Letter to Mancuso 1957

February 19, 1957
 
Mr. Thomas Mancuso
Department of Health
State office Building
Columbus 15,Ohio
 
Dear Sir:
 
Our local union is very deeply concerned by the health program at the Goodyear Atomic Corporation plant at Pike County, Ohio. Friday, February 15, 1957, one of our members died of leukemia, a disease of which we have very little knowledge.  We have no way of telling whether working conditions contributed to his death or not.  We have one member in the Dayton, Ohio Veterans Hospital with lung cancer who may die at any moment.  We have a member at Mount Logan State Hospital with a very hopeless case of tuberculosis.  (His X-ray pictures were completely clear only a few months before he was said to have advanced TB.)  A fellow employee, in the Plant Protection Department is now lying in the Huntington, W Virginia, Veterans' Hospital also with lung cancer and is not given a chance.  These are the worst cases: we have many other severe cases which are not normal.

All of these people have a least one thing in common besides working here at the Atomic Plant: Gat refuses to accept any responsibility for the plight for each and everyone.  Is it any wonder employees are becoming frightened and discouraged and quitting the plant?  We think not!

We beg of you to use any enforcement of the state of Ohio Department of Health to have a complete investigation of the Portsmouth Area Atomic Plant.  We earnestly urge your Department to look into the radioactivity and the protective measures against chemicals such as fluorine, chlorine, uranium hexafluoride and many others which we handle every day.

This request comes as a last resort to get something done down here!

For more than two years we have struggled through grievances, arbitration, conferences and even a plant-wide "wildcat" strike to get the management to change their policy of no concern for the people working in these conditions but to no avail.  We will be deeply indebted to you if can help.

Sincerely,
C.A. Romine,President
Local No.10-689
 
cc.John R. Roosey         B.W. Dohner  GAT W. Vanover,      C. Martin,District Director, OCAW
Ohio CIO Counsel
E.D. Swisher,
Vice President, OCAW International Representative. OCAW