidents, but we did not get away free completely. Injuries did occur during the month, however, which were of a serious nature.

8 Serious Injuries

During October we had eight serious injuries, all of which could have been prevented: one eye injury; 4 sutures; and 3 work changes.

With more effort and more concern, we can and will prevent careless accidents. If everyone helps, we will have an injury-free plant in which to work.

There is an old saying that “repetition is the essence of learning”. Only by constantly repeating to ourselves that “safety is my responsibility” will each employee have a greater concern for his own safety and the safety of his fellow employees. No matter what is done in the plant to improve safety conditions, accidents will happen unless every employee continually reminds himself that he is responsible for his own and his fellow employees’ safety.

Rubber Causes Minor Fire

An accumulation of rubber in the housing of a digestor caused a fire recently through spontaneous ignition. The rubber had worked out of the gasket around the agitator drive shaft and accumulated in the housing between the drive motor and the digestor.

Alert Employee Prevents Damage

An alert employee used a dry powder fire extinguisher to put out the fire and completely covered the rubber accumulation, preventing a reflash before the housing was cleaned out.

Good Housekeeping Prevents Fires

The fast removal of such rubber accumulation is extremely important in the prevention of fire. Good housekeeping around the digesters and Holo-Flite dryer is the only way to prevent spontaneous ignition of rubber, oil and grease from coming in contact with the extremely hot operating equipment.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

PLANT URW LOCALS ELECT OFFICERS

[PHOTO CAPTION:]
New URW Local 218 officers are from left, Don Boyles, secretary; Dom Persutti, vice-president; Joe Rzeszutek, president; and John Hoey, treasurer.

[PHOTO CAPTION:]
Officers of Local 308 will hold office for next two years. From left are Charlie Roland, Vice President; Leon Raskauskas, President; and Rocco Manulla, Treasurer. Standing is Archie Civitello, Secretary.

by Joe Rzeszutek, and Leon Raskauskas

Local 218 of the United Rubber Workers which represents wage employees in the Chemical plant elected Joe Rzeszutek, President; Dom Persutti, Vice-President; Don Boyles, Secretary; and John Hoey, Treasurer in recent held elections for a two-year term.

Elected to the Executive Board were Henry Hook, Edith Evans, Bill Fruin, Frank Maffia, Frank Commendatore, Julius Cohen and Harry Arendholz.

Lost Production Costs Money

Although the fire wasn’t serious, and no damage incurred, it stopped operations and caused lost production time.

Every employee has an individual responsibility to maintain good housekeeping and safety standards in his area. Our safety and jobs depend upon it.

Named Trustees for the Local were Frank Wasilesky and Harry Grant.

Leon Raskauskas was elected President of the United Rubber Workers Local 308 representing the Synthetic plant wage employees. Charlie Roland was elected Vice-President, Archie Civitello, Secretary; and Rocco Manulla, Treasurer.

Executive Board members elected were Walter Bieleski, Art Calder, Ernie Molnar, Wes Burns, John Sullivan and Joe Adamaitis.

Uniroyal Gets $1,478,000 Contract

Uniroyal received an Air Force contract of $540,000 for tubeless aircraft tires as a supplement to a previous contract of $938,000 for a total award of $1,478,000.

Big tire orders depend strongly on the quality of the chemicals made at the Naugatuck plant, and help keep us in business.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 6 – Page 2

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

Page 2 | CHEM-TEXTS | Vol. 3, No. 8

FROM THE FACTORY MANAGER

DEAR FELLOW EMPLOYEES:

October again brings us each the opportunity to invest in the sixteen agencies supported by the United Givers of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls. Each of these agencies, working in essential health, welfare and educational activities, makes our community a better place to live for our families and our friends. Beyond this, many of the agencies have an outreach of service beyond our borders to neighboring towns and to the nation.

We at Uniroyal Chemical have, in each year’s campaign, shown a greater willingness to give to these causes. Yet, our average gift per employee last year was something less than $13.00 per year for all of these needs. Our average is this low because some one-third of us did not give last year and some half of us gave a cash donation rather than spreading our giving by utilizing the payroll deduction plan.

When the canvasser calls on us this year, let’s all give something and let’s all pledge on payroll deductions. I think we all will be pleasantly surprised when the results are in.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

John D. Evans

Three Named Chairmen For Borough’s United Givers Drive

[IMAGE: Photo of three men in business attire having a discussion]

Ron Mitchinson, right, Industrial Relations Manager, and this year’s United Givers Campaign Chairman for Naugatuck and Beacon Falls discusses plans with Doug Miller, Engineering Superintendent, Corporate Division Chairman. Absent was Fred Wintsch, Chairman of the Commercial Division.

Over the years, the Naugatuck plant has participated in community activities by sponsoring the Junior Achievement, Naugatuck High School Career Observation Program, the Explorers, the United Givers, and other community and civic programs.

For its campaign drive this year, the United Givers of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls named Ron Mitchinson Industrial Relations Manager, Campaign Chairman for the overall drive; Doug Miller, Superintendent of Engineering, as Chairman of the Corporate division and Fred Wintsch, Labor Relations Manager, as Chairman of the Commercial group.

The annual United Givers drive is one of the major events in the community to support the charitable, social and youth work of the 16 Agencies in the campaign. This year’s goal for the campaign is $145,000 to help continue and improve the worthwhile activities of the participating groups.

Dr. Jelley New Plant Doctor

[IMAGE: Photo of Dr. Jelley reviewing medical records with Ann McAllister]

Dr. Jelley reviews medical records with Ann McAllister, R.N., Synthetic Hospital nurse.

by Bob Shortt

Dr. Edward Jelley accepted the position of plant physician replacing Dr. Elser. Dr. Jelley, a prominent physician with offices in Naugatuck, will be available at the Chemical Plant hospital from 8:30 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. and at the Synthetic Plant hospital from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

The Chemical and Synthetic plant nurses, Adeline Farrar, R.N. and Ann McAllister, R.N., are on duty from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. The Chemical nurse is also on duty Saturday morning, 8:00 A.M. to 12 Noon.

To prevent cuts, bruises or dust in the eye from becoming serious injuries, employees should see the plant nurse immediately and have the problem taken care of as a preventive measure against further complications.

In case of an accident or injury during the second or third shift, the night general foreman should be contacted by calling the night watchman on EXT. 670 who will contact the general foreman by radio for immediate attention.

