Blufwatch: Thank you Wireman for taking the time to do this and welcome to DA Wires first interview.
Wireman: It’s my pleasure. (note the Wireman has no accent and speaks excellent Southern English.)
Blufwatch: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Wireman: Well lets see, I am from this area, all my life. I was birthed at Goodluck hospital. I been working at da wire since the days of Charlie, Noble and when the memories of good ole CB meant something. Now days it’s like working in hell with no water or potty breaks.
Blufwatch: The details regarding the dismissal of the three ladies in the office are well documented on this page, so I will skip over that, just what sort of things have been happening since then at DA Wire?
Wireman: first let me say the ones who are the real family at da wire miss them gals something fierce, and we know how bad they was treated( at this point in the interview we were interrupted by someone wanting a 10-20 on someone handled preacherman looking for bushwhacker)
Blufwatch: So do you think this was an isolated event or just the start of trouble at the wire?
Wireman: Well son, neither, it was not isolated nor the start, its been going down hill since Charlie left, now he was not loved by all, but he treated most the right way, same as I am told ole CB did, when he hired a man, he was hired as long as he did his job. Martin came in after Charlie and did a good job before he was pushed out by the powers that be, leaving us with what we in the plant call our own "bottom of the barrel" management we have now.
Blufwatch: What other changes have you noticed?
Wireman: Well right after they let them gals go, the word came out that the McEwen deal was going bust. All sorts of rumors about what would happen then. But about that same time we had all these HR meetings and pep talks and crap. Trying to smooth over the hard feelings in the plant and in the office. All they did was piss everyone else off by there attitude, very condescending toward us “rednecks” and "bottom of the barrel folks”. We all know dirty pool and that was just that. I will say this for the “terminator” and his flunkies, they did accomplish one thing for company unity and getting us to get on the same page. Everyone now agrees they despise him and he does not have a clue on what the plant does or how to manage it.
Blufwatch: What is the deal with the McEwen plant?
Wireman: well they lost all the good accounts they had and were losing their behind, I don’t think for one minute management thought out that deal before they stepped in it. It did seem to go well at the first, but lots of changes at the top occurred and it was Katy bar the door then. Same management we have in the bluf was running it at the time and well you see where that’s got us.
Blufwatch: Is there no plan to salvage something out of the situation?
Wireman: Oh hell yes, they are, now get the genius thinking on this, going to save money by taking the warehouse and paint set up from White Bluff and move it to McEwen. Never mind that it will now mean that we have to ship inventory to McEwen and then ship it again when it gets coated. Extra steps I guess are cheaper. Not to mention we already have the paint system in place here as well as the warehouse. And the machines in McEwen are being moved her to be set up. I doubt all this moving and retooling are saving a lot of money, but I am just a dumass redneck. I guess if we move them here it will all of a sudden make a profit. On top of this people working here on the paintline and in the warehouse will have to drive to McEwen or try to get another job here, nothing guaranteed of course. And the ones in McEwen are getting to drive to White Bluff, all makes just perfect sense don’t it?
Blufwatch: I must admit I don’t see much logic in that plan. Are you sure the Federal Government is not running da wire?(sarcastic wit free of charge from your host) How are the workers reacting to this?
Wireman: Oh it makes them just love the “terminator” that much more. Rumors are he offered one employee with 30yrs service a chance to drive to McEwen or bid on a job on the plant floor here. Some feel their particular jobs have been targeted for changes because of personal differences with management.
Blufwatch: What about changes in the office since the ladies were fired?
Wireman: I have heard that work was shuffled from the upper office to the ladies that were left in the production office. Seems the highly educated and efficent personnel that were retained could not handle all the accounts and work that was left with them. So the ladies in the production office not only had to make up the slack from the fired gals, but also had to do work that the handpicked picked staff of the terminator were not up too.
Blufwatch: Gee, it just goes on and on doesn’t it?
Wireman: Yeah, we live it everyday, nothing surprises us now, No one feels any form of job security at all.
Blufwatch: Any signs of hope?
Wireman: Well I do know we had some trips to Florida out of the upper office, maybe they got a line on some new customers, or they went to help count chads, or just look for a few good men.
Blufwatch: Fact finding missions huh?
Wireman: That dick would not know a fact if it fell from the sky and hit his shiney head. Oh yeah, I hear we lost the Kysor Warren account, more goodwill spread around. Of course someone we won't name (shake wiggle)could not handle it so it was passed on
Blufwatch: Lord, it’s a mess there for sure, anything else in closing?
Wireman: Oh yeah, we are getting a new head man under the terminator, Actually he will not be the plant manager, but that’s what it amounts too. And with all this talk of needing college educated folks in the office, I don’t think this guy has a degree. He came here from New York a few years ago, while he is not as despised as the terminator, he is not exactly Prince Charming. Must be a new company rule, the more people can’t stand you, the higher you go. Also a couple more from McEwen are being moved in here to management positions, over plant operations, maintenance and office personnel. That is except the highly efficient and educated gals under the terminator, they are rumored to only have to answer to him. I also have heard that some of the newbie bosses from McEwen have started rubbing oldtimers here the wrong way, with bossy attitudes and little knowledge of how things here work( must be related to the divison manager huh?)
Blufwatch: So da wire, in White Bluff, since the firing of the office personnel last fall, in cost cutting measures, has taking the expense of moving a plant 25 miles away here, moved part of this plant there, and displaced many workers in the process? And on top of that, in a time when money is so tight the office workers were fired, they have now promoted someone else to a newly created management position, and moved two more from McEwen to White Bluff and gave them management/supervisory positions? So the way they save money is to fire workers who actually do a job, and put more people in management positions. More management, damn what a cost cutting move.
Wireman: yeah that’s it. Some of us old-timers at da wire figured that management in McEwen did so good in getting it closed, they moved them here to see if they could work the same magic for the bluff. But I must say the terminator does a pretty good job of that already.
Blufwatch: Is it fair for us to blame the terminator so much for all of this?
Wireman: Well he deserves all the hell we can give him. BUT I know that corporate knows how people are treated and what sort of butthead decisions are being made, and they stand by and let it go on, so they are even more to blame for not doing anything about it.
Blufwatch: I have taken quite a bit of your time, I will give you my thanks and close for now.
Wireman: No problemo anytime, hasta la vista 10-4 and out.
in order to protect the innocent we used the name wireman, not his real name. also any persons who resemble actual humans with hearts or a sense of decency are fictional, as no one would ever believe there was a real company ran like this anyway!
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