Kaiser Steelworkers Reflect On Strike From Other Side Of The Fence

KREM 2 NEWS

Kaiser union workers are back on the job this week after almost two years on the picket lines. And while it might seem almost impossible to be locked out of work for that long and not have some hard feeling left over, one 13-year veteran of Kaiser says everyone, workers and management alike, are trying to put any bitterness behind them and just get back to going to work and getting paid.

"Back inside routine is pretty much the same," Kaiser steelworker Leonard Hale said. "Actually, easier than I thought it would be, seemed to be pretty smooth going back."

On Saturday, Hale and hundreds of his union brothers returned to work at Kaiser's Mead plant. A happy day that had an almost surreal feel.

"To me, almost like a weird dream,” Hale said. “We walked in there like we'd never been out of work. It's like a dream the past two years where times were tough and you were a little hungry and that sort of thing."

But the past two years on the picket line were more like a nightmare. Hale had to refinance his house to help get by. But now, back on the job, union members and management don't talk about the lockout or the tough times.

"It's a dangerous job, out there can't let the personal feelings interfere with the job. You could get hurt if you did," Hale said.

Hale says managers have been good to the employees so far, and right now the only tension at the plant relates to the future not the past. Workers are concerned now about keeping their jobs and the plant running in a tight metal market.