Employee Snow Tire Sale On

The special employee snow tire sale runs for two months until Nov. 28. On sale are the Glas-Belt Snowplow, Glas-Belt Winter Patrol, Snowplow, and the Winter Patrol.

Purchases may be made at Uniroyal Home and Auto Centers and Uniroyal Tire Dealers.

Slips can be obtained from Industrial Relations; Ann McAllister, Synthetic plant nurse; Luella Anderson TSSC; and Diana Strollo, EMIC.

United Givers: (cont’d. from pg. 1)

The Executive Committee for the plant is Eric Johnson, Leon Raskauskas, Joe Rzeszutek, Milt Makoski, Gene Hertel, Roger Amidon, Jack Vergosen, Joe Bucciaglia, Bob Foltz, Frank Lynch and Vic Anderson.

Chairmen of the various plant sections and departments are Roger Lestage, Pat Tortorici, Carl Wehmann, Paul Laurenzi, Sal Sapio, Mike Dodd, Phil Morin, Stan Mazur, Doug Ritchie, Bob Grahame, Dom Scalzo, Al Juliano and Mary Vergosen.

Dividend Declared

Uniroyal declared a dividend of 17½ cents a share on its common stock. The dividend was payable September 25 to stockholders of record on August 25.

A dividend of $2 a share on the 8 percent first preferred stock was also declared and payable September 25 to stockholders of record on August 25.

“GIVE WHERE YOU WORK”

New Staff For Chemical Control Center

New assignments were made to the Chemical Production Control Center which was recently established. Heading the new system is Walt Frankenberger, and working as Technical Assistant is Clark Makinson.

Tom Dowling will coordinate mechanical work in the chemical plant.

Francis Egan and Matty Mathewson will work on scheduling, raw materials and quality control. Also assigned to the Center, Mildred Finsel will handle the clerical responsibilities.

As a result of the new staff assignments, several changes were made in the plant.

John Honyotski assumes responsibility for all thiazoles operations. Tom Engle takes over as Foreman in thiazole operations. Lloyd McCoy assumes charge of Bldg. 100. Earl Roller becomes Foreman of the Central Finishing Dept. Bob Cronin was made Foreman of Bldg. 88 and Tom Carey assumes the position of Production Clerk.

Fathers-Sons See Amazing Mets Play

The photo below shows some of the eighty-three who attended the Mets-Dodgers baseball game at Shea Stadium on Saturday, August 23. The Father-Son baseball trip sponsored by the Foremen’s Club was a big success and, according to Lou Kaiser, the Club’s president, the inspiration that started the Mets on their phenomenal drive to first place in the National League pennant race.

[IMAGE: Photo showing crowd at baseball stadium]

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3, 1969, No. 6 – Page 1

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

UNIROYAL CHEM-TEXTS

Vol. 3, 1969 PUBLISHED FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL No. 8

United Givers Goal $22,000. “Give Where You Work” Vital To Drive’s Success.

[IMAGE: Black and white photograph showing faces of children and adults looking upward]

Who can refuse to help others who need our help today when tomorrow we or someone in our family may need help?

Eric Johnson of Synthetic Production was named to head the United Givers annual drive conducted at the Naugatuck location to support the many charitable, social, and youth activities of the 16 Agencies in the Fund. The drive started on October 6. The once-a-year campaign to raise $22,000 has always resulted in a generous response from Uniroyal Chemical people, as evidenced in last year’s drive in which close to 70% of the employees contributed, topping the goal with a 102% performance.

Give Where You Work

The success of this year’s drive will be achieved only if employees “Give Where You Work”. Whether an employee lives in Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Waterbury, New Haven, Cheshire, Middlebury, Wolcott, Watertown, Woodbury or other towns, the success of every United Givers drive depends on “giving where you work”. This is the basic policy of the United Givers and the only way that any community can attain its goal to meet the needs of the Agencies.

Payroll Deduction

The most convenient way to contribute is through the payroll deduction plan. Your pledge will be deducted from your paycheck on a regular basis. Deductions will start January 1, 1970 and continue through the year. The 16 Agencies in the Fund desperately need financial help to not only continue their work but to improve their facilities and services to people. If every employee contributes through the payroll deduction plan, the plant’s campaign will be a great success in providing these much needed funds.

How Much?

Is one hour’s pay too much? It sounds high but most employees could contribute this amount. With the highest standard of living in the world – 2-3 cars per family, good incomes, color TV, a boat – most of us are fortunate to enjoy the good things of life. Your one hour’s pay a month can work wonders in giving some happiness to the many people around us who desperately need help. If your pocketbook finds this amount too much, you can reduce it accordingly to what your heart can afford.

Who Benefits?

All of us benefit in some way, whether residents of Naugatuck, Beacon Falls or not. The Agencies provide services to most surrounding towns in which employees live. Their excellent work affects us, our families or friends in some manner. Some Agencies like the U.S.O., Salvation Army, United Cerebral Palsy and the Red Cross are national in their service. Veterans and families with sons or daughters in the U.S. Armed Forces know what the U.S.O. has done in every part of the world to bring “home and welcome” to a lonely serviceman in Vietnam, Germany, Thailand, or some far-from-home base in the U.S.

Tax Deductible

All contributions to the United Givers are tax deductible and can be deducted from your income tax.

The Agencies

Agencies participating in the drive are the Red Cross, Child Guidance Clinic, Children’s Center, Girl Scouts, Catholic Family Services, Family Services Association, Boy Scouts, Junior Athletic Leagues, Salvation Army, United Cerebral Palsy, U.S.O., Waterbury Association for Retarded Children and the Naugatuck YMCA. You can contribute to all of these Agencies or select the ones of your preference.

(continued on page 2)

Uniroyal Pays 20% Increase In Benefits

Starting August 1, 1969, Uniroyal absorbed the 20% increase in the Hospitalization, Surgical and In-Hospital medical benefits.

This insurance coverage now averages $30.37 a month for each eligible employee, all of which is paid for by the company. For 12 months this benefit amounts to $364.44, a substantial amount if each employee had to pay it himself for health protection for himself and his family.

[IMAGE: Group photograph of men in business attire reviewing documents]

Eric Johnson reviews plans with United Givers committee. In front left to right are Joe Rzeszutek, Johnson, and Roger Amidon. Left to right standing are Gene Hertel, Vic Anderson, Jack Vergosen, Bob Foltz and Milt Makoski. Absent were Leon Raskauskas, Joe Bucciaglia and Frank Lynch.

“GIVE WHERE YOU WORK”

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 5 – Page 4

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 4 | Vol. 3 No. 5

Technical Team Wins Bowling League

by Shirley Sandora

The Uniroyal Chemical Handicap Bowling League ended its season with the Technical team, first half winner, defeating the Atatics, second half winner, in the roll-off to take first place.

Eight teams, registered with the National Duckpin Bowling Congress, made up the league: Engineering, Atatics, Technical, Synthetic, EMIC, Process Development, Distribution/Scheduling and

Dick Terino, Sales, curves a left hander down the alley. (Photos by Bob Foltz).

Shirley Sandora, R & D, top bowler among the women, shows how to make a strike.

Pilot Plant. The teams bowled 36 games during the season on Wednesday nights, and finished the season with a banquet at Lift-The-Latch Inn on Saturday, May 24, at which prizes and trophies were awarded, to which the Chemical plant makes a donation. A National Bowling Congress “Big 40 Club” went to Karen DiDominzio and a “Big 50 Club” to Dom Pape.

First half awards went to Frank Barrows for Men’s

High Average and High Three; Men’s High Single, Al Lanouette; Women’s High Average and High Three, Kaye Johnson; Women’s High Single, Shirley Sandora; Men’s High No-Mark Game, Ron Redline; Women’s High No-Mark, Ronnie Dierling.

Second half awards went to Adrian Hanley for Men’s High Average and High Three; Women’s High Average and High Three, Kaye Johnson; Women’s High Single, a tie between Shirley Sandora and Ronnie Dierling; Men’s High No-Mark John Stamm; Women’s High No-Mark, Celeste Churchill.

The Most Improved Bowler Patch award went to Karen DiDominzio.

Bowlers participating in the league were Marcella Pape, Dom Pape, Ron Redline, Jo Greco, Shirley Sandora, Dave Boulanger, Paul Williams, Ronnie Dierling,

Unions Set Picnic Dates

by Joe Arbachauskas and Joe Rzeszutek

Local 308 will hold a picnic for members on Sunday, July 13, at Schildgen’s Grove in Union City from 11:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. Chairman of the picnic is Art Calder, with Manny Matos, Jessie Silva and Ben Tomaszeski serving on the committee. Joe Arbachauskas, Local president, and Calder promise that plenty of excellent food and refreshments will be available for an enjoyable day.

Local 218’s picnic is set for Saturday, August 2, at Holiday Hill in Prospect from

11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Union members and their families including children up to 18 years of age are invited. Joe Rzeszutek, Local president, pointed out that retired members are invited to the affair. Chairman Roger Lestage and his committee are preparing a gourmet’s dinner of roast beef and chicken to be served at 4:00 P.M.

Swimming, games and plenty of food and cooling refreshments are included to make it a pleasant day for members and their families.

Canaries Check Unsafe Conditions

For 20 years, canaries have tested enclosed vessels and tanks for oxygen supply and harmful vapors. The four canaries kept at the Synthetic plant have been used by the tank cleaners to assure that a sufficient oxygen supply is in the tanks and that no explosive mixtures exist before they clean them.

Today, the fire inspectors use an oxygen meter and vapor meter to check unsafe conditions, but the canaries are still kept as an extra safety precaution.

Swanson, Gaizutis Retire

Congratulating Carl Swanson, seated, on his retirement after 46 years are left to right: Edna Crycheau, Norm Gibbs, Marcella Pape, Angie Mariano, Julie Curtin and Marie Marrello.

Frank Gaizutis poses in front of High Pressure laboratory he designed with left to right: Jim Donnelly, Bob Smith, Gaizutis, Ernst Krauss and Steve Alper. Frank retired from Engineering after 17 years.

Gladys Bradshaw, Industrial Relations, lets go a strike.

Kaye Johnson, Tom Johnson, Larry Koth, Ken Canham, Bob Foltz, Celeste Churchill, Jean Kelley, Larry Terra, John Stamm, Ann Stamm, Verne Arndt, Gary Arndt, John Sierakowski, Karen DiDominzio, Gladys Bradshaw, Tony Amador, John Enamait, Al Enamait, Tim Carr, Julius Rek, Babe Hanley, Lina Hanley, Marie Yaroshefski, Al Lanouette, Frank Guerrera, Sal Falcone and Ada Falcone.

Officers of the league were Al Lanouette, president; Adrian Hanley, vice-president; Ron Redline, treasurer; Shirley Sandora, secretary.

Marcella Pape, Accounting, shows perfect bowling form.

Fire Inspectors, Ed Curby, left, and John Mello hold canary used to test oxygen supply and vapors in tanks.

CHEM TEXTS

PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770

EDITOR: William F. Lavelle.

UNIROYAL Chemical
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 10
Naugatuck, Conn. 06770

RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 3 – Page 4

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

Page 4 CHEM-TEXTS Vol. 3 No. 3

Valentine, Amador, Sears, Spina Retire. Total 138 Years Service.

[PHOTO]

Bert Scullin makes Val Valentine, center, and his daughter, Mrs. Joseph Wojtczak Jr. chuckle at retirement dinner honoring Val for his 36 years service. (Kirkendall photo)

[PHOTO]

Manuel Amador, left, is congratulated by Joe Rzeszutek, President URW, Local 218, on his retirement from Reclaim Production. Amador had 41 years service with Uniroyal. (Kirkendall photo)

[PHOTO]

Joe Arbachauskas, URW president, Local 308 congratulates Norm Sears, center, on his retirement after 43 years, as Tom Gambardella watches. Standing are Jack Muckle, left and Bob Curtin.

“That’s The Way We Always Did It”

Have you ever asked why something was done in a certain way, only to be told, “Because that’s the way we always did it”?

Perhaps the classic example of this kind of senseless and stubborn adherence to precedent occurred when Bismark was ambassador to the court of Alexander II. Looking out a window of the Peterhof Palace, in 1860, Bismark noticed a sentry standing watch in the middle of the lawn and idly asked the Czar why the man was there. The Czar asked an aid-decamp. He didn’t know. The general commanding the troops at the palace was summoned. He didn’t know either.

“Then find out why and report to me,” commanded the Czar.

It took three days of intensive investigation, but finally the general came back with the answer.

