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PAGE 12, WHITYF MU 9 ,WEDNWESDAY, JULY 18~199 Garden St.-aarment fire foroes tenns rmbuildn An early morning. fire foroed the temporary evacuation of tenantsefrom a Garden St.. apart- ment building on Tuesday last weelc. Tenants living on» the uper floor of- the three-story, buildng at 200 Garden St. hadi to beave their apartments while Whitby firefihters battled a blaze in thie furnace room. A fire department spokesman said lire broke out mi a garbage bin i the furnance room, caus- inj amoke to travel up lto the third floor. There were no injuri*es to tenants, or firefghters.. Damage from the smoke ie estimated t be about $2,000. Phone 668-6111' Ashburn* p.lant. to close doors in Se ptembker EMPLOYEES of Harvard Industries in in September. About 75 people, mostl A hurn held a demonstration outside women, are employedl at the Héron R. the plant baut week to protest the 'plant. Workers and thefr union blame" companys decision to close the factory free trade for the closing. i~i 76 Baldwin (Hwy. 2) Brooklin a 655-3306 l2noon to 8pmn Country Pine Armoires e Tables e Chairs 6 Roebuck St. * Brooklin l2noon to5m By Mke Kowalsld Free trade is being blamed for the closing of an American- owned auto parts planthIn Ash- burn. Approimately 75 employees, the majority of them women, wiîf b. out 'of a job when Harvard' Induistries s'huts down its factorY on Sept. 28. The Heron,'Rd. plant has been owned by Harvard, a subsidiary of American-based Harman Automotive Ihe., for 'the pat' year. The parent company has 37 plantseithe Unted States. The Ashburn plant, wluch. manufacturers automobile mir- rors, was previously owned by Dominion Automotive. Workers and their union, the Canadian Auto Workters cite free trade as the culprit beind the closing. They claim work is being far- med out te, non-union plants i Tennessee where wages are about haif those paid te the Ashburn employees. teAh The average wage at teAh humn plant is $10 an hour. The.company, however, denies that free trade has anythig te do with their decision. Manage- ment» says a declining mark et prompted the closing. A group of Ashburn employees demonstrated briefly outsîde the plant last Tuesday to protes t both the closing and top' i t- management ito meetingwith the union te discuss.a severance package.' CAW national representative Maureen Kirincic toId reporters- there is no doubt free trade is to blame. «Thnere is no obligation on the big- auto companxes te havre Canadian content. We've' got plant closings comig out of our earsn said Kirincic. Lowell 1Hill, corporate'director of employee relations, did not say much more than what was con- tained i a comnpany press The company's relea8e states: «As a rosult of the declinei the demand for automotive parts, the Ashburn manufacturing plant of Harvard Industriés . illi be closed effective Sopt. 28, 1990. &The plant currently s9upplies mirror assemblies te the Major automotive manufacturera. Ailof the apf roximately 75 emploees currn ] empoyè atthepln will be affeécted by the closure." Hill added that "free trade has nothing te, do with it." Ho said that under the Auto Pact the Canada-U.S. auto- moilîe trade agreement, trade ini auto parts bas always moved freelyacross the border. Hill1 said the company i. pro- p ared to meet with the union to dscus severance and «will do what we can." to help employees flnd new jobs. 1 Hill, said no, decision has beon made by the company with ros- pt ote property and factory. 'Tm sorry to see it happenwe have a.» good plant and good rel'atio n'hip-with our employees.,» added iEli. .Kirincic. did not, agree, with Hfillrs commenta concernig free trade." "I don't believe it. It's clear it's free trade,» said iricic. «Work that was 'supposed to corne to this plant 15 bemg kept down south.» Delia Sonne, uit hairman Of CAW Local 370,=& 5 per cent of the employees -iare women, many of whom are single parents. e She said the current contre.t, which expires' next year, does not include provisions for seveac pay. Although Senne said workers had a good relationship with management employees suspe- ted something would happen., She noted that 74 employees were told i April'they would be laid off in June. «We asked the company if it was closing and they denied it,» said Sonne. Meanwhile, the com p'any apparently has no, plans for a sister factory i Dundalk, near Orillia. 1 About 160 people are employed at that plant which also manu- factures auto parts.' Frank Wadden, srokesmnan for the United Stee workers of America, told The Free Press the union and company recently sig- ned a three-year are nt. « Everting lokOK here, there's no rumors about this plant closing,» said Wadden. Wadden was aware of the Ash- burn situation. "I shouldret be surprised,"he said. M eiSpieadThe Worm