Thursday, August 31, 2000 Older Editions

Play at the gate: Raytheon workers out on strike

By Rebecca Piro

The shouts and jeers of Raytheon workers on the picket line for the fourth day were stronger than ever Wednesday, with still no signs of talks resuming.

But picket signs continued to sway above the heads of more than 100 striking Raytheon workers, who circled the company's entrance on Lowell Street in a line that reacted angrily toward anyone who dared cross it.

Local leader -- Wearing sunglasses, Charlie DeMattia, a fork-lift operator for 21 years, led protesters in chants directed at those who crossed their picket line.

"The longer you work for Raytheon, the more they take away," screamed red-and-white signs, accompanied by employees' shouts of "we go, you go" to managers driving to work.

As of Sunday, 2,700 Raytheon workers were officially on strike, demanding better wages, benefits and, most of all, job security, after their contract ran out last Friday at midnight.

Union workers rejected a new four-year contract proposed by Raytheon that increases medical co-payments by 101 percent, said union president Stan Lichwala. Employees would get a three-percent raise for the third year, then a four-percent raise for the fourth year of the contract. Pension packages for retired workers are at a minimum, he said.

"They could have done a lot more," Lichwala said.

In addition, rumors have been flying for some time that government production jobs -- the majority of the company's operations -- may soon be shipped elsewhere.

On Wednesday morning, Townsman press time, there were no on-going negotiations, and strikers said they were most concerned with getting their health benefits back. Benefits for striking workers were cut Monday.

Union business manager Michael Zagami said he spoke with Sen. John Kerry Tuesday night, who is working with Congressman Marty Meehan and Sen. Ted Kennedy as mediators between the union and Raytheon.

"(Kerry) is working to get our benefits turned back on again, and then we'll go back to the table," Zagami said.

Some employees say the four-year contract Raytheon offered is intentionally inadequate, to encourage workers to leave and ultimately reduce the size of the Andover plant. This would make it easier to shut down in the future, they say.

"They wanted us to strike," said Ken Favreau, an employee for 27 years. "They took all our government work and sent it out west. We're only making cell phones for Motorola here. There's no work going on here."

Phone calls to David Polk, a Raytheon representative, were not returned.

While Raytheon's roots are in Massachusetts, the company has all but closed down its other New England locations, Favreau said, only to ship its major production work out to its Texas and Arizona plants. The Patriot missile, used in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, is produced at the Andover site. But most of that production now takes place down south, and may not be part of the Andover assembly line for long, he added.

Picketers were joined on Monday by Congressman Marty Meehan, who stopped by to sling a red and white IBEW sign around his neck.

"This company was built by the men and women of Massachusetts," Meehan said. "We want assurances that (the Patriot and radar systems) are going to continue to be made in this state."

Meehan, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Raytheon CEO Daniel Burnham two weeks ago asking for such assurances, said union president Stan Lichwala.

On Tuesday Burnham called Meehan to address the letter, Meehan said.

"(Burnham) said he would try to provide as much assurance (that jobs and production will stay in Mass.) as he can. He says he is waiting for the union to give him a counter offer," said Meehan.

But union members were angry on Wednesday that Burnham had not addressed them directly.

"The only talks (with Burnham) have been through Sen. Kennedy and Meehan, who have been mediators with the company," said Zagami.

Raytheon has a responsibility to the state and to workers to keep jobs local, Meehan said, in exchange for the tax break Raytheon enjoyed in 1995.

"I think (Raytheon) has a responsibility to keep those jobs for Mass. programs, a responsibility to the state because of the tax break they got, and because of the workers. Who built the company that's here today?"

It is a distinct and unfortunate possibility that Raytheon may be planning to halt all production in the state, Meehan said. If the company were to leave the area completely, it would be deal a harsh blow to the town.

"That would be a blow to Andover and to the Merrimack Valley," he said. "That's why this fight is so important." The jobs Raytheon provides would not be easily replaced, he added.

"We have lots of companies who want to locate in the Merrimack Valley, but that doesn't mean we should take any jobs here for granted."

As of Wednesday morning, the picket line was loud but not violent, said Lichwala. Stephen Gillis of Methuen was arrested by police for disorderly conduct Monday after attempting to prevent a vehicle from entering the gates. Later that day an Andover police officer was bumped by a van entering the premises, but was unhurt. A van driver complained that his vehicle received a long scrape Tuesday after driving through a crowd of strikers standing in front of the gates. But on Wednesday, some picketers were threatening to sit out on Rt. 133 Wednesday to prevent through traffic from entering the gates.

Lichwala did not rule the blockade out, but said it probably wouldn't happen so soon.

"It's a little early to be getting that riled up," he said.

No strikers could say how long the picket line might continue, but no one the Townsman spoke with was optimistic about a swift end.

"This (the crowd) is just going to get stronger and stronger," says Mike Fury, a 19-year machinist. He predicts the strike could go on for as long as the Verizon protests did, which lasted for two weeks.