It seemed that in 1780, on a fine spring morning, Catherine the Great had looked out the window and had seen the first flower thrusting above the frozen grass. She had ordered a sentry posted there to prevent anyone from picking the flower or inadvertently stepping on it. And eighty years later, the sentry was still there. No one had ever asked that simple, one-word question: “Why?”

DOM SPINA RETIRES

Domenic Spina retired from the Synthetic Mechanical department after 18 years service with Uniroyal Chemical.

Safety Glasses Replaced Free, But Not Your Eyesight

[PHOTO]

Kevin Kelley of the Research and Development department, while performing development work in Bldg. 61 laboratory, had a close call when the unexpected happened.

Kevin was using a regular gallon jug in a dry ice and acetone bath to make a 50 percent caustic solution. The temperature differential caused the jug to burst and the contents spilled onto the dry ice and covered the upper portion of his body and his eyes. Fortunately, he was wearing his safety glasses and prevented serious injury to his eyesight.

By being safe at work and wearing the proper protective equipment for the job, serious accidents are avoided. Your unsafe act may not hurt you, but it could seriously injure one of your fellow employees.

Purchase Of 1 Bond And 1 Share Per Employee, Bond Drive Goal

During May employees will have the opportunity to purchase U.S. Savings Bonds and Freedom Shares conveniently through payroll deductions. The goal for the 1969 drive is the purchase of one Bond and one Share by each employee. Presently 37% of our employees participate in the Payroll Savings Plans for U.S. Bonds, compared to a Uniroyal average of 52%.

The Payroll Savings Plan offers an opportunity for systematic savings to save for a secure future in one of the world’s safest, and most broadly effective, investment programs. Through systematic, easy thrift deductions you watch your savings grow automatically.

Purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds protects against inflation, keeps our economy stable and our dollar sound. Savings Bonds involve you actively in helping the Government stop inflation, a major economic problem facing all of us today.

This safe and economical investment is exempt from state and local income taxes. Payment of federal income tax on E bond interest may be deferred until the bonds are redeemed. 70% of Savings Bonds purchasers do not redeem them until age 65. In this way, the tax liability could be greatly reduced and possibly eliminated.

For only $39 you receive $50. through the purchase of a Series E Bond ($18.75 and redeemable in 7 years) and a Freedom Share ($20.25 and redeemable in 4½ years). By purchase of only one Bond and one Share, you can start a good systematic savings plan for yourself and your family.

Heading this year’s drive as Chairman will be Bill Lavelle of the Industrial Relations Department.

Know Your Benefits . . .

(con’t. from page 3)

4 weeks . . . . . . 8% of earnings
5 weeks . . . . . 10% of earnings
6 weeks . . . . . 12% of earnings

Q. Do I receive any vacation this year if I was hired 2 months ago: e.g. March 1969?
A. No, but you are eligible for vacation pay on your 1st. anniversary of your employment.

Q. If I am eligible for vacation, do I have to take the time off?
A. Yes, employees with 2 weeks vacation eligibility must take the 2 weeks.

Q. Am I allowed to receive vacation pay in lieu of time off?

A. Wage employees eligible for vacation weeks in excess of scheduled plant shutdowns or 2 weeks, whichever is greater, may at their request and with the approval of management, receive vacation pay instead of time off, up to maximum of 2 weeks. Election to receive in lieu of payment must be made no later than September 15 of the year in which taken.

If you have any questions about your vacation time, or pay, your foreman or supervisor will be glad to help you. Or you can consult your Union Contract booklet for fuller details.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

CHEM TEXTS

PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770

EDITOR: W.F. Lavelle.

UNIROYAL Chemical
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 10
Naugatuck, Conn. 06770

RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

Froehlich Returns From Ohio Parleys

February 18, 2026January 1, 1969 by OCR SCANNER

Froehlich Returns From Ohio Parleys

4/25/67 [handwritten]

NAUGATUCK—Union members of Locals 45 and 218 of United Rubber workers were informed on the progress of negotiations in Cincinnati although union officials declined to say what specifically had been discussed at the meetings Monday.

The presidents of the three locals, George Froehlich from Local 45, Joseph Rzeszutek from Local 218 and Edward Alves from Local 308, returned from Cincinnati over the weekend for a breather and a chance to talk to the union members.

Whether the meetings held were for information only or for policy review was not learned, although Froehlich siad he had “met with the executive board” Monday morning. He will return to Cincinnati today to resume negotiations Wednesday.

Although picketing remains quiet at the borough operations, with no official report of difficulties, officials of the Chemical Division, Local 218, report that members of the local will picket the plant “24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In addition, it was reported, members will picket in three-hour shifts. Local 218 began a buildup of picketing Friday when some members decided to picket throughout the night and most of Saturday.

Local 45, Footwear Plant, continue to picket in two-hour shifts from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The same procedure is being used by Local 308.

The Associated Press reported that pickets from a rebel Chicago local paraded Monday at facilities of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. — the only one of the industry’s “Big Four” not hit by a URW strike.

Work continued on a day-by-day basis at Goodyear under a contract extension after the contract ran out Thursday.

Although talks are reportedly still in progress between Goodyear and the URW, some 500 members of Local 532 walked out at Goodyear’s industrial hose plant in North Chicago. Local leaders said they would try to urge other Goodyear locals to follow suit.

A score of pickets at the plant carried signs saying,”Must we stand alone?” and “Local 532 on strike.”

Besides the approximately 5,000 workers at the borough Uniroyal plants, some 16,000 other Uniroyal employes connected with the URW are on strike, as are 17,585 at Firestone and 10,930 at B. F. Goodrich.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 2 No. 3 – Page 3

February 18, 2026January 1, 1968 by OCR SCANNER

CHEM-TEXTS

Page 3 | Vol. 2 No. 3

HOUSEKEEPING IMPRESSES G. VILA ON PLANT VISIT

In 1936 George R. Vila joined Uniroyal Chemical, worked in the labs for a short time and became a salesman for rubber chemicals. 32 years later he returned to the Naugatuck plant where he started his career, as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Uniroyal, Inc. for a full day visit of the plant facilities.

After a quick tour of the EMIC and TSSC buildings, Mr. Vila led F. Hopkins, G. Anderson, J. Evans, J. Cronin, B. Leach, H. Scullin and R. Van Allen on a “jogging” trip through the plant that ended late in the day.

The housekeeping, cleanliness of the plant and the buildings impressed Mr. Vila considerably. Since his last visit to the plant, he “was startled at some of the changes that have taken place — new machinery, new methods, and new products.”

