Interview with Mike Walsh

Authors

Michael G. Hillard PhD, University of Southern MaineFollow

Files

Date of Interview

2014

Duration of Audio File

02:41:50

Interviewee

Mike Walsh

Age

Born 1948

Gender

Male

Description

Walsh's detailed observations about management-union relations, and legacy of 1971 strike that shaped these relations.

Birth Place

Chipman, New Brunswick, Canada

Residence

Waterville, Maine

Occupation/Work History

Worked in "HR" the 2 decades following the 1971 strike, including as Director of HR in the 1980s

Role

Management

Mill or Principal Employer

Fraser Paper Company

Mill Location

Madawaska, Maine

Keywords

Fraser Paper Company - Madawaska - Maine, Paper Mill History - Maine, Labor Relations - Paper Industry

Comments

Of special interest is his description of bargaining in 1987-1988. At this time, labor relations at Maine paper mills was at a crisis state because of strike at International Paper's Jay, Maine mill. "IP" permanently replaced striking workers, most of whom never regained employment at the mill. Other companies including Fraser used the same "optics" (hiring strike breakers, putting a fence around the mill and adding huge security forces) to intimidate unions at the mill to accept dramatic concessions. The Fraser Paper Company was successful in gaining concessions without a strike.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Hillard, Michael G. PhD, "Interview with Mike Walsh" (2014). Fraser Paper Company. 7.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/fraser-paper-company/7