LORDSTOWN UAW blasts report, denies unions are hurting region

The union officials said a consultant never interviewed labor leaders.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
LORDSTOWN -- Union leaders at the General Motors complex here blasted an airport consultant's report that says unions are hurting the region.
Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, and Jim Kaster, president of UAW Local 1714, said at a news conference Wednesday that unions are part of a new era of cooperation in the region.
"The Valley is on the rebound, and the reason is that we are all working together," Graham said.
The officials were defending the UAW and other Valley unions after a report was issued by Bruce Miller, a former consultant for the board that operates the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, critical of unions.
Hampering development
Miller's report said, in part, that the Lordstown General Motors plants and strong unions have discouraged development nearby and throughout the Mahoning Valley.
The union base in the region makes businesses "think twice about coming into the community," according to the report.
Even if unions "back off" while a business is being lured here, they eventually will be aggressive and "will be at your door within one year of its opening," Miller wrote.
William Reali, chairman of Western Reserve Port Authority, which operates the airport, said at the news conference that the authority does not agree with the consultant's view of unions.
"That's a conclusion that goes back to yesteryear," he said, adding that he wishes other community leaders were as forward thinking as some of the area's union officials.
Graham and Kaster said GM's decision to spend $550 million to renovate the Lordstown facility shows that unions are not harming the region. They said the union membership approved many concessions in labor contracts to secure that investment.
Changes included combining job classifications and other work rules.
The union officials said that Miller's report was not well researched and that he didn't interview labor leaders.
Disappointed with results
Reali said that in hindsight he is disappointed in the results of the study, which cost $30,000. The board hired Miller on the basis of his credentials, Reali said.
The comments about unions are part of an overall assessment of the airport and community by the consultant. Miller issued a draft report to the port authority last September that was just released. He was hired for 12 months in May 2002 but left early.
He said airport development will become feasible as the image of the Mahoning Valley improves and there is congestion at larger airports.
He called for lengthening the runway at the local airport and building a second runway to handle large international cargo traffic.
shilling@vindy.com