
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 29, 1992                   TAG: 9203270205
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WIDOW SEEKS SUPPORT FROM UNION MEMBERS

My husband, Jerry Wayne Smith, was killed Feb. 26, 1991, while doing a job he was not trained to do or qualified for by the Celanese Corp. Jerry was a union member from 1969 until the day he was killed. He was a strong believer in the union, that it would support its members and their families.

He would turn in his grave if he knew what was going on now.

Since Jerry's death, I have attended two union meetings, but I still haven't gotten the support of board members. The union has turned its back on me and my two sons. I am asking the members of this union to support us.

There are approximately 1,500 members of this local. Don't let a FEW members voice your opinion. Go to your union meetings, voice your own opinion.

Don't let those few fight your battles. Speak out for what you believe in. Ask your union what it would do if you were killed or injured at work. Voice your opinion about your own safety and your rights. I will fight as long as it takes to clear Jerry's name.

Don't depend on your union representatives to be there for you, they won't be. They haven't been there for me . . . or my children. It could be your husband, wife or even you who gets killed next. Try having to explain that to your children and family.\ Mrs. Jerry Wayne Smith\ Pembroke

by CNB