As he stated in Uniroyal World, “I was also impressed by the fact that many things have’nt changed, particularly those concerning the human beings who do the work in our factories . . . Whether executive, manager, salesman, scientist or production worker, we are striving for the same things, sharing the same difficulties, and enjoying the same advantages”.

With housekeeping in tip top shape through the efforts of the Materials Dept. and every employee, the challenge is to keep it this way . . . even improve it. Everyone prefers to work in a clean plant; they not only enjoy the better working conditions, but safety is improved and injuries avoided.

L to R: James A. Cronin, Superintendent of Chemical Production watches as George R. Vila, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Uniroyal, Inc., shakes hands with Edward C. Watts who has worked for the Chemical division 42 years.

L to R: On his tour Mr. Vila stops in to visit Patrick P. Sgrillo while John D. Evans, center, looks on.

Cerinus J. Barriault of the Materials Handling Department unexpectedly meets George R. Vila as he leaves Bldg. 86 Warehouse. On the left is Herbert P. Scullin, Superintendent of Materials Handling; with back to camera on the right is John D. Evans.

L to R: Cyrus J. Blanchard, Vice-President of Local Union 218 of the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America looks on as George R. Vila shakes hands with Joseph Rzeszutek, President of Local Union 218. Seated at right is Walter M. Scott.

Gordon A. Anderson, George R. Vila and Dr. Charles D. McCleary, Director of Research and Development for the Uniroyal Chemical division, converse with Edward Alves, President of Local Union 308 of the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America.

L to R: Francis D. Maher, Kermit M. Snyder, Edward A. Szczesiul and Nunzie A. Ruby, Chemical Production operators welcome George R. Vila as Gordon A. Anderson, Director of Manufacturing for the Chemical division, James A. Cronin and John D. Evans watch.

Synthetic Production, Materials Handling Win Dinners

The Dinner award winners for the first quarter of the year were the Synthetic Production and Material Handlings department. Both departments worked 3 consecutive months without a lost time or serious injury. Free dinners at a restaurant of their choice were given to Armanda Vierira of the Materials Dept. and William Wasilus of Synthetic Production.

In the second quarter of the year (April, May, and June) no department qualified for the “Free Dinner” award. Safety slipped in every department with a lost time or serious injury occurring in each department during the three months.

To qualify for the $15 Dinner Award, a department must work 3 months of the quarter without a lost time or serious injury.

Two Departments Win July Contest For Free Coffee.

Only two departments worked without a lost time or serious injury in July to qualify for “Free Coffee.” The departments were Chemical Maintenance and Synthetic Maintenance. The “Free Coffee” cards can be picked up from foremen or supervisors.

Debra Dubinsky Gets Foremen’s Club Scholarship

Lou Kaiser, president of the Uniroyal Chemical Foremen’s Club announced that Debra Dubinsky, a senior at Kennedy High School, was the first recipient of the $250 scholarship award initiated this year. Her mother is presently employed in the Order Processing Department. The scholarship was available to employees’ sons or daughters who were high school seniors and planned on a college education.

The committee of Dr. Phil Paul, Joe Murtha, Tom Dowling, and Hank Lynch selected Miss Dubinsky on the basis of her scholastic record and her participation in school and civic activities. She will attend Central Connecticut State College, majoring in mathematics and plans a career in teaching upon graduation.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 2 No. 2 – Page 4

February 18, 2026January 1, 1968 by OCR SCANNER

Page 4 | CHEM TEXTS | Vol. 2 No. 2

[IMAGE: Safety glasses with visible damage/marks]

Safety Glasses Save Employee’s Eyesight

While U. Genga of the Materials Handling group was unloading cyclohexylamine drums, the bung sprung off and the “heel” splashed against his eyes. Fortunately he was wearing his safety glasses at the time. The picture shows how the glasses protected his eyes against serious chemical burns, and possibly loss of his sight. His only injury was slight burns of the eye lids.

It’s a good idea to always wear your safety glasses. You can never be sure when something unexpected will happen. You can bet U. Genga was glad he wore his.

Enter Safety Slogan Contest Win $25.

You, your sons, your daughters, your wife, the whole family can win a $25.00 gift certificate for the employee salesroom or any Uniroyal Company store. For a few minutes of time you may easily be the winner in this Slogan Contest.

The rules for the contest are simple:

Each member of the family may submit as many slogans as they want.
The entry must be 10 words or less.
An entry can be re-submitted in new contests provided it has never won.
The decision of the 3 judges is final.
All employees can enter except the plant staff and members of the joint union-management safety committee.
If you don’t use the form, be sure you include all of the nessary information on your entry.
The contest closes June 28.

SAFETY SLOGAN

Contest #2

Date:___

Name___

Address___

Dept.___

My suggestions are:

1.___

2.___

3.___

4.___

5.___

JIM HARTNETT WINS THE SAFETY SLOGAN CONTEST

[IMAGE: Man standing next to Uniroyal U.S. Rubber truck]

Jim Hartnet, of the Materials Division, won 1st. prize, a $25. gift certificate. His winning slogan was: “Safety 1st. is 2nd. to none.” Judges were Union Safety Committeeman, Walter Scott; Hank DeVries and Sal Aloise of the Industrial Relations department.

[IMAGE: Three men at table signing documents]

170 UNION EMPLOYEES SIGN UP FOR IN-PLANT BANKING PROGRAM

Banking is easier with the new “In-Plant” banking and saving program set up by Local 218 of the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America and the Naugatuck Office of the Waterbury National Bank.

According to Union President Joe Rzeszutek and Vice-President Cy Blanchard, the new program is available to all members of Local 218. 170 union employees have signed up for the plan.

The “In-Plant” banking and savings program was set up for the convenience of the union employee. Under the plan, a member authorizes weekly paycheck deductions which are deposited directly to any number of the Bank’s services such as checking, savings accounts, Christmas clubs or loan repayments.

The Bank also provides additional services including financial counselling on money management and the availability of individual lines of credit for union members.

Union members interested in the plan can call or stop in at the Waterbury National Bank in Naugatuck or at its branch offices. Before you buy your next car, improve your home, start a checking account, or need vacation expenses, investigate the lower interest rates offered in the plan.

