Norwood Selectmen Vow to Fight Potential Closure of Masoneilan International Plants and Loss of 750 Local Jobs-August 10, 1983

Company Officials Cite Global Recession, Strong Dollar, and Foreign Competition Following Relocation of Headquarters to Houston; UAW Local 470 and Town Leaders Express Shock

Union spokesmen stated they were aware that upcoming autumn layoffs were planned due to declining sales of the company’s industrial regulator valves, but had no prior indication that complete plant closures were under consideration. “We’re kind of shocked,” said John Perry of Hull, recording secretary for United Auto Workers Local 470, which represents 430 workers across the company’s three facilities in Norwood, Canton, and Avon.

Masoneilan Vice President Richard A. Whyte confirmed that the firm may shutter its Massachusetts operations—where industrial control valves used by the oil, paper, and chemical industries are manufactured and assembled—with a final decision expected within several months. Company officials noted the closures are not yet a foregone conclusion. In response, Selectman Walter J. Dempsey and Town Manager John J. Carroll were designated to meet with corporate executives. “We would do just anything we can do to try to help them,” Dempsey said, though he admitted pessimism if economic conditions remain sluggish. Robert H. Cook, executive secretary of the Norwood Area Chamber of Commerce, added, “The game today is making money… I doubt local agencies could influence a command decision way up high.”

Union representatives pointed out that rumors of a partial relocation to Texas had circulated ever since Masoneilan moved its corporate headquarters from Norwood to Houston two years prior. Robert MacDonald of Neponset Street, immediate past union president, and Perry noted that historically, layoffs at the 101-year-old firm were rare and brief. James J. Drummey, chairman of the board of assessors and a member of the commission to promote business and industry, recalled that when Masoneilan moved from Dorchester to Norwood in 1956, the facility cushioned the blow of earlier closures like Winslow Brothers and Smith tannery and Norwood Press. However, Drummey noted the town cannot offer a tax break without being unfair to other local industries. Selectmen Chairman Thomas A. Riolo emphasized, “When you lose jobs, that hurts. If there’s anything I could do to avert it, I would be willing to sit down with the powers that be.”

Vice President Whyte explained that U.S. operations have been severely battered by the recession and the U.S. dollar’s lopsided strength against foreign currencies, which has allowed Masoneilan’s overseas facilities in Japan, England, Brazil, Mexico, and France to capture orders at the expense of American plants. Meanwhile, beginning next week, the Norwood plant will eliminate night-shift work to save on premium labor costs, though no jobs will be immediately terminated.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger