>>> CRANE STATIONERY CO IN NORT- DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
BUT THIS WEEKEND, ITS 229 EMPLOYEES GOT GOOD NEWS.
AN E-MAIL TELLING THEM PARENT COMPANY MOHAWK FINE PAPERS OF
NEW YORK PLANNED TO START UP PRODUCTION AGAIN.
THE HAPPY NEWS DIDN'T LAST LONG, AS ANOTHER E-MAIL FOLLOWED THREE
HOURS LATER, INFORMING WORKERS TO STAY AT HOME.
THOMAS O'CONNOR, JR., MOHAWK'S CEO AND CHAIRMAN, BALKED AT
CONDITIONS MAYOR THOMAS BERNARD WANTED FOR THE PLANT TO REMAIN
OPEN SAFELY AND QUESTIONS THE MAYOR HAD ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL
NATURE OF THE WORK AT THE PLANT. IN THE WAKE OF THIS, THE
CONCERNS REMAIN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF CRANE IN NORTH ADAMS.
I SPOKE WITH MAYOR BERNARD TO FIND OUT MORE.
>> I HEARD LATE IN THE AFTERNOON, EARLY IN THE EVENING
OF LAST WEDNESDAY SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN APRIL 29th.
I HEARD FROM AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAD RECEIVED THE E-MAIL FROM CRANE'S
H.R., FOLKS. >> AND JUST SO PEOPLE AT HOME DO
KNOW, WE DID REACH OUT TO MOHAWK PAPER, WHICH IS THE PARENT
COMPANY OF CRANE AND INVITED THEM TO TAKE PART IN AN
INTERVIEW WITH US. WE HAVEN'T HEARD BACK YET.
WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY'LL ACCEPT OUR OFFER AND HAVE A CHAT
WITH US. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, MAYOR, I
WANTED TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION FROM YOU.
SO 229 EMPLOYEES AT THIS CRANE PAPER FACILITY IN NORTH ADAMS.
SO DOES THAT MAKE IT THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER IN THE CITY CURRENTLY?
>> IT'S -- IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST, BUT, YOU KNOW,
BETWEEN -- BETWEEN THE CITY, THE SCHOOLS, THE HEALTHCARE, I'M
SORRY THE BERKSHIRE HEALTH SYSTEMS, THEY'RE NOT THE TOP
EMPLOYER, BUT THEY'RE A MAJOR EMPLOYER AND IN ADDITION TO
SIZE, IT'S A COMPANY WITH A DEEP, RICH HISTORY IN NORTH
ADAMS AND A HISTORY AND A BRAND THAT'S BEEN BUILT BY THE CRANE
EMPLOYEES. >> AND MONDAY NIGHT, YOU
RELEASED A STATEMENT, THIS IS YESTERDAY, SAYING --
>> YES. >> THAT CRANE LEADERSHIP, YOU'RE
CALLING ON THEM TO CLARIFY THE FUTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION THERE
IN THE CITY OF NORTH ADAMS. HAVE YOU HEARD A RESPONSE TO
THAT CALL? >> I HAVE NOT YET HEARD A
RESPONSE. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT THIS
POINT. AND I THINK YOU KNOW, IN
ADDITION TO THAT STATEMENT, WHAT I REALLY -- THE REASON I ASKED
THAT QUESTION IS BEGINNING WITH THE COMMUNICATION TO THE
EMPLOYEES ON THE 29th, ON LAST WEDNESDAY, THERE'S BEEN A REAL
LACK OF CLARITY FROM THE COMPANY ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING
AND IT'S CREATING CONFUSION, AND IT'S CREATING UNCERTAINTY NOT
JUST FOR THE EMPLOYEES, BUT FOR EVERYONE IN THE CITY, AND
WE'RE -- YOU KNOW, WE'RE A CITY, BUT WE'RE ALSO A RELATIVELY
SMALL AND AN EXTREMELY CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY, SO CRANE'S
WORKFORCE, CRANE'S EMPLOYEES ARE, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORS, THEY
ARE FRIENDS FOR PEOPLE, THEY'RE RELATIVES.
