By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
ELKHART -- Gathered in small groups outside of the Vincent Bach factory on Sunday afternoon, striking workers weren't complaining about wages. Their concerns were about a manufacturing process that, they say, sacrifices quality for quantity and about managers who know little about making musical instruments and won't listen to those who do.
"We will not cheapen the product," said bell maker Steve Kiefer.
After talks between the union and Conn-Selmer, Vincent Bach's parent company, failed to produce an agreement before their contract expired, workers on Saturday rejected the company's offer in a 181-37 vote. They have been on strike since the vote and plan to picket 24 hours a day, seven days a week in front of the Vincent Bach plant.
Standing in a cold drizzle, Jerry Stayton, president of the United Auto Workers Local 364, said the workers do not know what will happen next. He said Conn-Selmer could lock the workers out or bring in non-union workers to make the horns or close the factory and move the equipment out.
Reached by phone at his home Sunday evening, John Stoner, Jr., president and chief executive officer at Conn-Selmer, said he had no comment and then hung up. Also Julie Theriault, spokeswoman for Steinway Musical Instruments Inc., parent company of Conn-Selmer, could not be reached Sunday.
However, the strike does not appear to have caught Steinway by surprise. In its 10-K report filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company stated, "We are currently in labor negotiations with the union that represents 234 employees at our brass instrument manufacturing plant in Elkhart, Ind. We may not be able to come to a new agreement before the current agreement expires on April 1, 2006."
Workers are angry at a company that they see as wanting to take their jobs to China. Mike Laughlin, a bell maker, said Conn-Selmer has been making "threats" it would move the Vincent Bach student line to Asia if the employees did not agree to contract concessions.
"Where I come from, that type of act is treasonous," said Steve Cassidy, a 13-year employee of Vincent Bach who grew up during the 1950s and remembers the Cold War. "Conn-Selmer, they're not interested in the American workers any more."
The employees blamed problems with instrument quality and the increase in repairs on managers and engineers who do not understand the complexities of turning a piece of brass into a trumpet or trombone. Some steps in the 100-year-old process cannot be changed or automated, they said.
"It's something that has to be worked into something where the guy who plays it, enjoys it," said Kevin Kiefer, brother to Steve Kiefer and also a bell maker. "They want quantity and they want a cheaper product."
Workers traced much of their discontent to Stoner's arrival about three years ago and the concept of lean manufacturing he instituted. Since then, some of the employees said, production has stopped at times because parts are not available and sometimes workers are told to go home early.
"We went so lean we went bulimic," Steve Kiefer said.
The workers said they are prepared to picket as long as necessary but many fear their jobs at Vincent Bach are already gone.
At the bargaining table, Stayton said, the union committee collectively had 170 years of experience in musical instrument manufacturing while representing Conn-Selmer were two company employees with about 21/2 years experience as well as a lawyer.
"There was no negotiating to it," Stayton said of the talks.
In particular, Stayton said Conn-Selmer wanted the employees to take an average wage cut of $8.10 an hour along with making concessions in training rights and labor grades. Even with the concessions, the company would not guarantee the jobs would stay in the United States.
"We don't want to be out here," said Steve Kiefer. "We would just as soon go to work (this) morning."