CHEM TEXTS

PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT

UNIROYAL Chemical
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 10
Naugatuck, Conn. 06770

Picket Lines Stay Quiet At Uniroyal

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

Picket Lines Stay Quiet At Uniroyal

Thurs MAY 18, 1967 [handwritten notation]

Naugatuck-picket lines at the strikebound Uniroyal Chemical division remained quiet throughout the night and this morning following a meeting between John Evans, plant manager and other company officials and Local 213 President Joseph Rzesutzek, Wednesday morning.

Evans said the company was “contemplating” shipping from the plant, however, no shipments were reported to have been made to date.

Evans said he had no comment to make following a meeting between management and Local 218 officials Wednesday morning, and cited the agreement with the union that no statements would be issued while negotiations were in progress.

Joseph Rzeszutek, who had flown in from Cincinnati Tuesday night, concurred with Evans that no comment would be made.

Rzeszutek said that picket teams would not be increased but would continue on the normal, around-the-clock schedule.

Uniroyal Picket Lines Still Quiet

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

Uniroyal Picket Lines Still Quiet

Thursday MAY 18, 1967

NAUGATUCK — Although Naugatuck Chemical plant manager John Evans said Wednesday that the company was “contemplating” shipping from the plant, the scene on the United Rubber Workers Local 218 picket lines remained quiet throughout the day. No shipments were reported.

Local 218 President Joseph Rzeszutek, who had flown in from Cincinnati Tuesday night, concurred with Evans that no comment would be made.

Rzeszutek said that picket teams would not be increased but would continue on the normal, around-the-clock schedule.

Negotiations continued in Cincinnati Wednesday, although no word was available concerning the progress of the talks.

Train Enters Chemical Division Without Incident

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

Thursday MAY 18, 1967

Train Enters Chemical Division Without Incident

Three pickets stood at the main gate of the Chemical Division of UniRoyal, Inc., yesterday afternoon and watched a train go into the company’s yard without incident.

The engine of the train came into the local railroad station from Waterbury during the noon-hour, stopped at the local station where management and railroad police boarded the engine.

It then proceeded to the Elm St. railroad yard where it spent almost an hour switching cars and lining them up to take into the Chemical Division. When the train was ready to roll, railroad employes left the train to railroad management and railroad police to operate, honoring the United Rubber Workers picket line.

President Joseph Rzeszutek of Local 218, flew in from Cincinnati Tuesday night, when news of the company’s intent to start activity at the Chemical Co. was relayed to him.

He and other Union officials met yesterday morning in the offices of John Evans, manager of the Chemical Co., with Evans and Ronald Pohl, labor relations director. No comment on the meeting was released, by either management or labor.

The Union, laboring under the threat of an injunction, has been extremely cautious that no incidence occur.

This morning, all was quiet on the picket lines at the Chemical Division. Only three pickets were observed at the main gate, one of which was a woman.

Small teams of pickets were on duty at all gates of the borough’s UniRoyal plants this morning where calm is maintained.

A group of pickets at the Elm St. gate of the Footwear Warehouse came close to being run down by a truck attempting to enter the gate at a fast rate of speed. The pickets said that the truck was coming so fast that they were unable to move from its path where they were standing talking.

Local police on the scene slowed the truck down to avoid an accident.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The ‘Rubber Capital of the World’ today continues to function under a lengthy rubber strike.

Mayor John Ballard has expressed concern that an extended strike, and the resulting loss of workers’ income tax, will hamper city finances.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the General Tire and Rubber Co. and the United Rubber Workers Union remained recessed although both company and union officials say they can be resumed at any time.

The company’s 3,300 employes, covered by the union contract which expired at Monday midnight, continued working at the facilities here and at Waco, Tex.

In the rest of the industry, negotiations continued Wednesday with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. in Cleveland; with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and with UniRoyal in Cincinnati, and with B. F. Goodrich in Columbus.

Only Goodyear is continuing production, on a day to day basis. The other three companies are closed down by strikes. The companies have a mutual aid strike agreement.

A union spokesman said he could make no comment on the

Please Turn to Page 10

ONE OF EIGHT Local 218 members arrested in Naugatuck at the gate of the Uniroyal Chemical Plant this morning is led away by police to be booked on charges of breach of peace. Local Pres. Joseph Rzeszutek was one of those charged.

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

Thurs. May 25, 1967

ONE OF EIGHT Local 218 members arrested in Naugatuck at the gate of the Uniroyal Chemical Plant this morning is led away by police to be booked on charges of breach of peace. Local Pres. Joseph Rzeszutek was one of those charged.—King Photo.

Uniroyal Injunction Hearing Continued

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

SATURDAY MAY 27, 1967

Uniroyal Injunction Hearing Continued

NAUGATUCK An injunction sought by Uniroyal Chemical Friday against the United Rubber Workers was continued by Superior Court Judge Leo V. Gaffney.

The continuance was ordered following an early morning session of peaceful picketing by Local 218 at the Elm St. entrance to the plant. All personnel seeking entry into the plant passed through without incident.

In its court appearance Thursday, the local must show cause why an injunction should not be issued against “illegal picketing activities.”

Although the scene at the gate was quiet Friday morning, eight pickets were arrested Thursday at the same gate.

At that time pickets were attempting to stop management personnel from entering the plant to produce items management said wene needed for the Vietnam war effort.

Judge Gaffney said he knew “there was a spark of patriotism” in everyone and added he hoped this would lead to a lessening of tensions at the Chemical Plant.

Union Pres. Joseph Rzeszutek, one of those arrested Thursday, hotly denied that any of the items produced Thursday were going to Vietnam.

No witnesses were called in the case. Judge Gaffney met with union and management lawyers in chambers and then issued the order in open court.

Reclaim Slabs

Rzeszutek’s comments came after the court proceedings. He claimed only items shipped were “slabs of reclaim,” or slabs of rubber made by a reclaiming process starting with old tires and other rubber items.

“What are they going to do with slabs of reclaim, drop them from airplanes and smother the Viet Cong?” he asked.

The union president said he resented the implication that he and his union were unpatriotic rising from the company claim that the production was needed for the war effort.

Rzeszutek said he was a veteran of combat and “had been shot up a few times” himself.

“I certainly don’t want our men to do without anything they need,” he said.

He said he could guarantee that not one thing had been shipped from the Chemical Plant to Vietnam.

A company official was quoted Thursday as saying the operation of the plant by management personnel was for the production of some key items necessary for the Vietnam defense effort.