I'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE FROM PEOPLE, THEY'RE HUSBAND AND WIFE
WHO BOTH WORK FOR THE COMPANY. SO THERE'S A REAL DEEP SENSE OF
CONCERN. THE MESSAGING, AND I THINK THE
KEY PHRASE THAT CREATED THE FIRST CONFUSION WAS THE PHRASE
WIND DOWN OPERATIONS, WHICH AND OTHERS TOOK TO MEAN CRANE WAS
SHUTTING DOWN COMPLETELY IN JUNE.
>> BUT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE COMPANY THEN SENT OUT SUBSEQUENT
COMMUNICATIONS THAT SAID NO, IT'S NOT CLOSING COMPLETELY,
THAT ABOUT 15 % OF THE WORKFORCE WOULD BE RETAINED?
>> THEY FOLLOWED THAT UP THE NEXT DAY WITH THE CLARIFYING
STATEMENT ABOUT THE EMPLOYEES WHO WOULD BE RETAINED, BUT
AGAIN, THE FACT THAT THERE WAS THE NEED TO PUT THAT
CLARIFICATION OUT CONTRIBUTES TO THE CONFUSION.
THE NEXT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WAS A LETTER THAT I RECEIVED, WHICH
SAID THAT THAT 15 % WAS ONLY GOING TO BE RETAINED THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 30th, AND THE COMPANY SENT ME TWO LISTS OF
POSITIONS, NOT INDIVIDUALS, BUT POSITION TITLES, THE ONES THAT
WOULD BE LET GO IN JUNE AND THEN THE ONES THAT WOULD BE RETAINED
UNTIL SEPTEMBER, AT WHICH POINT THEY'LL ALSO BE LET GO AND THAT
WOULD BE FINAL. I DID WHEN I RECEIVED THAT
LETTER, WHEN THAT LETTER ARRIVED IN MY OFFICE ON FRIDAY, SPEAK TO
THE CEO OF MOHAWK PAPER, MR. O'CONNOR AND HE DID OFFER AN
ASSURANCE THAT THAT LETTER WAS -- WAS SENT TO ME IN ERROR
AND THAT THE INFORMATION IN IT WAS INCORRECT, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE
SEEING A PATTERN OF INCONSISTENT MESSAGES AND LACK OF CLARITY, SO
WHEN THE QUESTION CAME TO ME ABOUT -- ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION
FROM CRANE, I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY THIS
PATTERN AND TO ASK CRANE TO CLARIFY PUBLICLY WHAT
MR. O'CONNOR SAID TO ME IN CONVERSATION.
>> BUT THEN OVER THE WEEKEND, MR. O'CONNOR'S EMPLOYEES WERE
NOTIFIED THAT THEY COULD GO BACK TO WORK, BUT THEN THERE WAS A
COMMUNICATION THAT SAID NO, DO NOT COME BACK TO WORK AND THAT
WAS DUE IN PART TO SOME REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU HAD
RELEASED, INCLUDING THAT YOU WANTED HEALTH AND BUILDING
INSPECTORS INSIDE THE CURRENT HIGHWAY FACILITY THERE TO CHECK
ON SOME SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. THEY WANTED THE COMPANY TO
OUTLINE PRECAUTIONS FOR PROTECTING EMPLOYEES FROM
COVID-19 19, AS WELL AS DOCUMENTING THE WORK AND MAKING
SURE THAT IT QUALIFIED AS QUOTE ESSENTIAL.
NOW, THOSE REQUIREMENTS WERE OUTLINED AS I UNDERSTAND IT
AFTER THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND STANDARDS HAD SAID YOU
QUALIFY AS AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS.
GO AHEAD, OPEN ON UP, GET BACK TO WORK.
SO WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED? >> WELL, FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY IS
MY RESPONSIBILITY AS MAYOR AND I DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PLACE
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON THE INFORMATION, THE ADVICE OF THE
DIVISION OF LABOR STANDARDS. AND IT'S I THINK HELPFUL TO NOTE
THAT IT WAS A FAIRLY NARROWLY CONSTRUCTED MESSAGE, AS FAR
AS -- AS FAR AS THE ORDER THAT WAS -- THAT WAS PROVIDED, AND
WHAT IT INDICATED WAS THAT CRANE WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEGREE THAT
THEY WERE SUPPORTING OTHER ESSENTIAL BUSINESS.
