Page 25 - A Visit with Winston Ruck, Steelworker

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

Above: Jim Ryan. Right: Cecil Palmer | that nobody denied you. And I mean that. By the same token, if you were not enti? tled to a job, don't come to them seeking their support at the expense of somebody else--you just wouldn't get it. And they would tell you to your face, "Now, here it is. This is what you're entitled to." Now, you could be the best guy in the world. And you could have been supporting them. It didn't matter a damn. But they told you-- you got what you were entitled to, and nothing more. I learned that from them. When they were going in on a regular grie? vance meeting with the superintendent, I got a learning experience. Just sat back. And you listened. When they spoke up to the superintendent, like they were talking to me. They didn't go in there bowing their head down with their cap in their hand--there was nothing like that. They went in--Cecil was the chairman. Cecil had the agenda. Gene Connolly, you must have heard of him, he was the superintendent from my time. "Now, Gene, we've got a num? ber of items today. Let's us get right to it. We don't want to be talking about the hockey game." Now, Gene was a man who was interested in hockey and sports and all that sort of thing. Cecil would cut him Jacques-Cartier Motel kitchenette units available / telephones in all rooms P. O. Box 555, Sydney, N. S. B1P 6H4 (902) 539-4375 or 539-4378 or 539-4379 SYDNEY - GLACE BAY HIGHWAY FRANCAIS 2 Kilometres de I'Aeroport ENGLISH Year 'Round Christmas Shop Le 'Brignolet ' ' FINE GIFTS i Maritime and Canadian Handcrafts and Souvenirs Folk Art and Country Gifts Quality Brass and Imported Gifts Kitchen and Bath Shop 15 PRINCE STREET SYDNEY BIP 5J4 539-7338 off right in midstream. He would set out the agenda--A, B, C, right down the list. "Well," he said, "first of all," Cecil said, "we want to review what we did the last time we were here, when we met." Three weeks ago, or a month ago. (Gene had) made certain promises that he was go? ing to get done. But Cecil had him tick off the ones that he didn't do. "Uh. what happened to that--item 3--you didn't fin? ish that." He'd put Gene on the spot. Gene would try to skate around it. He'd ask the assistant superintendent, or he'd call in the general foreman to find out why it wasn't done. And they'd rap him over the knuckles. Winston chuckles. I'll tell you, I was impressed. I was learning. And Cecil Palmer, who was the chairman, and Jim, the vice-chairman, and Frank--they were the guys that carried the ball. There were others equally as good that came on later. Mickey Paruch. Johnny MacDonald came on with me. They were all fearless men. And honest, and straightforward. And I was totally im? pressed with those--very much--Jim and Frank and Cecil. And like I said, if you had something coming to you, you got it. If you didn't, you didn't. They made no bones, had no favourites--race, colour, religion--none of those things entered in? to their consideration. It did with lots of other grievance comit- tees. (Within the plant?) Yes. (We're only talking General Yard.) That's right. Visit an Underground Coal Mine Glace Bay, N.S. One of the Foremost Museums in Nova Scotia! Bring your family to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of touring an actual Coal Mine witti a retired miner as your guide. After touring Museum and Mine, visit the weli-stocl

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