Uniroyal Talks Due Wednesday

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

Uniroyal Talks Due Wednesday

4-24-67 [handwritten date at top]

NAUGATUCK — Negotiations between the striking United Rubber Workers and Uniroyal, Inc. will resume Wednesday morning in Cincinnati, local union spokesmen reported Sunday night.

Pickets at the three Locals, 45, 218 and 308, are scheduled to resume their strike posts today at 6 a.m. and continue throughout the day in two-hour shifts.

Joseph Rzeszutek, president of URW Local 218, chemical workers, has called meetings of his group today at 2 and 7 p.m. in Union Hall, Curtis St., to report to the local on the contract negotiations he attended last week in Cincinnati.

George Froelich, president of Local 45, will report on negotiations to the local executive committee this morning at 9:30. President of Local 308, Edward Alves, reported he met with his executive committee Saturday evening for a briefing on contract talks.

The three local presidents, along with three additional policy-making members of Local 45, will attend the national URW policy-making session in Cincinnati Tuesday evening in preparation for Wednesday morning’s resumption of negotiations.

Due to its large, over 4,000 membership, Local 45 is allowed three policy-committee members, making it the largest represented group attending the session. The three committee members, John Butler, James Nardello and Lionel Turner, along with Froelich give Local 45 a four-man team, out of a total of 31 national policy committee members.

Contract talks between URW and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. will resume this morning in Arkon, Ohio, but no negotiations for any of the three strike-bound firms are set before Wednesday.

The strike, which has idled some 50,000 members of the URW, was called at midnight Thursday against the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., and the B.F. Goodrich Co., both of Akron, and Uniroyal, Inc.

The three firms produce half the nation’s rubber products.

The strike spread to one Goodyear plant in North Chicago, Ill., Friday when 500 workers walked off the job, but work continued at other Goodyear plants under the old contract which was extended on a day-to-day basis.

The other member of the industry’s ‘Big Five,’ the General Tire and Rubber Co., is negotiating toward a May 15 contract deadline. In Akron, 1,800 general employes have been idled by a two-week-old wildcat walkout.

Talks will resume Wednesday morning with Firestone in Cleveland, and B. F. Goodrich in Columbus.

Higher wages and a guaranteed minimum wage were the major issues in the negotiations. The union sought payments for laid-off workers amounting to 93 per cent of their regular eranings.

UniRoyal Strike Quiet Here; Negotiations Tomorrow In Ohio

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

4-7-67

UniRoyal Strike Quiet Here; Negotiations Tomorrow In Ohio

Picketing at the Chemical Division of UniRoyal has been “stepped-up,” according to an announcement made by officials of Local 218.

They report that pickets will be on duty “24-hours a day, seven-days a week.” Also that members will picket in three-hour shifts.

Local 218 began a buildup of picketing Friday when members decided to picket throughout the night and all day Saturday.

Picketing at the other Uni-Royal plants in the borough continued on a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. basis with members participating in two-hour shifts.

The presidents of the three borough Locals George Froehlich, Local 45; Joseph Rzeszutek, Local 218; and Edward Alves, Local 308; were scheduled to return to Cincinnati today in preparation for resumption of negotiations tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.

No incidents have been reported due to the strike in the borough. Picketing is being conducted in an orderly fashion and the company has honored the picket lines.

The presidents of the Locals returned to the borough over the weekend to inform officials of the unions what transpired at the negotiating sessions. However, no information has been released for publication.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — Negotiations with three strikebound rubber firms were scheduled to resume Wednesday while talks continued today between the United Rubber Workers Union (URW), and two other members of the industry’s “big five.”

The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., B. F. Goodrich and Uni-Royal, Inc., have been closed by a nationwide walkout of 50,000 workers since contract negotiations ended Thursday with no agreement.

Negotiations continued today with the General Tire & Rubber Co. in Cleveland and with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Cincinnati. The contract with General does not expire until May 15. The Goodyear pact expired Thursday, but both sides agreed to continue working on a day-to-day basis.

A wildcat strike in the mill room at the General Tire plant in Akron ended when the URW agreed to send its men back to work tonight. The strike began three weeks ago when 64 workers walked off the job in a dispute over rest periods, forcing shut down of the plant.

Another wildcat strike against the Seiberling Tire & Rubber Co. in Barberton, Ohio, continued to keep 1,000 workers idle. The strike began last Wednesday over a dispute on work rules.

The chief stumbling block to a settlement with the big three struck firms appeared to be union demands for higher pay and a guaranteed minimum wage.

Spokesmen for the auto industry say the strike was not expected to affect new car production for several weeks. Inventories were reported to be sufficient to meet the needs of defense and aerospace production for some time.

UniRoyal Strike Negotiations Continuing

February 18, 2026May 5, 1967 by OCR SCANNER

UniRoyal Strike Negotiations Continuing

5-1-67

Negotiating talks continued Sunday between the United Rubber Workers and UniRoyal as the strike has entered its second week. However, there is no indication from either side as to the progress.

The negotiating talks now concern the master contract. Once agreement is reached, the talks will be conducted on local levels.

All three of the borough Locals have been taking strike benefit applications from its membership. The striking employes received their last pays this weekend and are now facing payless days until the strike is settled and they complete a week’s work.

Presidents of the borough’s three Locals, George Froehlich, Local 45; Joseph Rzeszutek, Local 218; and Edward Alves, Local 308, are in Cincinnati participating in the talks.

Picketing continues in the borough at all gates of the plants in an orderly fashion. Picket lines of six persons are maintained at the gates with one police officer on hand. No attempt has been made by UniRoyal to cross the lines. Union officials are allowing white collar employes to continue working.

ONE OF EIGHT Local 218 members arrested in Naugatuck at the gate of the Uniroyal Chemical Plant this morning is led away by police to be booked on charges of breach of peace. Local Pres. Joseph Rzeszutek was one of those charged.

February 18, 2026January 1, 1964 by OCR SCANNER

ONE OF EIGHT Local 218 members arrested in Naugatuck at the gate of the Uniroyal Chemical Plant this morning is led away by police to be booked on charges of breach of peace. Local Pres. Joseph Rzeszutek was one of those charged.—King Photo.