AND SO MY REQUEST WAS TO ASK CRANE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT.
YOU KNOW, IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, WE'VE SEEN WHERE THE GUIDANCE
FROM THE STATE HAS BEEN THAT IF YOU'RE MANUFACTURING P.P.E. FOR
EXAMPLE, THAT THAT SHOULD BE THE ONLY PART OF YOUR BUSINESS, IF
THAT'S NOT YOUR MAIN BUSINESS THAT YOU SHOULD BE -- YOU SHOULD
BE CARRYING OUT. >> BUT THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THAT COIN YOU HAVE BUSINESSES LIKE BIG-BOX STORES WHERE
ESSENTIAL IS A LITTLE FUZZY THERE.
YOU MIGHT BE GOING IN TO GET ESSENTIAL THINGS, BUT THERE'S
ALSO FLOWERS AND CANDY AND OTHER THINGS AND THE STATE HASN'T
STOPPED THOSE BIG BOX STORES FROM BEING OPEN.
>> RIGHT. SO THERE IS -- THERE IS ARE A,
YOU KNOW -- AN ISSUE THERE. BUT IT'S ALSO NOT A COMPARISON.
THERE'S NOT A UNIVERSAL STANDARD THAT CAN BE APPLIED BUSINESS TO
BUSINESS. AND AGAIN, JUST TO GO BACK, THE
RECOMMENDATION FROM THE PERSON, FROM THE STATE WHO RENDERED THE
OPINION WAS THAT THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THEY CEASE
NON-ESSENTIAL OPERATION. AND WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION,
AND THEN THE AUTHORITY THAT I HAVE UNDER STATUTE, I FELT IT
WAS APPROPRIATE TO, IN THE INTERESTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH, TO
PLACE THIS ADDITIONAL LIMITATION ON THE COMPANY, AND ASK THEM TO
DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY ARE ONLY SERVICING THE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF
THEIR -- OF THEIR BUSINESS. >> AS I SAID, WE ASKED
MR. O'CONNOR OR SOMEONE FROM THE CRANE LEADERSHIP TEAM TO SPEAK
WITH US, BUT IN LIEU OF THAT, MR. O'CONNOR TOLD THE BERKSHIRE
EAGLE QUOTE THIS IS MEANT TO HANG US UP, TO KEEP US CLOSED.
WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE BEING RUN OUT OF TOWN.
IT'S CLEARLY RETALIATION. ARE YOU RETALIATING OR TRYING TO
RUN THIS COMPANY OUT OF BUSINESS?
>> MY GOAL AND MY RESPONSIBILITY IS THE PROTECTION OF THIS
COMMUNITY, THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY.
AND SO I AM -- I AM APPROACHING THIS FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH,
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HARM REDUCTION LENS.
THE SUGGESTION THAT THE TWO ISSUES, ONE THE ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT CRANE MADE AND THAT THEY HAVE HAD TO WALK BACK AND
CLARIFY IN SEVERAL INSTANCES IS ONE ISSUE AND THEN THE ESSENTIAL
OPERATION IS A SEPARATE ISSUE. AND I THINK WHEN WE CONFLATE
THOSE THINGS, IT'S UNFAIR TO ALL PARTIES.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CLARITY ON THE ESSENTIAL BUSINESS AND
OPERATION AND THEN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH CRANE, AS I HAVE DONE
SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT BROKE ON THE 29th, AS SOON AS WE IN
NORTH ADAMS HEARD ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, OUR -- OUR STATE
DELEGATION, OUR ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOLKS, OUR
CONNECTIONS IN THE STATE, YOU KNOW, I REACHED OUT AND WE
STARTED TO MOBILIZE AND TO SAY WE ARE READY TO SUPPORT CRANE'S
SUCCESS AND ITS CONTINUED OPERATION IN NORTH ADAMS AND ITS
WORKFORCE AND SO EVERYTHING THAT I AM DOING IS FROM THE LENS OF
KEEPING CRANE IN OPERATION, IN NORTH ADAMS, AND THEN DOING IT
SAFELY.