30 years ago

ISHPEMING – Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. will close its century-old maintenance shops in Ishpeming on Dec. 31, after the company and the United Steelworkers of America failed to reach accord on a sale to a third party. A total of 65 employees, 55 hourly and ten salaried, will be affected. According to CCI President Frank S. Forsythe, “Sale of the property with Steelworker participation would have been a much better alternative for all parties, particularly employees affected by layoff.” “It is very disappointing,” said Harry Lester, director of the USWA in Michigan. “If CCI can’t have their way they take their marbles and go home. The workers deserve better than this.” The General Shops, also known as the central shops or the “Brownstone,” include an electric shop, machine shop, and welding and fabrication shop. “We have an excellent workforce at the General Shops,” Forsythe said, “but consolidation of our maintenance activities at the Empire and Tilden Mines will provide substantial efficiencies that are necessary to be competitive at the mines.” The Shops are owned by the Cliffs Mining Services Co., a subsidiary of CCI. Employees perform machine, welding, electrical and other maintenance-related work for the Tilden and Empire mines.

60 years ago

HERMANSVILLE – Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. officials turned on the gas here this week in a ceremony at its regulator station, arranged by the Citizens Improvement Association. The occasion was one of celebration of general community progress, capped by the new service of natural gas to customers in Hermansville from the Mich-Con Pipeline. Hermansville is the first community to be served on the west branch of the system from its “Y” at Powers-Spalding. The Groveland Mine of Hanna Mining Co. at Randville, biggest customer of the system, is being connected and next week gas will be available at Iron River. Construction of the line to Hermansville started May 12 and it is now complete, except for service connections still to be made. Thomas K. Horton, Iron Mountain, Upper Peninsula district manager for the utility, said that the recent cool weather has caused some inconvenience to persons switching to gas furnaces, but that work underway would connect them in a few days.