LONG LINE of non-union employes at the Chemical Plant of Uniroyal in Naugatuck files down hill toward the plant gate in the rain this morning to square off against picketing members of Local 218. Eight pickets were arrested and, after Police Capt. Joseph Summa read the riot act in the state statutes, the pickets allowed the workers to enter the plant. —King Photo

No Violence As Management Crosses Lines

February 18, 2026January 1, 1964 by OCR SCANNER

No Violence As Management Crosses Lines

By Ruth Nichols

Police were alerted early this morning when it was noticed that an unusually large number of pickets were massing at the gates of the Chemical Division of UniRoyal, Inc.

An attempt was made by approximately 30 pickets to keep management of the Chemical Division from entering the plant.

A large contingent of policemen, led by Capt. Joseph Summa, was dispatched to the trouble area. Capt. Summa read the riot act to the pickets when they refused to open their ranks to allow management through.

However, there was no violence committed by the pickets in their attempt to seal off the gates.

A group of eight pickets, including Joseph Rzeszutek, president of Local 218, URW, were taken to the police station in patrol cars where they were booked on breach of peace charges at 8 o’clock this morning. No resistance was offered.

Rzeszutek said this morning that the union had been notified that the company intended to resume production yesterday using supervisory personnel.

Rzeszutek issued the following statement on behalf of the Local: “The membership questioned the poor judgment of management’s decision to operate equipment with personnel unfamiliar with operation procedure and safety hazards involved. Serious accidents occur with experienced operators at the control of equipment and with a full compliment of people who were fortunate to contain hazardous situations.”

Rzeszutek continued by saying, “Operating production equipment with inexperienced personnel and only skeleton crews presents definite hazards

February 18, 2026January 1, 1964 by OCR SCANNER

SanAngelo, 53, 82 Pinehurst
Ave., Waterbury; Dominic A.
George, 55, 33 Railroad Ave.,
Beacon Falls; Robert Ander-
son, 37, 84 Svea Ave.; Joseph
P. Paplauskas, 46, 99 Gorman
St.; Joseph Rzeszutek, 45, 236
Riggs St., Oxford; Marcel H.
Herbert, 39, 179 Tudor St., Wa-
terbury; and Henry Hook, no age
given, 167 West Church St.,
Seymour. Hook posted a $20
cash bond.

Evans said yesterday, that the plant was forced to start production in order to service key accounts which include defense contracts.

February 18, 2026January 1, 1964 by OCR SCANNER

Evans said yesterday, that
the plant was forced to start
production in order to service
key accounts which include de-
fense contracts.

An issue was raised yester-
day by Joseph Rzeszutek, pres-
ident of Local 218, as to the
safety of management oper-
ating production especially with
skeleton crews.

The striking Local circulated
handbills to this effect around
the borough yesterday.

Reuther Calls Rubber Offer “Miserly”

February 18, 2026January 1, 1961 by OCR SCANNER

Reuther Calls Rubber Offer “Miserly”

7-1

AKRON, Ohio (UPI)—The head of the United Auto Workers Union said Friday a wage offer to striking United Rubber Workers (URW) by major tire producers was “miserly.”

Walter Reuther, who has taken up the cause of the striking rubber workers by pumping more than $1 million into the URW’s strike fund, said a wage increase offer of 43 cents per hour by the “big five” tire producers was “miserable, inadequate and unacceptable.”

The 43-cent wage offer, which would boost the hourly pay of rubber workers to $4.11, was made by General Tire & Rubber Co., which was struck last week.

The 10-week-old walkout, longest in industry history, has idled 54,000 workers across the nation.

General also offered an 80 per cent supplemental unemployment payment plan.

Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., B. F. Goodrich, UniRoyal Inc., and Goodyear have offered to raise hourly pay by 40 cents, plus 75 per cent supplemental payments.

Goodyear, where work is continuing on a day-to-day basis, was the only one of the “big five” still operating. Firestone, Goodrich and UniRoyal were struck April 20.

No progress was reported in negotiations Friday.

Talks between bargainers for Goodyear and UniRoyal and the union were recessed until Wednesday while Goodrich and Firestone were to meet with union representatives again today.

Besides the wage issue, talks have deadlocked over union demands that the wage differential between tire and non-tire workers be eliminated.

Average pay for non-tire workers under the old contract was $2.69 per hour, 99-cents less than tire workers earned.

While talks continued, the 54,000 strikers were faced with an increasing financial burden.

The URW’s depleted strike fund can now pay only $15 per week to many of the union members in strike benefits. Union officials said the auto worker’s loan would only enable the union to continue benefit payments at that level, not increase them.

County welfare officials report many of the striking rubber workers have joined the welfare rolls, with more being added every day.

Few of the strikers have been able to find temporary jobs in an area dominated by the rubber industry.

Rumors yesterday in downtown Naugatuck to the effect that the strike had ended once again raised the hopes of many families feeling the pinch of the 71-day old United Rubber Workers strike against UniRoyal.

The fact that the company had asked permission of Local 45 to allow oilers to work in the plant, added to the knowledge that George Froehlich, president of Local 45 and Joseph Rzeszutek, president of Local 218, were returning to the borough for the long holiday weekend, was like adding fuel to the fire.

A second story circulating the borough yesterday sent many strikers to the Unemployment

Please Turn to Page 10

Reuther Calls Rubber
Continued From Page 1

7-1

Office in Waterbury seeking compensation.

Gov. John Dempsey signed into law yesterday a more liberal compensation act; however, the portion of that bill covering strikers receiving compensation was stricken from the bill before it was passed in the General Assembly.

Local 45 had not come to a decision yesterday as to whether it would permit oilers to work in the plant but, according to Vice President Raymond Mengacci, it would be discussed further today. He was unavailable for comment this morning.

Rubber Negotiations Off Until Wednesday

February 18, 2026January 1, 1961 by OCR SCANNER

Rubber Negotiations Off Until Wednesday

4-24-67 [handwritten date in top right corner]

Picketing has been resumed today at all UniRoyal plants in the borough following a weekend respite.

A token team of pickets is being maintained at all gates and no incidents have been reported.

Executives of the three borough Locals are being briefed at meetings today on the contract negotiating sessions held last week in Cincinnati.

The three local presidents, George Froehlich, Local 45; Joseph Rzeszutek, Local 218; and Edward Alves, Local 308, along with three additional policymaking session to be held in Cincinnati tomorrow evening.

The next negotiation session is called for Wednesday morning. Both management and labor representatives have said privately they see little chance of an early settlement.

Union demands for higher wages and a guaranteed minimum wage have been the most difficult issues to resolve. The Union seeks payments to laid off workers totaling 93 per cent of their regular wage.