This is why the strike happened:

Lower level employees in the plant were asked to take a pay cut (this was when the economy crashed, so who wasn't taking a pay cut). They were offered 95% of what they were making. Wouldn't take it, went on strike and ALMOST caused the plant to shut down. Some returned, some didn't, some tried and lost their jobs due to cuts because of the strike. The most incredible part was the typical union--the ones still working had to park a few miles from the plant and get a bus in, they found their parking lot and set up picket lines across from it. The high ups in the plant were finding nails in their driveways, even a few broken car windows.

The biggest shame of the whole thing is the timing. The strike happened right as the parent company was about to give Salem the contract to build a new line of tubs. That production ended up going somewhere in Canada because they obviously backed out after the strike started.

The overall population of Salem/Perry Township is probably still about the same as decades ago, however it has become an aged population with fewer school-aged kids. To think that in the '70's we dwarfed many of the area schools in size - Canfield, Poland, West Branch, Minerva etc.... and now we are among the smallest, is somewhat sobering.

Thankfully the recent school board has turned the district around and it is heading in the right direction, and indeed the facilities are more than adequate and frankly pretty nice. We even have some kids inflowing via open enrollment now and we need to continue those trends. All is not lost; and if we can get some city leaders who will face up to reality and to the obstacles still in the way at the municipal level then we can chart a course back to progress and prosperity.

Go Quakers!!

Probably is Oats, our city leaders are just plain morons time and time again and the only people capable of making the right choices for the town are too smart to run for public office.